Helping to make a merrier holiday

Art Nadler

Friday, Dec. 20, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Nick DiFranco was sitting around the coffee machine with a couple employees last month, when the idea suddenly slammed into his brain with the force of a two-ton wrecking ball.

Why not ask the guys to pitch in a few bucks and buy some presents for needy kids around town? Mike Pitts thought the idea had merit.

Pitts, a carpenter at the Bellagio hotel-casino construction site, started asking fellow employees for donations on Nov. 6. By Dec. 3, about 1,000 construction workers had given $12,840.

"All the construction workers here have warm hearts, and when it comes to kids, they are always there for them," DiFranco said. "It's kind of a personal thing for me. I'd rather give them toys instead of money. That's what counts."

Pitts contacted the Hasbro toy company in Pawtucket, R.I., to see if they could fill a late order. Lori Ball, inside sales representative with Hasbro Inc., remembers the day she got the somewhat unusual call.

"I couldn't believe how quickly they organized and got the money together," Ball said. "We sent them 778 beautiful toys, some very up-to-date ones. There will be a lot of smiling faces out there on Christmas Day."

The toys are being stored at a warehouse. Nine child-advocacy organizations will pick up gifts up Saturday. Some construction workers have also volunteered to help deliver gifts to facilities.

The toys will be given to: Child Haven, Boys Town of Nevada, Saint Jude's Ranch for Children, Volunteers of America, Shade Tree shelter for women and children, Safe Nest, Child Protective Services, the Father's House and Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

"As construction workers, we make up a lot of people in Las Vegas," Pitts said. "About 1,000 of the 1,500 construction workers at Bellagio donated money."

DiFranco said he would have liked to collect from construction workers at other hotel sites around Las Vegas, but he was pressed for time.

"I told these guys I wanted to pick up 10 grand, and I was surprised when we got $13,000," DiFranco said. "If I'm around next year, maybe we can do the same thing all over again."