We generally don’t get sappy unless it has to do with fur babies, but we’re breaking our own rules this February. In honor of the month of love, we want to share a few inspiring stories with you that show love at its greatest in the nonprofit sector.
Sometimes board members get a bad rap (Who are we kidding? Most of the time!). We’re here to tell you, though, that inspiring stories of board members who go above and beyond DO exist. Take, for example, Tanna Prince, former Board President of the Rape Crisis Center Las Vegas. When Tanna was elected, she took things into her own hands and hired a Board Coach. She wanted to learn best practices, do’s and don’ts in her new role, and have guidance for any questions she had. What we love about this story is her huge commitment to quality service and leadership. Tanna not only gave countless hours of her time, but she also paid for it out of her own pocket—all so she could grow in her Board leadership! If that’s not commitment, we’re not sure what is. And it doesn’t stop there. Tanna also “paid the gift forward” for 6 months after her term was over, and she made this opportunity available to her successor. Tanna is an inspiration to us all. Board member love stories do, in fact, exist!
Our next love story is about a Las Vegas-based nonprofit, Transition Services Inc. (TSI), that provides meaningful employment and experiences to over 400 individuals with developmental disabilities. Like so many nonprofits, those who know TSI consider them to be one of our community’s best kept secrets. One of the things TSI relies on is working vehicles to transport the individuals they serve and the equipment they use for their yard and cleaning work. Here’s the clincher, though. Their existing vans were purchased used, and they are old, run down, and break down often. The bummer is that these vehicle challenges prevent the individuals served in doing work in the community–the very work that allows them to focus on their abilities rather than their disabilities. TSI has such a huge need for a functioning, safe van that their employees put their minds together to solve the problem. Over the last couple of years staff have saved $7000 through their internal Pennies from Heaven campaign, where staff hope that someday they will have enough pennies to make a substantial down payment toward a new van! Here’s hoping their giving spirit and ingenuity captures the heart of one of our readers who wants to give much more than pennies to this deserving nonprofit!
Drumroll, please…..it’s our final feel good love story, and it’s a two for one special. Recently the Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation (NBCF) shared news that Buddy—therapy dog for NBCF and the dog of NBCF’s chief executive, Emily Smith—and his sister Charli went missing. Nobody likes to hear about a lost dog, but thankfully, the community rallied. The social media information sharing about the search and the outpouring of support are a true testament to our community coming together during times of need. Thankfully, a good Samaritan saw the two dogs and was able to round them up. After a long day, the dogs were reunited with their family, and Buddy can now resume his important therapeutic responsibilities.
That’s not all the good news for NBCF, though. This week they opened the very first preschool for blind and visually impaired kids in Nevada’s state history! The future is being changed for ten preschoolers who now have the educational base they’ll need to compete with their sighted peers. This is a dream that was a long time in the making, and we’re so excited for those who worked tirelessly for years to make this possible. Dreams really do come true.
