Sean’s Park, a 2.5-acre park developed for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities, opened at Opportunity Village’s Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus. Planning for the park began in 2008 with a donation from Opportunity Village board member Mike Morrissey and his wife, Patty, a Clark County Community Development block grant and a grant from the Windsong Foundation Trust.
United Way of Southern Nevada created the UWSN | Boyd Gaming Community Meeting Room with a $750,000 donation from Boyd Gaming.
Five Clark County School District principals received $5,000 and the Public Education Foundation’s inaugural Best In Class Award for School Leadership. They are Debbie Brockett, franchise principal of Las Vegas High School and Keller Middle School; Lisa Burkhead, principal of Foothill High School; John Haynal, franchise principal of Roundy Elementary School, Vegas Verdes Elementary School and Wynn Elementary School; Dustin Mancl, principal of Rowe Elementary School; and Reece Oswalt, principal of Frias Elementary School. The honorees were recognized at the Heart of Education awards, where 21 teachers received a trophy, $5,000 and an additional $1,000 to benefit a program at their school. Those honorees are Allison Halpin, Arbor View High School; Amanda Jones, C. P. Squires Elementary School; Beatriz Romero, Western High School; Brittany Boyle, Vegas Verdes Elementary School; Christa Fialkiewicz, Green Valley High School; Donald Bernard, West Preparatory Academy; Elizabeth Mulvey, Whitney Elementary School; Eric Stensrud, Cimarron-Memorial High School; Heather Houchens, Barbara & Hank Greenspun Junior High School; Jessica Banales, J. E. Manch Elementary School; Justin Brecht, John F. Mendoza Elementary School; Linda Coleman, John W. Bonner Elementary School; Lynne Gronert, Selma F. Bartlett Elementary School; Marc Rogers, Cimarron-Memorial High School; Melissa Gillespie, Global Community High School; Michele Kamleiter, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School; Paul Beuning, Chaparral High School; Robin Fulmer, Moapa Valley High School; Samantha Jiminez-Hooks, Jack & Terry Mannion Middle School; Sheburra Moore, Roy W. Martin Middle School; and Shirley Cunningham, Charles Silvestri Junior High School. Canyon Springs High School’s Martin Vece received $10,000 and the People’s Choice Award.
After-School All-Stars Las Vegas used a $15,000 donation from Amerigroup to underwrite a soccer tournament during which more than 350 children participated. Ikea is partnering with the nonprofit and donated $10,000 in home furnishings.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield this year contributed $89,480 to the American Lung Association in Nevada. This includes Anthem’s title sponsorship of the ALA’s Scale the Strat fundraiser and a grant to help the ALA work with community organizations to help people quit smoking.
McDonald’s restaurants across Southern Nevada raised $50,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas scholarship program during its Eggs for Education fundraiser.
City National Bank donated $11,500 to support the Las Vegas Veterans Memorial project built at the Grant Sawyer State Building at 555 E. Washington Ave., across from Cashman Field.
Mesquite Gaming presented $5,000 to Make-A-Wish recipient Langston Navarro, which he will use to attend at Dixie State University. Navarro, 17, suffers from end-stage kidney failure. He wants to be a teacher with a minor in theater. He is seeking placement on the kidney-transplant list.
Las Vegas Southwest Rotary donated 500 pairs of shoes and 1,500 pairs of socks to students at William Ferron Elementary.
21st Century Oncology of Las Vegas was a platinum sponsor for the second annual Desert Grey Matters 5K. The event raised over $36,000 for the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research.
Students at Merryhill Elementary School in Las Vegas decorated the school and its sidewalks with Earth Day-inspired art and received more than $800 to donate to the Rainforest Alliance.
Carlos Santana and staff from House of Blues visited the Las Vegas Rescue Mission to serve meals and provide 8,400 bottles of water. The group also donated more than 500 refillable water pouches.
Elaine Slanhoff and Mike Mazzarelli, volunteers at Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, were presented the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for their decades of public service. Mazzarelli has been a senior companion volunteer for 21 years, providing hope, support and comfort to those who require assistance to continue living independently. He has logged 16,650 volunteer hours. Slanhoff has been a foster grandparent for 23 years, mentoring children who have been identified as at-risk students. She is volunteering at Griffith Elementary School and is approaching 20,000 total volunteer hours.
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2016 PBS KIDS Writers Contest
Vegas PBS announced 18 local winners for the 2016 PBS KIDS Writers Contest. Each student received a trophy, autographed books and framed enlargements of their work. First-place winners also received free tuition to attend the Southern Nevada Writing Project’s summer writing camp.
Kindergarten
• First place: Logan Svendsen, “The Bed Making Struggle,” Glen Taylor Elementary School
• Second place: Adalaide Gillespie, “Alexis and The Missing A,” Las Vegas Day School
• Third place: Graham Murray, “Sam and Bella’s Adventure,” The Meadows School
First Grade
• First place: Skylar Goldyn, “The Three Girls and the Play,” St. Francis de Sales
• Second place: Jacob Fernandez, “Megalodon,” St. Francis de Sales
• Third place: Jameson Murray, “The Very Scary Bear,” St. Francis de Sales
Second Grade
• First place: Melou Wendelboe, “I Think My Teacher Is A Witch,” St. Francis de Sales
• Second place: Jenna Evans, “The Able Bodies,” Las Vegas Day School
• Third place: Shenara Wickremeratne, “The Painters’ Big Challenge,” Las Vegas Day School
Third Grade
• First place: Annika Laning, “The Greatest Treasure,” St. Francis de Sales
• Second place: Nina Pomerantz, “Nina Moves to Bubbleville,” The Challenger School
• Third place: Lila Tasca, “Marissa and the Magical Tree,” Las Vegas Day School
Fourth Grade
• First place: Amanda Jolee Cooper, “Pickles and Molly,” Las Vegas Day School
• Second place: Bryn Barnes, “Dolphin in a Submarine,” Sue Morrow Elementary School
• Third place: Andrew Krueger, “Chain in Nature,” Sue Morrow Elementary School
Fifth Grade
• First place: Lily Archibald, “Abigail and The Color Chest,” Home School
• Second place: Joseph Mosley, “Me and My Grandma,” James E. and A. Rae Smalley Elementary School
• Third place: Madison Small, “Lizard Hunt,” James E. and A. Rae Smalley Elementary School