Southern Nevada’s philanthropic spirit shines brightest in dark times
On a day celebrating compassion and kindness, the Sun salutes the many people in Southern Nevada and beyond whose charitable acts provided warmth in a very dreary year. In just the past couple of weeks, Sun readers have been introduced to such remarkable individuals as:
▪ 17-year-old Allie Hathaway-lareaux, who delivered 75 handmade blankets to the Nevada Highway Patrol for troopers to provide to children in need. Allie, a junior at Basic High School, came upon the idea for the donation after hearing her father, NHP Trooper Jason Lareaux, describe his recent arrest of a motorist who had a young child in the car. After Trooper Lareaux mentioned that he’d wanted to give comfort to the child during the traumatic time but had nothing to offer, Allie organized her family to help her craft the blankets.
“She’s always going to be putting herself out there to help others,” Jason Lareaux said. “So proud — proud dad.”
▪ Bob and Sandy Ellis, who continued n a 15-year tradition of giving this year by providing new shoes, socks and toys to thousands of local elementary school students. Working entirely on their own, without fellow donors or support from a foundation, they bought 5,400 pairs of shoes, 10,800 pairs of socks and 5,100 toys for the children. Bob Ellis, who enjoyed success as the owner of an auto recycling and auction business as well as a towing company, estimates that he and Sandy have spent $4.5 million to $5 million to provide holiday gifts to children in lower-income areas over the years.
▪ The Vegas Golden Knights Foundation donated 50 Vgk-themed bicycles and $25,000 to HELP of Southern Nevada. Coach Pete Deboer and star players Marc-andré Fleury and Max Pacioretty were among those who helped deliver the items.
▪ Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott pron vided United Way of Southern Nevada with the largest single donation in the organization’s 63-year history — $10 million. Scott, an author and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated $4.1 billion over the past four months to hundreds of organizations.
Those are merely stories from one news organization over the past couple of weeks. The year has been filled with examples of individuals going out of their way to help others amid the pandemic.
The coronavirus took far too many precious things from us — loved ones, livelihoods, a sense of security and normalcy. But it did not vanquish goodwill, sympathy and humanity. In fact, those characteristics thrived.
Unfortunately, though, the crisis is long from being over, and the need for giving is as urgent today as it was this past spring.
Charitable organizations have not been spared from the difficulties brought on by the pandemic. Far from. The Associated Press reported recently that despite record amounts of donations this year, nonprofits that support communities are struggling due to such factors as soaring demands and the inability to hold in-person fundraisers. A case in point is the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign, which is expected to raise $60 million less than last year due to the pandemic. Pandemic protocols have reduced or eliminated foot traffic at thousands of businesses that once hosted bell ringers, and volunteers have shied away due to the risk of infection.
The reduction in Red Kettle donations, a major source of the Salvation Army’s overall funding, comes in tandem with a 155%
increase over last year in requests for food, rent assistance and other items from the organization.
Meanwhile, as reported by the AP, Meals on Wheels America said its 5,000 programs nationwide were serving 77% more meals this year compared with 2019 yet are nearly all facing financial strain. One reason for that strain: The program has had to pay drivers to replace volunteers, and has had to purchase more pandemic safety equipment. Candid, an information service that tracks nonprofits, estimates that 22,000 of those organizations may close because of the pandemic.
COVID-19 vaccinations are underway, which is a huge relief, but millions of Americans still face months of intense need. For those with the means to provide assistance, it’s certainly a commendable thing to do — especially this holiday season.
Fortunately, Southern Nevada routinely ranks high nationally in charitable giving. We’re good at helping others.
And as shown by the recent examples spotlighted in the Sun, there are plenty of good Samaritans out there setting a great example.