News from around the Valley, Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2015

Goodwill opens job boards: Goodwill.jobs is a full-service job board powered by Goodwill of Southern Nevada and offers employers an option for job postings while providing job seekers free access to open positions, the ability to create a searchable resume, as well as access to local hiring events, workshops and resource centers.

Holiday gift drive for youths: "Jersey Boys" is set to wrap up its Four Seasons of Kindness campaign with Sunny 106.5 with a holiday gift drive benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada. Contributors who make a $20 donation or more of new winter clothing at Sunny Studios, 2880 Meade Ave., will receive one ticket to see the show at Paris Las Vegas for a Sunny Night Out Dec. 11. Those who contribute a donation of $40 or more of new winter clothing may receive two tickets at maximum. Donations can be made through Dec. 10. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada are asking supporters for new winter clothing for teens ages 12-18, including coats, jackets, long sleeve shirts, jeans, etc. All clothing items must have tags, and contributors must provide proof of purchase to receive a ticket. Visit jerseyboysinfo.com/vegas/4SeasonsOfKindness.

Diaper drive: Local moving company Two Men and a Truck is set to participate in an inaugural diaper drive put on by the Las Vegas Diaper Bank. Operation Dry Bottom is set to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Nacho Daddy parking lot at 9560 W. Sahara Ave. Diapers collected will be distributed to low-income families through nonprofits such as Baby's Bounty, Centro de Adoracion Familiar, Chapel of Improvement Fellowship Diaper Ministry, Life Line Outreach, and Women & Children's Center of the Sierra. Call 702-545-6356.

Village Square change of ownership: The shopping center at 9400 W. Sahara Ave. has announced a change to its ownership while its day-to-day management company responsible for overseeing operations remains in place. DRA Advisors LLC has acquired the 250,000-square-foot, open-air retail, dining, entertainment and professional office center. Sentinel, which has been Village Square's daily operations team for the last four years, is continuing to manage the property. Village Square has undergone a renovation that included realigning the parking lot, new contemporary facades, updated paint, lights, renovated landscaping, new signage including digital signs, and outdoor seating throughout the center. Visit govillagesquare.com.

Yes! toy drive: Yes! Air Conditioning and Plumbing has announced a holiday toy drive to benefit USO Las Vegas. Through Dec. 10, it invites residents to visit the company's office at 6275 S. Pioneer Way between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to drop off new, unwrapped toys for the upcoming holiday season. In addition, it encourages its employees to donate at least one toy at the company's annual holiday party. All donations will be delivered to the USO Las Vegas to be given to children of military families.

AFAN seeking donations for children: The nonprofit's Holiday Toy Drive for Southern Nevada newborns to age 17 infected or affected by HIV/AIDS is set to run through Dec. 11. People can drop off new, unwrapped toys to the Aid for AIDS of Nevada office, 1120 Almond Tree Lane, or to Maximum Comics locations: 5130 S. Fort Apache Road, No. 285; 7950 W. Tropical Parkway, No. 120; or 520 Marks St. For many of these children, the drive provides the only gifts they receive during the holiday season. Monetary donations can be made at afanlv.donordrive.com or by mailing checks to: AFAN-Toy Drive/Holiday Party, 1120 Almond Tree Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89104. Visit afanlv.org or call 702-383-8095.

Donation match campaign: Through the end of the year, donations made to Three Square food bank will be matched by seven corporations and businesses as part of the $250,000 Holiday Match Challenge. Backing the significant Holiday Match Challenge are Las Vegas Valley businessees Barrick Gold, Boyd Gaming, Crovetti Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, IGT, L.L. Bradford, CPA's, Towbin Automotive Group and UnitedHealthcare. Visit threesquare.org.

Hospice collecting food for veterans: Nonprofit Nathan Adelson Hospice is planning a monthlong food drive for veterans and ongoing, monthly Veterans' support groups. Through November, the hospice will be collecting nonperishable food items. All items collected will be delivered to Veteran's Village as well as the Food Pantry in Pahrump, which serves the VFW. Collection boxes have been set up at all the hospice locations: 4141 Swenson St.; in the MountainView Medical Office Building, 3150 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 350; 2270 E. Commercial Road, Suite A/B in Pahrump; and 1201 Nevada State Drive in Henderson. In addition, the nonprofit has launched a Coffee and Coping with Chaplain Dan series from noon to 1:30 p.m. every third Saturday at the downtown location of Veteran's Village, 1150 Las Vegas Blvd. South. The group sessions will focus on various coping mechanisms, ranging from dealing with the death of loved ones and friends to addressing post-traumatic stress disorder. WGU Nevada, an online, competency-based university, is sponsoring the series, providing coffee, doughnuts and other food items for each meeting. It also provides scholarships and special offers to military personnel and veterans. Visit nah.org.

Law classes: The Clark County Law Library and Nevada Legal Services are scheduled to host new classes in estate planning from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 15 and in bankruptcy/consumer rights from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 16. The classes are free, but seating is limited. To register, call 702-455-4696. A free class on how to seal criminal records and restore civil rights in Nevada is also planned from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays at the Clark County Law Library, 309 S. Third St., Suite 400, through Dec. 16. Email AskInfo@ClarkCountyNV.gov.

Smith's pie donation: Smith's Southern Nevada grocery stores donated 3,200 pies to Southern Nevada charitable organizations Nov. 17 at the Smith's store at 3602 E. Bonanza Road. Organizations included Three Square food bank, HELP of Southern Nevada, WestCare Foundation, the Shade Tree, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, U.S. Vets, Helping Hands of Vegas Valley, the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center and The Salvation Army.

HELP serves meals: For Thanksgiving, HELP of Southern Nevada and the Junior League of Las Vegas sorted, organized and packed thousands of meals collected from numerous Clark County schools and companies for families in need of a Thanksgiving dinner at this year's Done in a Day event.

Children's museum receives grant: The Institute of Museum and Library Services recently announced that the Discovery Children's Museum, 360 Promenade Place, was awarded a $150,000 Museums for America Grant to support the development, implementation and evaluation of a new staff training program: Discovery Training Boot Camp, designed to optimize the nature and quality of the visitors' experience. The museum was one of 217 museum projects selected from 583 applications requesting support through the competitive Museums for America and National Leadership Grants for Museums programs. Las Vegas' only children's museum was the only museum statewide to receive this grant.

Nonprofit seeking volunteers for holidays: HELP of Southern Nevada is seeking volunteers for several of the nonprofit's holiday efforts, including its Holiday Program Intake, the HELP of Southern Nevada Thanksgiving Program Distribution, and its 17th annual 98.5 KLUC Chet Buchanan & The Morning Zoo Toy Drive. For more information or to volunteer, contact Joan Lima with HELP of Southern Nevada at 702-836-2114. Visit helpsonv.org. In addition, the nonprofit seeks volunteers to help with application intake from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 3-4 and 10-12. Volunteers are needed to assist clients with their applications for holiday programs at HELP of Southern Nevada's main campus, 1600 E. Flamingo Road, to ensure that all areas of the form are completed.

Mojave Max Emergence Contest: The contest opened Nov. 5 for Las Vegas Valley students to guess when Mojave Max, a tortoise at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Visitor Center, will come out of his brumation in the spring. The person who guesses as closely as possible to the correct day, hour and minute when Max will emerge from his burrow wins. Anyone can enter, but only one winner from Clark County in grades kindergarten through 12 who is enrolled in public, private or registered home schools is eligible to win. The grand prize winner and his or her entire class will win T-shirts, Mojave Max Olympic-style medals, a pizza party and a field trip to Red Rock Canyon to see Max. The winner also receives a laptop computer, a digital camera and an America the Beautiful yearlong pass to national parks and federal recreational areas. The winner's teacher will receive a laptop computer. To enter, visit mojavemax.com and click on the "Emergence Contest" button. Visit clarkcountynv.gov.

Wet'n'Wild coat drive: Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas recently announced it is spearheading a Coats in the Cabana Drive, a charity effort designed to collect new or gently used clean coats for men, women and children that will be donated to The Salvation Army, the Shade Tree and Child Haven during the winter months. Community members who donate to the drive will receive a $10 coupon toward a 2016 Wet'n'Wild Season Pass for each coat donated. Coat donations will be accepted through Dec. 11. Among businesses serving as drop-off locations are:

SurgiSpa/Dr. Arthur Cambeiro, 2370 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 130

Simmons Group/Grand Canyon Development Partners, 6841 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 103

Fisher & Phillips LLP, 300 S. Fourth St., Suite 1500

Jolley Urga Woodbury & Little Law Firm, 3800 Howard Hughes Parkway, 16th floor

Donate at Smith's: Through Dec. 28, Smith's customers may add a $1, $5 or $10 donation to their grocery orders. The contribution will then be converted into Smith's gift cards for local food banks to purchase meat, grocery items, dairy or other needed items. Visit smithsfoodanddrug.com.

Basketball signups: Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada is accepting basketball league signups for children and coaches. Boy's recreational basketball league signups for ages 5 to 12 are available at six locations across the Las Vegas Valley: the Lied Memorial Clubhouse, Southern Highlands Clubhouse, Donald W. Reynolds Clubhouse, John C. Kish Clubhouse, Andre Agassi Clubhouse, and James Boys & Girls Clubhouse. Prices start at $65, and the fee includes a 2016 membership to Boys & Girls Clubs, practice and game schedules and team jerseys. The league fees are used to maintain the facilities and gymnasiums as well as fund Boys & Girls Clubs programs across the city. Club sports leagues are open to youths ages 5 to 12 years old. Visit bgcsnv.org.