The Guardians of GIving Back
Las Vegas is known for its big heart and deep pockets. Here are some charitable organizations to consider giving a little extra to this season
By Jason R. Latham / Photos by Louiie Victa
Lights. Camera phones. Implosions. Las Vegas tops the list for every form of entertainment and distraction but beneath the glitz is a community of people solidly committed to making a difference. For this month’s Giving Issue, we’re turning the spotlight toward the philanthropists and charitable leaders who go above and beyond—asking for nothing in return—while helping to build a stronger, more caring and more connected Las Vegas.
Torrey Russell
Broadway In the H.O.O.D.
It’s not easy to catch Torrey Russell, even for a phone interview, as the Broadway In the H.O.O.D. founder constantly moves.
Today, he’s on his way to class, where Broadway’s cast and crew are prepping for the organization’s 2025 slate of performances: a “reimagined” version of Charlotte’s Web for elementary schools, a “straight play about how youth need to interact with law enforcement” dubbed American Son and a third production that Russell is keeping under wraps, for now.
“The objective, in the coming year, is to have 100,000 young people in the Clark County School District be able to see a show that’s free and open to them,” Russell says.
When Russell launched Broadway In the H.O.O.D. in 2009, he wanted to create a space for disadvantaged kids to celebrate live theater. He didn’t realize it would turn into a life-saving venture.
“In the middle of the night, I’ll go to our Facebook page and read messages, and I’m taken aback by people that were with us at the beginning who say, ‘My life was changed forever,’ and they’re not exaggerating,” he says. “The theater saved my life in that same way.”
Russell is focused on growth as 2024 winds down. Broadway In the H.O.O.D. will complete a successful year of fundraising, with a recent Smith Center event raising $50,000 for the organization’s ultimate goal: the Legacy Theatre.
“It will be the home of Broadway and Las Vegas’ official community theater,” Russell says of the project, announced in 2023 and on track to open in 2025. “The number one thing is that we will keep our focus on young people’s academic success.
“We’ve made an indelible mark on the community and will keep moving forward.”
Kids who participate in the organization’s shows—Russell counts about 50 taking part in nightly rehearsals and production meetings—come from every corner of Southern Nevada. They face challenges ranging from low self-esteem and absent parents to a lack of food and transportation.
That, Russell says, drives home the point that underserved and at-risk youth don’t just reside in low-income neighborhoods.
“We have, for example, a young lady who’s a straight-A student, but her mom won’t bring her [to rehearsals],” he says. “If someone donated a bus or van, we could help even more of these kids.
“If their family doesn’t have lights on, we’ll find a way to get lights on. If they need food, we’ll find food. We’re talking about everyday issues; all we do is help them tackle their problems, move past them, and grow.”
Donate: broadwayinthehood.org
Mayte Garcia
Mayte’s Rescue
A well-groomed dog is a happy dog who is much more likely to find a forever home.
That’s according to Mayte Garcia, who would know more than anyone. This morning, the dancer, singer, author and philanthropist is taking my call while prepping Yoshi—a rescued Pomeranian—for a haircut. She says Yoshi came into her care looking like Happy Gilmore’s caddy before he got a third-act glow-up. Soon, he’ll be ready for the runway.
“All the dogs we groomed last week got adopted,” Garcia says. “Haircuts, baths, they’re so important because some people can’t see past the dirt.”
Garcia’s reputation as a supporter and savior of animals in Southern Nevada is well-known and well-earned. The founder of Mayte’s Rescue and its offshoot, the dog grooming and daycare Boogie Time, Garcia has been caring for animals her entire life.
“My grandmother used to rescue dogs, and I remember her home in Puerto Rico having so many animals,” she recalls. “I would help her care for them and find them homes, and that was my first memory of doing something to help those in need.”
A lifelong dancer and prima ballerina, Garcia carried her passion for philanthropy into adulthood, becoming a fixture in Prince’s backup band, The New Power Generation. After she and Prince married, the two combined their passions. They formed Live 4 Love Charities, a 501c3 nonprofit that supports charities throughout the United States, including several in Prince’s home state of Minnesota and the Las Vegas-based United Movement Organized Kindness.
The couple’s marriage faced challenges following the sudden death of their newborn son in 1996. Committing herself to philanthropy, with the support of her Yorkie pup, Mia, helped Garcia regain focus and a sense of purpose.
“I swore then that I would always help the voiceless,” she recalls.
Garcia and Prince remained friends following their split in 2000, and her charitable work today reflects the couple’s commitment to “helping people up and helping people out.”
“That’s our mission statement,” she says. “We help the homeless, we help people with sudden deaths of family members, we have a music program—Live for Music—where award-winning musicians teach kids via Zoom.
“And the animals, the mobile grooming, adoption—I’ll always love animals. They can’t talk but say so much with their souls and eyes.”
Donate: maytesrescue.com
Dawn Hume
Communities In Schools
Sometimes, giving back requires you to step outside of your comfort zone.
That’s how Dawn Hume wound up in a lip sync battle supporting Afterschool All-Stars Las Vegas. The lip syncing, with a little bit of dancing, is not what she’s known for, but she admits, “I have a terrible habit of not saying ‘no.’”
Hume, a Valley High School and UNLV graduate, is a fixture in local philanthropy. Throughout her four-plus decades as a philanthropist, she has served as a volunteer, contributor, event organizer and more.
The list of organizations she’s supported—working independently or as the director of special events for The Mirage, Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas—spans every corner of the community.
Here’s a partial list: The Nevada Heart Association. Nathan Adelson Hospice. Nevada Ballet Theatre. Las Vegas Fashion Council. The aforementioned After School All-Stars. And Communities In Schools, for which she was honored, alongside her husband Christopher, at this year’s Today for Tomorrow gala.
“The most common thread is kids; I’ll do anything to support the kids in our community,” Hume says. “We have lots of need here, and it’s not all financial.
“A program like Communities In Schools would have benefited me greatly when I was a younger girl growing up in a public school.”
Like many who commit themselves to philanthropy, Hume’s reasons are personal. After losing her father to a heart attack at six, her mother “decided that no one should ever have a heart attack again and thrust herself into fundraising for the Nevada Heart Association.”
Teaming up with her mother led Hume to become a lifelong philanthropist. After earning her degree, getting hired at Golden Nugget exposed her to all the “layers” of giving and charitable efforts made by the city’s resorts and their executives.
Today, she says, she only works to support her philanthropy. “I have these paying gigs so I can participate in charities throughout the community,” she says, laughing.
Hume adds that it’s never too late to get involved. Her advice for anyone starting out is to find something they are passionate about and volunteer.
“Wherever you come from, you probably have things that mattered to you, whether it was the arts, or something with kids, or just something affecting a family member,” she says. “Once you get involved with one organization, the others will present themselves.
“They’re all sort of interconnected, and as you meet people, you’ll learn about their passions and be introduced to new ways to help.”
Donate: communitiesinschools.org
Larissa Spinella, Juliet Lefebvre, Gigi Gonya
Bright Young Girls
Young girls face enough stress balancing school and social lives; they don’t need the added struggle of feeling uncomfortable in their own skin. While it’s often unavoidable, girls in Southern Nevada at least know there’s somewhere to turn.
“I wanted to address the crucial support gap for girls in my community and build a program where girls feel supported, empowered, and valued,” explains Juliet Lefebvre, a Bishop Gorman High School senior and co-founder and co-president of nonprofit Bright Young Girl.
The organization, led by Lefebvre and vice presidents Gigi Gonya and Larissa Spinella (both of The Meadows School), provides care packages of essential feminine hygiene products—from pads to body wash—to girls throughout the region.
“Many of these girls can’t afford to spend their money on these basic necessities, so we do our best to give them what they need,” Spinella says.
In October, Bright Young Girl hosted its second annual Father & Daughter Gala at the JW Marriott. The group hopes that its fundraising efforts will allow it to distribute 5,000 care packages by the end of the school year.
In a Q&A before the gala, The Town asked the group’s leaders for their advice to kids looking for ways to start their own nonprofits and get involved.
Larissa Spinella: Starting a non-profit organization is a lot of work. However, if it is based on a topic you truly care about then you should put your best foot forward and make it work. You have to plan everything out in advance including how to raise money, get volunteers and deliver the necessary materials to the targeted group. For BYG we are constantly having meetings and planning more ways to get money to give to our girls.
Juliet Lefebvre: Do it! Don’t doubt yourself or overthink it too much. When we first started planning our fundraiser, I was very doubtful and nervous. But I quickly realized that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. BYG, which is run by a group of teenage girls, has helped hundreds of girls in Las Vegas and has accomplished so much. This comes to show that anyone can create an impact in their community, no matter their age, sex, background, etc.
Gigi Gonya: Find what matters to you and how you want to make a difference. Everyone has different experiences, backgrounds and values, and there are so many ways to help the community, so create one unique to you. No matter what you do, always seek to support others and create change through your actions. Also, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone; other people will want to help you make a difference!
Donate: brightyounggirl.com
Beth Martino
Three Square Food Bank
If you look around Las Vegas, you’ll see the city is still booming, with new housing tracts and apartments filling in empty lots and undeveloped edges of the valley. But look closer, and you’ll also see food deserts—neighborhoods without grocery stores or restaurants, where families have few options outside convenience stores and fast food.
That’s where food pantries are essential, explains Three Square Food Bank President Beth Martino.
“Whether it’s a church or an afterschool program, these pantries and programs create community,” Martino says. “They know the need, and they know the neighborhood.
“They are serving a 10-block radius, neighbors taking care of neighbors.”
Those food pantries rely on Three Square, Southern Nevada’s largest food bank, to keep shelves stocked and families fed. In 2023, Three Square Food Bank distributed nearly 49 million pounds of food in Southern Nevada. That’s a tremendous achievement, though the numbers speak to the tremendous need in our community.
“We saw a rise in food insecurity last year,” Martino says. “About 1 in 7 people are food insecure here, and 1 in 5 are children.”
Martino moved to Southern Nevada in 2016 and joined Three Square in 2023. With a background in public affairs and nonprofit leadership, she previously served as senior vice president of the American Health Care Association and led the Maryland Food Bank in Baltimore.
Having spent post-recession and pre- and post-pandemic years in Las Vegas, she’s seen how quickly the “face of hunger” can change.
“People have gone back to work to find they didn’t have full-time jobs, while the cost of gas, groceries and insurance have gone up,” she says. “Their dollars aren’t stretching as far as they once did, and now people who didn’t need help before need help.”
To combat the rise in food insecurity, Martino has worked to strengthen Three Square’s relationship with food pantries and other partners while spearheading programs that create more access to food, including a “DoorDash for Families” initiative.
“If we can help people navigate the transportation challenge and get food to their table, it helps them stretch their budget,” she explains. “People can’t learn, work, care for their families—they can’t enjoy life—until they know where their next meal is coming from.
“If I’m in a position where I can help someone, that’s what I want to do.”
Donate: threesquare.org
Chet Buchanan
98.5 KLUC Chet Buchanan Show Toy Drive
If it’s the holiday season, it must be time for Toy Drive. Anyone who’s lived in Las Vegas for a minute knows what that means. It’s when 98.5 KLUC’s Chet Buchanan perches himself above the NV Energy parking lot for 12 days, cheering the community on as they drop off toys and bicycles for local charities.
Buchanan is one of the most famous voices in local radio. He’s also on the boards of Variety the Children’s Charity, HELP of Southern Nevada, and Project 150. He’s the public address announcer for the Las Vegas Aces. He’s the “Voice of NASCAR” at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
But to so many in the community, “I’m still the guy who lives on that thing for 12 days and we get all the bikes,” he laughs.
That’s a good thing, Buchanan insists, especially as he’s preparing for his 26th year of the 98.5 KLUC Chet Buchanan Show Toy Drive. The Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Famer has been doing it for so long that the kids he used to see dropping off donations are now bringing kids of their own to participate.
Toy Drive wrapped last year with more than $802,000 in cash and gift card donations, 42 trucks full of toys and 7,774 bikes. Buchanan says his job is to “make sure every person that shows up gets a thank you, is seen, and appreciated.” He’s certain there’s still more people to thank, and more room to grow.
“The one thing Las Vegas still does not get credit for is its philanthropy,” Buchanan says. “But that’s the really cool thing about Toy Drive: we get to show off the fact that this is a city of 2 million people who really do care.”
That’s why Toy Drive rarely changes. Buchanan knows better than anyone that in broadcasting, there’s always management turnover, and a new exec who steps in with “the next big idea.” But he’s 26 years into this thing, and it’s the people—families that show up at all hours of the day or night—that keep it fresh and keep it growing.
“That’s why it’s so important to me to keep it pure,” he says. “I haven’t even touched the stairs in the last 10 years, I go up and down in the NV Energy truck basket.”
The host then relays a story about the time his wife called during Toy Drive to let him know their dog had passed away.
“I said, ‘I can be there in 15 minutes, it’s midnight, no one will know I’m gone,’” he says. “But she told me, ‘No, I’ll come to you. Because if you do that, you’ll never be able to look anyone in the eye ever again and tell them that you never come down.’”
Donate: HELPsonv.org