The Public Education Foundation raised more than $500,000 at its 18th Annual Education Hero Award Dinner. The event honored Kris Engelstad McGarry and the Engelstad Family Foundation, Clint Holmes and Dorothy Eisenberg for their contributions to education and the community.
The Bennett Family Foundation has given $1 million toward the creation of the Nevada Medical Center. The center will be a nonprofit organization coordinating and facilitating the shared resources of health care centers.
A limited edition Ford Mustang was auctioned off by Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas for $170,000, with proceeds benefiting Henry Ford Health System’s Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute.
HELP of Southern Nevada joined all four local Whole Foods Markets to collect more than 45,800 bottles of water and monetary donations for the “HELP2O” campaign this summer.
The Las Vegas Hospitality Association raised $20,000 for scholarships and recognized five hospitality leaders at the 2014 Distinction Awards scholarship fundraiser. Honored were Jackie Gaughan and family; MGM Resorts International; Danielle Babilino, senior vice president of sales at Wynn and Encore; Alan Waxler, president and CEO of AWG Destination Services; and Ericka Aviles, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority business marketing manager.
The 10th Annual Las Vegas Ride for Kids, a motorcycle road ride benefiting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, raised $65,663. More than 300 riders participated. Top fundraisers included Cheyenne Stoner, top individual raising $12,501; Desert Riders Club, top motorcycle club raising $9,596; and Carter Powersports, top motorcycle dealership raising $20,640. Over the past decade, Las Vegas Ride for Kids has raised more than $609,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
City National Bank donated $10,000 to Touro University Nevada for the school’s 10th anniversary gala.
Station Casinos donated $50,000 among 10 Southern Nevada elementary schools and $2,500 to Communities in Schools. The schools that each received a $5,000 donation are Rex Bell, Laura Dearing, Ollie Detwiler, P.A. Diskin, H.P. Fitzgerald, Howard E. Hollingsworth, C.T. Sewell, C.P. Squires, Whitney and Robert L. Taylor.
Communities In Schools of Nevada’s fourth annual Harvest for Hope raised more than $350,000 for dropout-prevention programs.
The Windermere Foundation gave a $11,000 grant to Communities In Schools of Nevada. The money will pay for school uniforms.
Sands Cares, the Las Vegas Sands Corp. global corporate citizenship program, donated $70,000 to the UNLV School of Dental Medicine to expedite dental treatment for veterans. The donation allows the clinic to provide services to low-income veterans who have been on a waiting list.
The Light Group donated $20,000 to After-School All-Stars Las Vegas. The donation will support free, comprehensive afterschool academic and enrichment programs for more than 5,000 underprivileged students in 13 Clark County School District elementary and middle schools.
Tom Burns, president of Cragin & Pike Insurance; Jaime Pollack, senior vice president of international development and general manager, Latin America, Ultimate Fighting Championship; and Sunshine Micatrotto, mother of two and community philanthropist, are board members of Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada.
Professional Bull Riders hosted the annual PBR Charity Golf Tournament at Rhodes Ranch Golf Course and raised $12,000 for Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada.
Southwest Gas employees donated more than $1.3 million to various charities during the company’s Fuel for Life campaign.
Tronox, a Henderson manufacturing plant, donated $5,000 to the Basic High School robotics team.
Cox Charities awarded $80,000 to three local nonprofit organizations, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Project 150 and Shade Tree.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and former Mayor Oscar Goodman unveiled a Donation Station meter at the Mob Museum, 300 Stewart Ave., which will take donations to combat homelessness. It’s the 13th meter of its type in Las Vegas.
The Timothy S Y Lam Foundation is providing up to $11,250 worth of training for professionals in the hospitality industry to prepare for Guest Service Gold training and the Certified Guest Service Professional exam.
Community Connections, the philanthropic arm of American Casino & Entertainment Properties, honored four teachers: Catie Vondrak, Coyote Canyon Elementary School, Bullhead City, Ariz.; Jessica Hanaki, Beckley Elementary School, Las Vegas; Miguel Chandia-Alarcon, E. W. Griffith Elementary School, Las Vegas; and Morgan Hammers, Sunrise Acres Elementary School, Las Vegas. ACEP donated $5,000 to each school. The group also recognized casino employees for their volunteerism. Honored were: Angela Lydenberg, Stratosphere; Kirk Zemanek, Aquarius; Debra Lewis, Arizona Charlie’s Boulder Highway; and Terry Ogens, Arizona Charlie’s Decatur.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada hosted the 43rd annual Boys Nite Out and the 33rd annual Girls Day 2014, raising more than $70,000, enough to fund a year of educational programming for 100 children. The club also recently launched a gardening program at the Lied Memorial Clubhouse with the support of the Brenden-Mann Foundation and in partnership with Green Our Planet and Garden Farms.
Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas’ 98th home, which was sponsored in part by Lowe’s, went to Candis Smith and Curtis Flanagan, who also devoted 300 volunteer hours of “sweat equity.” The home was completed by 277 volunteers who put in more than 1,900 volunteer hours to help build it.
Cort Trade Show and Event Furnishings raised $2,500 in the fight against ALS with a 60-person ice bucket challenge. More than 20 employees from Cogburn Law Offices, including partners Jamie and Kristin Cogburn, also participated in the challenge. The firm donated more than $1,000 to combating ALS.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Nevada joined the Jessie Rees Foundation and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Kaitlin Sandeno to distribute JoyJars to children at Sunrise Children’s Hospital. JoyJars are 64-ounce containers filled with toys and activities for boys and girls, ages 18 and under, who are fighting cancer.
After-School All-Stars Las Vegas received a $2,000 grant from the House of Blues Foundation’s Action for the Arts Initiative for the All-Star Music Program at William E. Orr Middle School.
Volunteers from Wynn Las Vegas partnered with Three Square Food Bank to provide nutritious food and health services to students and families through a mobile pantry program at Rex Bell Elementary School. Approximately 230 families each received at least 50 pounds of food.
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Bank of Nevada provided $40,000 to help fund financial literacy programs at 20 Title 1 elementary schools in the Clark County School District for the 2014-2015 school year. The bank’s 20 for 20 Financial Literacy Program was launched at Crestwood Elementary School. The program will provide 20 schools with $2,000 each to support a financial literacy education program at each school.
The Public Education Foundation’s Teacher Exchange and the Sands Expo donated 2,100 pounds of foam core board and fabric to 17 local high schools.
Véronic DiCaire raised $1,792 for Keep Memory Alive during performances at Bally’s.
Chef Bobby Flay and the staff of Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace were the top donor of Restaurant Week, giving $8,825 in proceeds to Three Square Food Bank.