Glynda Rhodes supports charity

Opportunity Village held its third annual Celebrity Poker Tournament at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino Feb. 16. In addition to the no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament, the organization also held a fashion presentation and reception at PURE Nightclub.

Glynda Rhodes, vice president of interior and architectural design at Rhodes Homes and an Opportunity Village board member, hosted the VIP event.

"This is such a great organization and Rhodes Homes has been active in the Magical Forest, but this year we decided to also help with the poker tournament," she said. "It was such an incredible event and we all pulled together and made it something unforgettable."

According to Holly Spoor, resource development director for Opportunity Village, the event helped raise more than $100,000 for the organization through sponsorships, raffle tickets and other donations.

"Events like the poker tournament are extremely important to our organization," Spoor said. "The money we raise goes towards supporting our programs and also towards the capital campaign. The proceeds from this year's event will be used to help open the first phase of our third campus in the southwest part of the valley."

Sheria Spleen, special events manager for Opportunity Village, said the VIP reception and fashion presentation were a success. The fashion presentation was sponsored by Escada, located in The Forum Shops at Caesars.

"We had 12 ladies who were each fitted with an outfit from Escada," Spleen said. "The store manager, Troy Patruno, then brought the outfits to PURE on the day of the event. Glynda was really instrumental in this part of the day's activities as well as coordinating the hair stylist and make-up artist, Whitney Urichuck, for the event. She has a great relationship with Troy and Whitney and was able to seamlessly add this new event into the program."

"I have always enjoyed the staff at Escada and especially Troy's willingness to help out with charitable events," Rhodes said. "We have worked together in the past and I look forward to working with him again as well as to working on future events for Opportunity Village."

"Rhodes Homes continually supports our organization and they truly do care about our community," Spoor said. "Glynda was very involved in all aspects of this fundraiser and she did a really great job."

Opportunity Village is a not-for-profit organization that has been supporting people with intellectual disabilities in Las Vegas for more than 50 years. It provides vocational training, arts and enrichment, employment and social recreation services. For more information, visit opportunityvillage.org or call 259-3741.

Rhodes Homes has built more than 30 neighborhoods and nearly 7,000 homes, ranging from condominiums and townhouses to single-family residences and custom-built homes. For more information, visit rhodeshomes.com.