Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY Charity Regist er OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE. RIGHT: Reilly with Penn Jillette at an Opportunity Village event. BELOW: With the help of Reilly and Caesars, volunteers paint a mural at Walter V. Long Elementary. HOLIDAY MINGLE & JINGLE Event: This annual shopping party at Fashion Show mall features a runway show, specialty cocktails, and holiday shopping incentives. Proceeds support local charities such as Aid for AIDS of Nevada, Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada, and After-School All-Stars. Details: December 4, Fashion Show; snvwish.org ALL IN FOR CP TOURNAMENT Event: Join celebrity players (PICTURED: Anthony Anderson at last year's event) for this annual no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament benefiting the One Step Closer Foundation, which works to improve the lives of those with cerebral palsy. Details: December 5, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino; onestepcloserfoundation.org 70 THE FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT THE BRENNAN ROCK & ROLL ACADEMY Event: Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Dee Snider, and other rock 'n' roll greats take the stage for one night only to raise funds for the Brennan Rock & Roll Academy, which helps underprivileged youth in the Dakotas hone their talents and gain self-confidence. Details: December 5, Orleans Arena; brraevents.com MIRACLE MILE ROCKS THE HOLIDAYS Event: This shopping, dining, and entertainment event that benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs features art from Michael Godard; tastes and cocktails by PBR Rock Bar & Grill, Cabo Wabo Cantina, and Sin City Brewing Co.; and shopping specials and deals. Details: December 5, Miracle Mile Shops; bgclv.org GREAT SANTA RUN Event: Nearly 10,000 people dressed in Santa suits are expected for this five-kilometer run (and one-mile walk) in support of Opportunity Village. The fun begins early in the morning with live entertainment at the Fremont Street Experience. Details: December 7, Downtown Las Vegas; opportunityvillage.com NATALIE GULBIS GOLF CLASSIC Event: Play a round for a great cause at this event benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada, with a pretournament clinic from LPGA tourney winner Natalie Gulbis (PICTURED). Nongolfers can offer support by purchasing tickets to a special VIP reception. Details: December 16, Rio Secco Golf Club; bgchevents.org/golf PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEXANDRA WYMAN/GETTY IMAGES FOR NAACP (ANDERSON); MATTHEW LEWIS/GETTY IMAGES (GULBIS); COURTESY OF THOM REILLY (JILLETTE, VOLUNTEERS) continued from page 68 The charity has to have an innovative branding component. This may sound self-serving, but since we're giving away a good amount of money, we want people to know that we're being good corporate citizens. We're big supporters of NPR, and you can't go an hour without hearing our name. You mentioned that a large percentage of Caesars Foundation's money goes to causes related to the elderly. How come? It's not as sexy as other causes, but we keep going back to making an impact. That's where we started. We added environmental causes because the company was moving toward being green. Education is something that seems to resonate with Caesars' employees. I know that you've made significant donations to Meals on Wheels and that you provided more than 50 vans for food deliveries. Have you embarked on any elderly-related projects that are more outside the box? In addition to having a long-term relationship with AARP, we operate with Second Wind Dreams, which creates dreams for people in elder care facilities. They go into facilities with our employees and ask people what their dreams are. Then we make the dreams happen. In Las Vegas, there was a woman who had never gotten her high school diploma. We had officials from UNLV come and create a graduation ceremony. It was an amazing moment for everyone involved. Considering that we're heading into a new year, it seems fitting to ask how the parameters of charitable giving have changed in recent years. Has philanthropy evolved? The philanthropic world is following the area of human social services. We want to make sure that the money is going toward achieving something, not toward overhead costs. Those are the metrics that are important. Just asking for money doesn't work anymore. It's about being able to measure sustained impact. V VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 068-070_V_SP_SofG_Dec13.indd 70 11/19/13 3:41 PM