Volunteers give their all in North Las Vegas

If judged by statistics alone, Nevada and volunteerism don't seem to go hand in hand. Yet local volunteers make strides every day that are worth applauding.

Nevada ranked 50th in the percentage of residents who volunteer according to data accumulated from 2008 to 2010 by volunteeringinamerica.gov. Broken down, it amounts to about 20.9 percent of Nevadans reaching out to one another.

Nevada volunteers gave 75.1 million hours of service, according to the website's findings.

With nonprofit organizations needing help and everyone from city government to the next-door neighbor doing more with less, volunteers have never been in higher demand.

Neighborhood volunteerism

Goodwill starts at home, or so Judith Hanson believes.

The North Las Vegan serves as vice president of the Aliante Master Association and the Sun City Aliante boards and emphasizes neighborhood improvement from within, she said.

Hanson has helped arrange park cleanups and projects aimed at uplifting underprivileged kids in local elementary schools.

She brought skills from decades as a businesswoman in the Midwest when she moved to Las Vegas five years ago and started her "pseudo retirement," as she calls it.

"When we moved from Indiana, I said I either have to get a job or get into the community," she said.

On Sept. 24, Hanson helped rally about 90 volunteers to spruce up Deer Springs Park, 6550 Aviary Way. The group painted park benches and curbs and trimmed shrubs thanks to their volunteer support and donated resources.

Hanson also helmed efforts that had volunteers working the annual 5K race for Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation and donation drives for elementary schools with disadvantaged children.

"I've found there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's just a smile," she said. "It means so much to these kids to have an interaction with an adult who really cares."

During her free time, Hanson also volunteers at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

"That's what it's all about -- giving back to the community and kids," she said.

For more information on volunteer efforts at the neighborhood level, call 982-0304.

Nevada-Powered

Corporate care met community garden Oct. 6 in North Las Vegas.

About 100 volunteers from ARAMARK, a national food service company, helped convert a parking lot into an urban garden at Nevada Partners, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd.

The volunteers worked with youths from the hospitality and culinary arts career center to construct planter beds, mural benches and picnic tables, said Monica Ford, president of Nevada Partners.

Teens from the horticulture class at Desert Rose Adult High School, 444 W. Brooks Ave., also moved shovels and hammers during the event.

"This is something we've always wanted," Ford said. "This (garden) is so integral to the success of many of our programs."

Ford worked alongside the bevy of volunteers, which included ARAMARK President and Chief Operating Officer Harry J. Carpenter.

"They provide such a valuable service," he said of Nevada Partners. "A lot of charities are always the ones giving, and we want to give back to them."

ARAMARK coordinates volunteer projects with its 250,000 employees, Carpenter said, to foster a mindset of service via ARAMARK Building Community, its philanthropic volunteer program.

"A lot of corporations give money, but we thought it would be best to give time and energy," he said. "We're a big entity, and we have big manpower."

The volunteers also painted and performed repairs in the Nevada Partners' resource room, which is always seeking volunteers to assist students, Ford said.

To see the improvements or for more information on the organization, visit nevadapartners.org.

Join the force

Joe Cavender's love for North Las Vegas wakes him up early and has him cover a lot of ground.

For the last six months, Cavender has served as one of about two dozen North Las Vegas VIPs, or Volunteers in Policing.

"I live here; I love the city," he said. "I want to help the police any way I can."

The men and women patrol highly trafficked shopping centers, parks and roadways in marked cars seven days a week. They can't make arrests, but they're often the line of defense that cues assistance from the pros, said North Las Vegas Police Department Lt. Anthony DiMauro.

"Basically they are our eyes out there without arresting power," he said.

The volunteer force completes about 60 hours of training and is equipped to use the police radio system. Duties range from driving around busy areas to helping with crowd control or traffic during public events or car accidents. Shifts start around 8 a.m., and the volunteers usually clock out around 8 p.m. Volunteers can pick up as many shifts as they choose.

Cavender is also a familiar face at a community event hosted by the city of North Las Vegas' Community Services Division. He has served as unofficial historian at events such as National Night Out, Safe Halloween and Shop with a Cop, snapping photos to capture the moments.

He is among the volunteers who are vital for every step of the events.

"They're there because they want to be involved," said Jennie Ives, crime prevention specialist for the Community Services Division. "They save us hours and hours (of work), and none of our events could go on with them."

For more information on VIP or to volunteer at city of North Las Vegas events, call 633-1817 or email ivesj@cityofnorthlasvegas.com.

Among those regular volunteers are young men and women in the city's Explorer Program, a youth organization sponsored by the police department. The program teaches those between the ages of 15 and 21 the ins and outs of law enforcement and civic duty, said officer Reuben Rocker.

The explorers volunteer at community events to fulfill program requirements and get a glimpse at serving from the heart, he said.

"As officers, we don't do this for money," Rocker said. "We are preparing them for leadership. There is also satisfaction in the volunteer experience."

For more information on the Explorers Program, call 633-1781 or email rockerr@cityofnorthlasvegas.com.

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.