Las Vegas philanthropists to meet to talk strategies, successes

Lena Schulhofer was just 9 years old when she began volunteering her time to charity. A student at the Meadows School in Las Vegas, she said she was encouraged to be active in the community by both the school and her parents. As she got older, the divide between those who were financially stable, like her family, and those in need of assistance became more vivid.

“I felt an increasing desire to give back to those in my community who were born into less fortunate situations,” she said.

While in high school, Schulhofer, now 19 and at college out of state, helped Moonridge Group Philanthropy Advisors plan its annual Philanthropy Leaders Summit, which brings together corporate donors, grant-making foundations and individual benefactors to collaborate on their efforts and learn from each other’s successes and failures.

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Lena Schulhofer, a graduate of the Meadows School in Las Vegas, was a moderator at the 2014 Philanthropy Leaders Summit and a panelist at the 2013 event, where she spoke on the school's Microbank program. She also has been an intern at Moonridge Group, which sponsors the annual summit.

About 150 philanthropists will gather Feb. 6 for the fourth-annual summit at Las Vegas City Hall. The agenda will include local and national speakers sharing new and time-honored fundraising and operating strategies. Jeremy Aguero, principal analyst at Applied Analysis in Las Vegas, will present the results of the Nevada Corporate Funding Report, a survey of 50 local corporations on how much they’re giving and to which charities.

Julie Murray, Moonridge Group’s principal and CEO, said the summit is an opportunity to teach new ways of giving and making a difference in the community.

“The amount of philanthropy and giving in a community are directly related to each other,” said Murray, who was the founding president and CEO of the local nonprofit Three Square food bank. “The Leaders Summit ensures that we are continuing to build relationships and shows the benefits of partnerships between the public and private sectors.”

Such collaboration is known as “venture philanthropy” and will be covered at this year’s event by a panel of nonprofit veterans. A hybrid form of philanthropy, it allows businesses and leaders to be altruistic in ways beyond writing a check. Support beyond financial assistance can be in consulting, manpower and intellectual contributions.

Also at the summit, a panel of seasoned professionals in health care, education, jobs and economy, arts and the environment will discuss strategies they have found to be successful. “This is a great opportunity for them to speak on the challenges that keep them up at night,” Murray said.

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Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, left, will provide opening remarks at the fourth annual Philanthropy Leaders Summit, scheduled for Feb. 6 at City Hall. Motivational speaker Punam Mathur, who owns leadership and speech training company Punam Mathur LLC, will be master of ceremonies.

One of the most anticipated discussions is that of TED presenter and keynote speaker Brian Bordainick. Technology, Entertainment and Design, or TED, is a global nonprofit conference featuring speakers competing for a $1 million prize for their respective philanthropies. He joins the ranks of past TED presenters including Bill Clinton, Bono, Jane Goodall and countless Nobel Prize winners. Bordainick is CEO of Dinner Lab, a pop-up supper club that provides a platform for up-and-coming chefs and their dynamic cuisine, and is the founder of a new high school athletic complex, the 9th Ward Field of Dreams program in New Orleans. He is a Teach for America alum who will discuss how he has built his many businesses on the foundation of social philanthropy and entrepreneurship.

In addition to insight from the industry’s elite, summit attendees will be treated to a series of talks given by young philanthropists. “The young adults who grow up with a strong passion to give back to their communities will be those who pioneer efforts to remedy many of the social and fiscal inequalities that have plagued our nation for too long,” Schulhofer said. She has been co-president of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and was the CEO of her school’s Microbank, an organization that used the nonprofit website KIVA to lend hundreds of dollars to low-income entrepreneurs around the world. Schulhofer is a multiyear speaker for this event.

“Lena is one of the most inspirational philanthropists I’ve ever met,” Murray said. Moonridge features the younger generation to show how people can positively affect their communities at any age. She said she believes that other attendees will see the youth involvement and think, “If they can do it, so can we,” Murray said.

Also at the summit, Diana Bennett, CEO and co-founder of Paragon Gaming, will receive the Eric Hilton Philanthropy Award for her commitment and generosity to the valley. Bennett, a longtime Las Vegas resident and gaming executive, has been a chairwoman or member of the board for local charities including the National Children’s Miracle Network Telethon for the UMC Foundation, the I Have a Dream Foundation, the Las Vegas Springs Preserve and Noah’s House at Shade Tree women’s shelter.

Murray said she hopes the diversity of summit participants will become a paradigm for philanthropy in Las Vegas. “Every year people tell me they don’t know how to get involved,” she said. “It is my hope this event will inspire a number of people to go out and make a difference in some way.”

The leaders summit is open to the public, and those with an established history or background in philanthropy are encouraged to attend.

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