North Las Vegas Neighborhood News

BLENDED FAMILY CONFERENCE SET FOR MARCH

Nehemiah Ministries Christian Church plans to host the Blended Family Conference from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 9 at 3606 N. Rancho Drive, Suite 144. The conference will require a registration fee of $25 per person or $40 per couple, and trained workshop facilitators plan to explore different topics, including "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace (Discussing Your Parental Concerns Before You Say I Do)" and "Who's On First (How to Define and Develop the Roles and Rules of the Biological and Stepparent)." The conference will include workshop materials, lunch and giveaways. Registration is under way.

For more information, call 702-645-2544.

LOCAL BUSINESSES INVITED TO MEET YOUR CUSTOMER DAY EVENT

Purchasing analysts and other staff members from numerous Clark County departments are scheduled to meet with local business representatives at the Meet Your Customer Day event planned from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 23 at the Clark County Government Center rotunda, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.

Local minority-owned, female-owned, small, physically challenged, veteran and disabled veteran business enterprises interested in supplying Clark County's business needs will have a chance to meet various representatives of Clark County departments and purchasing analysts in partnership with agencies including: the Nevada Small Business Development Center's Business Success Center; SCORE Counselors to American's Small Business-Southern Nevada Chapter; the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada; the state of Nevada, the Governor's Office of Economic Development; Akers and Associates Inc.; the Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow (FIT); University Medical Center; and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

Purchasing staff members will be available to assist businesses with registering in the county's Supplier Registration Database, which is used to notify businesses when opportunities arise to provide supplies and services.

Advanced registration is not required. For more information, call 702-455-4432 or 702-455-3092.

OPPORTUNITY VILLAGE RECEIVES $16,000 DONATION FROM CREDIT UNION

WestStar Credit Union has donated $16,000 to Opportunity Village as the culmination of its 2012 charity campaign, A Mile of Smiles. In August 2012, WestStar Credit Union set out on a mission to collect a mile's worth of smiles with the intention of donating $1 for every smile collected to Opportunity Village.

Over the past several months, WestStar sent teams of volunteer employees to different local venues, including Fremont Street, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; local malls, Las Vegas Wranglers hockey games, the Great Santa Run and the Magical Forest at Opportunity Village to capture pictures of people's smiles. Their efforts were in conjunction with local Las Vegans who uploaded their own smile pictures to the gallery at amileofsmiles.org.

SKI RESORT kICKs OFF SAFETY AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN IN JANUARY

The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort and Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center were scheduled to kick off the seventh annual free Lids on Kids safety education campaign Jan. 5. The program provides free helmets to youths and runds through Feb. 2.

In past years, LVSSR provided more than 1,000 free helmets. The program coincides with the National Ski Area Association Safety Week and Learn to Ski/Snow Month.

The program launched in 2006 after a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report that said wearing a helmet while skiing or snowboarding could prevent or reduce the severity of 53 percent of head injuries for those younger than 15.

CHEFS FOR KIDS PLAN 5K RUN AND 1 MILE FUN WALK FOR SATURDAY

The Chefs for Kids 5K Run/1 Mile Fun Walk is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at W. Wayne Bunker Family Park, 7351 W. Alexander Road.

Each runner or walker is to receive a long-sleeved T-shirt, a goodie bag and a free pancake breakfast. There also will be a raffle.

The Las Vegas Track Club will provide race bibs and computerized timing. Trophies will be awarded in each age category, which begin with 12-year-olds.

Participant fees are $25 for adults for the 5K and $20 for the fun walk, $20 for children 12 or younger and per runner for groups of 10 or more. Race-day fee is $35. Online registration is available at active.com, or mail checks payable to LVTC to P.O. Box 30134, Las Vegas, NV 89173.

Packet pickup will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday or on race day from 8 to 8:45 a.m. at the Red Rock Running Company, 7350 W. Cheyenne Ave. Fifty percent of the registration fee will go to Chefs for Kids Inc.

For more information or sponsorship opportunities, call chef Patrick Simon at 702-632-3777.

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY SERVICES SEEKS FOSTER HOMES

The Clark County Department of Family Services is seeking members of the public willing to become foster parents. The program involves individuals and families providing safe, stable and loving environments for children in need of temporary out-of-home care.

Information packets are available and include an overview of the program and the latest session schedule. For more information or to request a packet, call 702-455-0181.

REBUILDING TOGETHER ACCEPTING HOMEOWNER APPLICATIONS

Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada is accepting applications from North Las Vegas homeowners for National Rebuilding Day on April 27. The organization plans to repair and renovate 25 to 30 homes with the help of 1,500 volunteers in one day. To be eligible for home repairs, the applicant must own and live in his house; be low-income in accordance with the Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines; be at least 60 years old, a person living with disabilities, a veteran of family of an active duty military service member of a multigenerational family; and be current with mortgage and real estate taxes. For more information or to apply, call Therese Elliot at 702-259-4900 or visit rtsnv.org.

U.S. TENNIS ASSOCIATION-NEVADA SEEKS DONATED ITEMS

The United States Tennis Association-Nevada is asking for donations of old wooden tennis rackets, usable tennis rackets, old trophies, ball machines, items for a silent auction or raffle, a digital photo camera, an office phone system and computers or laptops.

Items can be dropped off at the USTA-Nevada office, 1333 N. Buffalo Drive, Suite 130.

For more information, call 702-792-8384 or email support@ustanevada.com.

HOSPICE PET THERAPY PROGRAM SEEKS DOG BEDS AND BLANKETS

Nathan Adelson Hospice's Pet Therapy Program is promoting its second annual Dog Bed & Blanket Drive to benefit local animal shelters.

Through Jan. 31, Nathan Adelson Hospice and the Jolley Urga Wirth Woodbury & Standish law firm will be collecting new or gently used dog beds and blankets, towels and unopened dog food.

Donations can be dropped off at any of the Nathan Adelson Hospice locations: 4141 Swenson St.; in the MountainView Medical Office Building, 3150 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 350; 1401 S. Highway 160, Suite B, Pahrump; and 1201 Nevada State Drive, Henderson. They also can be dropped off to attorneys Holly Fic and Jennifer Poynter-Willis at the Jolley Urga Wirth Woodbury & Standish law firm, 3800 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 1600.

Last year's campaign generated more than 2,000 items for local shelters. For more information, call 702-870-0000.

NONPROFIT IT'S ALL ABOUT KIDZ BEGINS SPONSORSHIP CAMPAIGN

Nonprofit It's All About Kidz launched a sponsorship campaign calling for any company, organization or individual to sponsor a mother and child who is enrolled in the sober living program. The southwest-area group focuses on providing a sober living environment to women and their children while providing services for them to become self-sufficient. The nonprofit also serves as a foster care agency to provide temporary living arrangements for children. September marked the organization's one-year anniversary, and people looking to get involved can participate by becoming a foster parent, offering financial support and/or participating in the New Beginnings Coat and Shoe Drive started Dec. 1 at the Behavioral Treatment and Foster Care Agency at 3450 W. Cheyenne Ave., Suite 500. For more information, call 702-631-0230 or visit aakidz.org.

WATER AUTHORITY REMINDS RESIDENTS ABOUT WINTER RESTRICTIONS

The Southern Nevada Water Authority reminds residents that winter watering restrictions are in effect, and watering is limited to one assigned day a week through Feb. 28.

Watering restrictions also apply to drip irrigation systems. Sunday is not an optional watering day.

If you notice that frost or a freeze has damaged a plant, leave it alone until warmer weather arrives and new growth appears. Pruning or transplanting a plant during the winter months can hurt or even kill it. Watering should be done in mid-morning to avoid afternoon winds that make sprinklers less effective and avoid the risk of icing.

For more information, visit snwa.com or call 702-258-7283.

AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICES SEEKS SITES FOR BLOOD DRIVES

The American Red Cross Blood Services is the predominant supplier of blood products for Southern Nevada and has increased staffing to increase the number of blood drives in Las Vegas.

The Red Cross invites community-minded businesses, churches, schools and other organizations to host blood drives in locations across the city.

To meet the demand for blood products in the Las Vegas hospitals it serves, the Red Cross needs to schedule two or more blood drives every business day. It is estimated that in the coming year, about 48,000 Las Vegas patients will need a red blood cell transfusion in a hospital the Red Cross serves.

North Las Vegas residents interested in sponsoring a blood drive or donating blood should call 702-522-4000.

MASTER GARDENERS PLAN TOURS OF DEMONSTRATION GARDENS

The Master Gardeners of Southern Nevada plans monthly tours of the Demonstration Gardens at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road. Tours are free and open to the public. Groups of five or more are requested to call program coordinator Ann Edmunds at 702-257-5587 at least two weeks in advance.

DONATIONS ACCEPTED TO AID NONPROFIT

Help homeless, pregnant and parenting teens by donating time, money or new or gently used items to assist clients of Southern Nevada Children First, 720 W. Cheyenne Ave., Suite 30.

Volunteers and donations are always needed to support the nonprofit.

For more information, visit childrenfirst-nv.org or call 702-487-5665.

MISS NEVADA PAGEANT COMING TO TEXAS STATION IN SUMMER

The Miss Nevada Organization announced that it plans to host the 2013 Miss Nevada and Miss Nevada's Outstanding Teen competitions at Texas Station, 2101 Texas Star Lane, June 14 and 15. Winners will represent Nevada at the Miss America and Miss America's Outstanding Teen competitions. Tickets for the pageant will go on sale in the spring.

For more information, visit missnevada.org.

KIWANIS CLUB WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

The Kiwanis Club of North Las Vegas, a chapter of the international service organization, is scheduled to meet at 6:15 p.m. each Tuesday at T.G.I. Friday's in the Aliante Hotel + Casino, 7300 Aliante Parkway.

Club community projects have included canned food drives, car shows, kites in the park events and charity fundraisers.

The fourth meeting of the month is limited to members only.

For more information, visit nlvkiwanis.com or call 702-399-0332.

LOCAL ROTARY CLUB TO MEET

The North Las Vegas Rotary Club of Las Vegas meets at 7:15 a.m. Fridays at the Painted Desert Golf Club, 5555 Painted Mirage Road.

The weekly breakfast meetings include guest speakers, networking, education workshops and service projects.

For more information, visit nlvrc.org/newsite or call Bob Lillis at 702-340-9735.