With the holiday season in full swing and the end of the year on the horizon, this is the time to take stock of the good things we accomplished during the past year and identify where we can improve. While most of us don’t document our New Year’s resolutions, many of us make an internal promise to accomplish something positive in the coming year. For some, it means committing to losing weight. For others, it means being more compassionate and caring with loved ones or colleagues.
In recent weeks, I learned a lesson about what it means to care. Craig Rogers, a gas pipeline safety engineer for the Nevada Public Utilities Commission and a friend, died at the age of 50. Craig was devoted to his wife and two boys; he cared tremendously about his family—they were his passion. He had something else that drove him in his professional life—safety for construction workers digging near gas and utility lines (Think 811, Call Before You Dig). By all accounts, Craig cared more than anyone about his community and ensuring strong safety measures for the excavation industry. Preventing underground utility strikes and hazardous situations defined him. Countless conversations at his funeral and subsequent trade association meetings confirmed what I already knew. Craig simply cared.
While Craig’s professional contributions and commitment will last for decades, many others also care about this community and each other. Moonridge Group recently released the 10th edition of its Corporate Giving report documenting philanthropic efforts in Nevada. Corporate donors in the Silver State gave more than $600 million during the past year, and their employees personally contributed another $70 million. Perhaps more impressive are the 1.9 million volunteer hours invested in this community by local workers. These businesses and employees simply care.
What about Nevada’s elected leaders? They care, too. They voted to increase state education funding by more than $2 billion compared to the last cycle, and Clark County dedicated $70 million to address affordable housing shortages. During the last legislative session, leadership proposed and passed Assembly Bill 528 with the goal of allocating $100 million in public funding to address homelessness once the private sector also invests $100 million. While a $200 million investment will not cure all the ills faced by people experiencing homelessness in Southern Nevada, the difference it will make confirms that the public and private sectors care.
The Nevada Resort Association’s annual report also demonstrates how the industry supports the community. Beyond the economic contributions, the report highlights initiatives ranging from meal donations to tuition assistance and everything in between. The leaders and employees of the resort industry, which account for nearly one-third of the Nevada workforce, have shown that they also care.
There is no question that this community cares, whether it is a single person such as Craig or the hundreds of thousands of people who power the state’s economic engine. Las Vegas demonstrates its care by taking the time to be a mentor, supporting a family in need, or impacting legislation. As we make grand plans for 2024, remember that we all have the ability to affect the lives of our fellow residents for the better, whether they are loved ones or random strangers. We just have to care.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were not involved in the creation of this content.