Southwest and Spring Valley Neighborhood News

TRAVEL FAIR COMING TO THE ORLEANS

The 25th annual Travel Fair is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave.

Exhibitors will include cruise lines, tour operators, tourist boards, hotels, resorts and other travel-related services.

Destination presentations and lectures are scheduled throughout the day. The program will include Holland America's "live" Alaska Travel Show. This presentation will give the public a glimpse of the scenery, wildlife and stories that shape the history of the state. Other destination presentations include river cruising in Europe and Asia, adventure travel by Lindblad Expeditions and cruising the Mississippi River by the Great American Steamboat Co. Check out various vacation options that cater to families and reunions and group and senior travel.

Free entry tickets are available at any Prestige Travel office, or pay $3 at the door. Entry proceeds will be donated to Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.

For more information, call 248-1300.

LEARN ABOUT PRESCHOOLS OPTIONS

Mommy & Me West plans to host its 14th annual free Preschool Expo from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Mirabelli Community Center, 6200 Hargrove Ave.

Mommy & Me West is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to the development of young children from birth through the completion of kindergarten. It serves families in the greater Las Vegas area.

More than 25 local preschools, community programs and educational vendors plan to attend. Confirmed schools include private and secular schools, learning centers, Montessori programs, as well as dance and art programs.

A supervised bookmark craft will entertain children as adults interview preschools. There will be light refreshments and more than 20 free raffles.

Bring a new or gently used book to benefit Spread the Word Nevada and Kids to Kids. For every book donated, receive a raffle ticket for a grand prize valued at more than $125.

For more information, call 307-6667, email president@mommyandme west.org or visit mommyandme west.org.

PET BLESSING EVENT PLANNED

A pet blessing ceremony is planned at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church, 8425 W. Windmill Lane. All pets, including stuffed animals, are welcome. Pets should be leashed or caged and up-to-date on their shots. The blessing will include a brief ceremony followed by an individual blessing of all animals.

CHILD FOCUS SEEKS SIBLING MENTORS

Child Focus, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reunifying separated brothers and sisters living in foster care, is recruiting sibling mentors to assist with chaperoning events and helping siblings develop the ability to become a healthy family.

Activities are held monthly and vary in topic. For a complete listing of volunteer opportunities, visit childfocusnv.org or call 436-1624.

HOSPITAL ANNOUNCES NEW PROGRAM, SMOKING RULES

Southern Hills Hospital has announced RISE (Respect, Inspire, Strengthen, Empower) Behavioral Health, a 14-bed, in-patient specialty unit serving patients 55 or older with behavioral health needs, including depression, dementia, psychosis and anxiety disorders. Admission criteria include being 55 or older; individuals who are a danger to themselves or others; individuals who must be medically stabilized; individuals who possess a mental health condition; and individuals who must be able to actively participate in treatment. The hospital has also announced that, as of Jan. 1, it will prohibit the use of tobacco products on any part of the campus inside or outside. For more information, call 880-2415 or visit southernhillshospital.com.

BLOOD DRIVE TALLY ANNOUNCED

Cannery Casino Resorts announced that its blood drives resulted in a combined 2,236 units collected between Dec. 1, 2010, and Nov. 30, 2011, at blood drives at its three properties. The Cannery, 2121 E. Craig Road, donated 879 units. The Rampart Casino and JW Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Blvd., donated 738 units. The Eastside Cannery, 5255 Boulder Highway, donated 619 units.

The drive helps United Blood Services provide 70,000 units of blood annually to medical facilities in the Las Vegas Valley.

HELP OUT WITH COLLABORATIVE

United Way of Southern Nevada is looking for more than 400 volunteers for its Earn It Keep It Save It collaborative, which provides complimentary tax preparation to low-to-moderate income families, individuals and seniors.

Volunteers are needed from Sunday through April 17 to serve as tax preparers, greeters, quality reviewers and site coordinators. Those donating their time will receive tax law, e-file training and IRS certification at training locations throughout Southern Nevada.

For more information, visit uwsn.org/eks or call 892-2300.

COUNCILWOMAN TARKANIAN SPEARHEADS BLANKET DRIVE

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian kicked off a blanket drive at BOHO Furniture Gallery, 4221 W. Charleston Blvd., in early December. The newly formed Las Vegas Historic District Business Group, made up of Ward 1 businesses, is sponsoring the blanket drive through Saturday. New and gently used blankets can be dropped off at the furniture gallery and will be given to senior citizens and animal shelters. For more information, call 229-2299.

Desert Breeze pool closure scheduled through Feb. 10

Desert Breeze pool, 8275 Spring Mountain Road, is scheduled to be closed for renovations through Feb. 10. For more information, visit lasvegasnevada.gov.

FRIENDS OF RED ROCK CANYON PLANS TRAIL MAINTENANCE DAY

Friends of Red Rock Canyon plans to host a trail maintenance day Saturday at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Volunteers will pick up litter and help maintain the trails.

Friends reminds residents that winter snow and inclement weather can make for good pictures, which could result in a $100 first-place prize in its 2012 Red Rock Canyon Photo Contest.

For more information on either event, visit friendsofredrockcanyon.org.

TOYS 4 SMILES NEEDS FACILITY FOR WORKSHOP

Toys 4 Smiles, a nonprofit, all-volunteer group that makes wooden toys for needy children, is in need of a new donated facility in which to work.

The facility should have air conditioning and heat. A donated space would provide tax advantages for the donor.

For more information, visit toys4smiles.org or call Rex Doty at 218-4582.

GRANT TO HELP THOSE WITH HIV/AIDS

Nonprofit group Golden Rainbow has received a $25,000 grant from MAC Cosmetics' AIDS Fund for 2012. The donation will be used to support the organization's Affordable Housing Program.

The 25-year-old program is designed for people living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada who would otherwise have no place to call home.

For more information, visit goldenrainbow.org.

NEW VIDEO PUTS FACES TO AIDS AWARENESS

In recognition of World AIDS Day, the Southern Nevada Health District has created a video series, "Facing AIDS," available at youtube.com/snhealthdistrict.

Meet Ivan, Lane, Maryanne and Tracy, the "faces" behind the disease. They share their stories to prevent just one infection and encourage others to get tested.

More than 3,000 Southern Nevadans are living with HIV, and there are more than 2,800 AIDS cases locally. According to a study by UNAIDS, a United Nations program, about 33 million people worldwide are living with HIV.

For more information, call the health district at 759-0702.

WEAR YOUR RESPECT FOR RED ROCK

Friends of Red Rock Canyon offers limited edition clothing, some with a distinctive howling coyote logo. The sweatshirt has a map of the Red Rock Canyon trails so you'll never be lost again. It's priced at $24 (or $20.40 for Friends members).

There also is a short-sleeved blue denim shirt for warmer weather, priced at $25 ($21.25 for members).

To order, call 515-5360 Tuesday through Friday.

GO ONLINE TO REGISTER FOR HOSPITAL VISIT

People can now preregister online through the Sunrise Health hospital websites for upcoming procedures. This includes patients who already have a procedure scheduled, expectant women needing to preregister for their baby's delivery and anyone requesting a screening mammogram appointment.

By improving the preregistration process in this way, patients now have greater flexibility in the preregistration process.

To preregister online, or to request a mammogram appointment, patients can visit the website of the hospital involved -- sunrisehospital.com, mountainview-hospital.com, southernhillshospital.com or sunrisechildrenshospital.com.

OPEN A BUSINESS WITH THE CLICK OF A MOUSE

People interested in opening a business in the city of Las Vegas can do so by visiting the city's website, lasvegasnevada.gov. The city of Las Vegas is the first government agency in Southern Nevada to offer customers the ability to apply for a business license online.

Customers also can pay their application fee or renew their current business license online. These new features are part of the city's priority to make it easier to do business with the city of Las Vegas.

AREA ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE GRANTS

The CarMax Foundation awarded $12,500 in grants to Las Vegas organizations to help local youths as part of the foundation's Regional Giving Program.

The Las Vegas-area grant recipients include: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada, $5,000; Street Teens, $5,000; and Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada, $2,500 for Troop 83's Light Up the Night program, which is aimed at battling cancer.

More than $2.9 million has been donated to local nonprofit organizations across the United States through this program since it was started in 2007.

For more information, visit carmaxcares.com.

LEARN TO SELL LOCAL PRODUCE AND MEAT

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, 8050 Paradise Road, plans to launch a Beginning Farmers & Ranchers program in 2012 with workshops on field crops, processing and selling locally grown meat products and becoming a produce farmer.

Each workshop is two days long and costs $50, which includes two lunches and snacks.

The program is scheduled to run from March to September 2012. For more information, call Staci Emm at 775-945-3444 or visit unce.unr.edu.