Trade group helps Oct. 1 nonprofit at LV meeting

Silent auction raises about $10K to assist survivors

Support for survivors of the Oct. 1 shooting on the Strip isn’t only a local concern.

The National Investor Relations Institute, based in Alexandria, Virginia, held a silent auction to benefit the Route 91 Strong nonprofit during its conference in Las Vegas on Monday and Tuesday. The conference, which drew 11,050 attendees from more than 20 countries, raised about $10,000, according to Gary Lablanche, the NIRI’S president and CEO.

“When the horrific shooting took place, we just felt compelled to find some way to give back to the industry,” said Lablanche, who’s been planning the conference for a year. ▶ reviewjournal.com/lvshooting

“I immediately thought, ‘We got to do something to support the community.’ ”

During the auction, people bid on items that included jewelry, sports jerseys and memorabilia signed by Taylor Swift, Michael Jordan, Garth Brooks and other celebrities. There were about 250 items in total, said Iris Sherman, a representative of Route 91 Strong.

Lisa Fine, who helped start Route 91 Strong with Brian Claypool, said the nonprofit has raised close to $300,000 for survivors. After survivors are verified and vetting, the nonprofit sends them money for medical care and personal bills.

“It’s sad to say that we even need to have a nonprofit for gun violence

AUCTION

of Southern Nevada professors.

One woman was recently paroled, and many others are looking to be released soon.

Megan Sanchez, 34, is one of them. She’s 33 days away from release, and hopes to use the training she received to immediately get to work. She hopes to join Labors Union Local 872 — a community partner of the project — and eventually wants to head back to school to complete her nursing degree.

“It’s been the best opportunity I’ve had my entire life,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford, who led the passage of the state law that created the program, advised the graduates that they have a role to play in ensuring that the word “pilot” is removed from the program.

“This bill was not unanimous,” Ford said. “Everybody doesn’t support you — make no mistake about it. I need you prove to those folks that they were wrong.”

The program has had successes, said James Mccoy, associate vice president of academic affairs at CSN. It was also offered to 25 men at the High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs, and of those graduates, three are enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada this fall, he said.

New cohorts of 25 men and 25 women will begin courses in August.

“It’s a program that only lasts if we’re able to prove it is successful,” Ford said.

News of the program has also reached Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, said Michael Flores, chief of staff to the chancellor at the Nevada System of Higher Education. Truckee Meadows recently received a grant to replicate what CSN is doing.

He expressed optimism that funding will continue into the future, but said they’ll need people like Barker to testify to the program’s success.

“We can go up there and say this is good for this and that, but unless you all are able to testify to the importance of this and how it has transformed your lives, it’s not going to be successful,” Flores said.

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702477-3897. Follow @Nataliebruzda on Twitter.