Spring Valley’s Blessfest reaches thousands of people in need

What motivates more than 1,500 people to get up on a chilly Thanksgiving morning to help strangers in need?

Seeing cars jammed onto the dirt shoulder of West Oquendo Road before 7 a.m., it is obvious a big event is about to take place. This isn't just another hot turkey meal. This is Blessfest, the fourth annual Thanksgiving Outreach hosted by the Calvary Chapel Spring Valley congregation at 7175 W. Oquendo Road.

Pastor Derek Neider, a Southern California transplant, says he knows the secret why so many people volunteer for this event to help the homeless.

"With these catastrophic economic times comes a realization that it (homelessness) can happen to anyone," he said. "Socially, it has leveled the playing field. People are thinking, 'That could be me.' "

With no formal church membership but a weekly attendance of approximately 2,000, Neider estimates more than 300 of the 1,500 volunteers had no affiliation with Calvary Chapel Spring Valley. That might be a surprising number considering Las Vegas is ranked 49th out of 51 large cities with 19 percent of its residents listed as volunteers, according to Volunteering in America, a website of the U.S. government.

Volunteers included dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, lawyers, paralegals, doctors, nurses, optometrists, hairstylists, social workers and computer experts to assist guests with Internet searches to locate families.

"We try to approach it in a holistic way. A couple of years ago, we had a gentleman call his family members in San Diego. They didn't know that he was homeless. They drove all the way up from San Diego the same day to pick him up," Neider said.

Henderson resident Victoria England, 41, the dental coordinator and a College of Southern Nevada dental hygiene graduate, said more than 50 dental personnel donated their services, including students from Pima Medical Institute, 3333 E. Flamingo Road.

"Our first year, we just were in the school gym and could only show people how to brush their teeth, give them toothbrushes and toothpaste and most importantly, just listen to them," England said. "With the help of the Onsite Dental mobile clinic, we are now able to provide much-needed dental treatment."

Each of the more than 2,000 "guests" was bused to the church from the Salvation Army, 31 W. Owens Ave., The Shade Tree, 1 W. Owens Ave., or Baker Park, on St. Louis Avenue just west of Maryland Parkway. Upon their arrival, each was given new a backpack containing personal essentials, invited to shower and shop for clothing, blankets and sleeping bags. They were greeted with smiles and respect.

Every year stories come out of the event, both from the volunteers and the guests. One year a reluctant volunteer decided he would help in the dining room. He had never dealt with the homeless community before and didn't know what to expect. Shockingly, he found himself serving his estranged father Thanksgiving dinner.

The homeless shared their thoughts about the event with the church videographer. "God is alive. Some days you have bad days, and some are absolutely huge, bright days. This is one of those days," one said.

A volunteer hairstylist said one woman told her this experience had shown her that she can get out of her abusive relationship.

Bobbie Garcia, a 14-year Las Vegas resident and event organizer, laughed when complimented on how well the event was organized.

"This year, I had a lot of personal family things going on in my life," she said. "This year, I felt like I had the least amount of control, the least amount of help. So there was a lot of prayer. At the beginning of the week (before the event), we only had one doctor that had signed up. We ended up with six doctors and all these nurses and lawyers. The Lord knew how many we needed."

One of the lawyers who counseled more than 100 guests this year said several people he helped last year told him his advice had changed their lives. Neider says some of the guests from previous years are now volunteers at Blessfest. "I see people in our congregation get radically changed when they reach out to other people," he said.

"The volunteers come up and thank me for working on Thanksgiving. Can you believe it?" England said.

For more information about Blessfest, visit ccspringvalley.org or call Garcia at 362-9000.