Summerlin Area Neighborhood News, Nov. 20-26, 2014

TRAVEL CLUB TO GATHER NOV. 25 AT TAP HOUSE

The Las Vegas Singles Travel and Social Club, a group of mature singles in the Las Vegas Valley interested in local, national and international travel, plans to meet at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at the Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd. The club meets the fourth Tuesday of the month, and this will be the last meeting for 2014.

A half hour of social time is planned prior to the meeting at 7 p.m. Meetings consist of a short business portion, followed by a guest speaker. November’s speaker is set to discuss cruising the North Sea and touring Iceland.

There is a small fee for members and guests to cover refreshments and the cost of the meeting room. For more information, call 888-324-3928.

UNITED WAY SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR HOLIDAY EVENTS

United Way of Southern Nevada is seeking volunteers to help stuff holiday stockings to be distributed to children at two of its partner preschools from 9 to 11 a.m. on the northwest side of the valley and from 1 to 3 p.m. on the east side on Dec. 2. A $15 donation is requested to help pay for refreshments and supplies. To register, visit tinyurl.com/uwvoldec.

Volunteers are also needed to stuff stockings for clients of partner health clinics from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 2 and to stuff baskets of Italian food for clients of United Way’s financial stability center. For more information, visit uwsn.org/volunteer.

PARTNERSHIP SET TO GIVE AWAY A MORTGAGE-FREE HOME FOR VETERAN

Station Casinos and the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl are partnering with the Military Warriors Support Foundation to give away a home at the Dec. 20 football game.

The foundation awards mortgage-free homes to military service members who have severe and/or unique circumstances because of their injuries. In addition to the home, the families receive three years of family and financial mentoring.

Those interested can nominate oneself or someone in the community by visiting sclv.com/woundedheroes. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 28.

MILITARY MEMBERS CAN JOIN THE YMCA FOR FREE

To honor the military, the YMCA of Southern Nevada is offering half-price memberships and no joining fees to all active-duty military, veterans and those individuals’ immediate families, year-round. To receive the discount, those eligible must present a military ID and join in person at the Bill & Lillie Heinrich YMCA, 4141 Meadows Lane; Durango Hills YMCA, 3521 N. Durango Drive; Centennial Hills YMCA, 6601 N. Buffalo Drive; or the SkyView YMCA, 3050 E. Centennial Parkway. This offer will remain in effect until further notice.

After the 50 percent discount, the monthly membership rates for this offer are $31 for a family, $18 for an individual and $16 for a senior. The YMCA also waives its normal joining fee of $50 for an individual and $75 for a family. There are no joining contracts.

For more information, visit lasvegasymca.org.

SMILES FOR SURVIVORS RAISES FUNDS

The Smiles for Survivors Foundation, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit that provides dental treatment to breast cancer patients and survivors, raised $22,000 at its Blow Out Breast Cancer fundraising event, held Oct. 18 at Square Colour Salon + Spa, 1225 S. Fort Apache Road, Suite 160.

Attendees enjoyed beauty treatments, food, cocktails, live entertainment and a silent auction.

For more information, visit smilesforsurvivors.org.

CONSTRUCTION SET TO BEGIN ON DOWNTOWN SUMMERLIN RESIDENTIAL PORTION

The Howard Hughes Corp. plans to begin construction by year-end on Downtown Summerlin’s first residential development, The Constellation, named for the then state-of-the-art, four-engine airliner built by Lockheed and financed by Howard Hughes for Trans World Airlines between 1943 and 1958.

A 124-unit, gated luxury rental residence complex, The Constellation is a joint venture of Hughes and The Calida Group. The multifamily community is expected to be complete in one year, with the first residents moving in during the fourth quarter of 2015. Pre-leasing is set to begin next summer.

The three-story, 170,000-square-foot project will feature one- and two- bedroom homes ranging from roughly 1,000 to 2,040 square feet. Resident amenities include: a fitness center; a spa with tanning services, an on-call masseuse and aesthetician; and a resort-style pool with an outdoor barbecue area and poolside cabanas. Third-floor homes are set to include 20-foot ceilings along with a private walk-up to a mezzanine level and a fourth-story rooftop deck. Some residences also are set to include attached garages.

The Constellation is situated on nearly 4.5 acres at Griffith Peak and Town Center Drive, adjacent to Downtown Summerlin.

For more information, visit summerlin.com.

NEW STORES OPEN IN DOWNTOWN SUMMERLIN

Downtown Summerlin, 1980 Festival Plaza Drive, has announced the addition of the following retailers and eateries: Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill; Kay Jewelers; Nekter Juice Bar; and Sushi Loca. For more information, visit downtownsummerlin.com.

TURKEY DRIVE NEEDS YOUR HELP

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada is calling on the community to help collect 2,000 frozen turkeys for this Thanksgiving holiday.

One of Catholic Charities’ annual traditions, for the last 28 years it has been organizing a Thanksgiving basket giveaway that provides a frozen turkey, nonperishable dinner fixings and pie to its most vulnerable clients. It is the valley’s largest turkey giveaway, serving approximately 4,500 families. Catholic Charities’ staff members store the frozen turkeys in freezer trucks. In addition, outside the campus, there will be a “turkey thermometer” keeping a count of how many turkeys have been donated each day.

Frozen turkey donations will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Nov. 24 at Catholic Charities’ Rainbow Thrift Store, 915 S. Rainbow Blvd.

Volunteers are also needed to help clients shop and assemble baskets to be given away until Nov. 24. Volunteers can sign up at catholiccharities.com or email volunteer@catholiccharities.com.

WALKER FURNITURE SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS PROGRAM

Walker Furniture is accepting nomination letters through Dec. 5 for its 21st annual Home for the Holidays program, which provides families in need with a houseful of new furniture.

Walker CEO Larry Alterwitz plans to help a record-breaking 30 families in need. HELP of Southern Nevada will identify which nominated families display the most genuine need for new furnishings.

Nomination letters come from teachers and students, health care professionals, social service workers, clergy, friends, neighbors and family.

Past recipients included a single-parent family of five, where one child had a brain injury that required ongoing therapy and the entire family was sleeping on the floor; a family that lost all of its possessions in a fire; four minor children whose mother was shot and killed by their father and are now being raised by their grandparents; and a single, working mother of five who was unable to provide her family with beds, chairs or a dining table.

Nomination letters can be sent to Larry Alterwitz, CEO Walker Furniture, 301 S. Martin Luther King Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89106, emailed to cnelson@walkerfurniture.com or faxed to 702-384-7772.

CITY OF LAS VEGAS TO OFFER WINTER CAMPS

The Holiday Kids Camp for first- through fifth-graders is set to be offered by the city of Las Vegas. Parents can register their child from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 22 to Jan. 2 (no camp Dec. 25 and Jan. 1) at the Cimarron Rose Community Center, 5591 N. Cimarron Road.

The cost is $100 per week for the first child and $100 for each additional child. Registration is limited.

Expect arts and crafts, games, sports, cooking, movies, field trips and more.

For more information, call 702-229-1607.

AARP SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR FREE TAX PREPARATION PROGRAM

The AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program plans to offer free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with low to moderate income. In its 46th year, the program is the nation’s largest free tax assistance and preparation service, giving special attention to the older population. The service is offered in conjunction with the IRS and is open to anyone, not just AARP members.

Last year in Nevada, 260 volunteers helped more than 12,700 people file federal tax returns and answered tax-related questions. The program is offered at senior centers, libraries and other convenient locations.

The program needs volunteers. Tax volunteers must complete a tax preparation workshop from the IRS before working with taxpayers. There is also a need for grass-roots leadership, on-site greeters and those who can provide language assistance in Spanish, Mandarin or Cantonese.

For more information, visit tinyurl.com/4r34r8v or call 888-227-7669.

USTA-NEVADA OFFERS FREE TENNIS LESSONS FOR ALL AGES

The United States Tennis Association-Nevada is offering free tennis lessons to all ages. Participants are asked to visit ustanevada.com to complete the registration form. They will be emailed a certificate to take a free tennis lesson at any of the participating facilities.

Free loaner tennis rackets are available through USTA-Nevada’s Racquet Recycle Program. Everyone who registers will receive a free Nevada Tennis Association membership, which includes a newsletter and special invitations to community tennis events.

For more information, email freetennis@ustanevada.com or call 702-792-8384, ext. 101.