Community news briefs for September 28, 2000

Thursday, Sept. 28, 2000 | 9:54 a.m.

Environmental event planned at Morrell Park

Nevada Is Not a Wasteland Day will begin noon Saturday at Morrell Park in Henderson with local environmental groups, friends and neighbors.

Food, local bands, performers and environmental displays will be featured. Admission is free. For more information, call 732-7750 or 650-6542.

Hot air balloon competition planned

Local crafters are invited to join vendors from eight Western states when the Las Vegas Balloon Classic gets under way Oct. 20-22 at Silver Bowl Park.

Up to 100 hot air balloons from New Zealand, England, Mexico and the United States will participate in the festival. Pilots will compete for the Silver State Championship.

Admission is free, parking $2. For more information or booth space application, call Betty at 434-9900.

Activities scheduled during UNLV event

Victims and survivors of violence will be remembered during Take Back the Night activities scheduled at UNLV.

Take Back the Night is a national event that encourages people to remember victims and survivors of violence while promoting prevention of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Events begin at 5 p.m. Oct. 5 at Valerie Pida Plaza and the nearby Alumni Amphitheatre just north of the Moyer Student Union, with a resource fair, where campus and community organizations will offer information about their services.

For more information, call the Jean Nidetch Women's Center at 895-4475.

Chefs gather for Christmas in April

Some of Las Vegas' best chefs will prepare a multicourse dinner for the fourth annual Christmas in April Soiree Oct. 8 at the Four Seasons hotel.

The event will benefit the nonprofit organization, which rehabilitates the homes of low-income people, particularly the elderly. Since its inception in 1993, Christmas in April-Greater Las Vegas has renovated 162 homes and nine nonprofit/youth facilities.

Chefs scheduled to prepare their special dishes include Wolfgang Von Wieser of Verandah at the Four Seasons, Mary Bergin of Spago, Terence Fong of Gatsby's, Michael and Wendy Jordan of Rosemary's, Joseph Keller of Josef's Brasserie at Desert Passage, Kevin Wu of Royal Star at the Venetian, and Steve Romeo of Monsoon Pan-Asian Bistro.

A silent auction and cocktail reception will be at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6. Tickets are $175 a person. For reservations, call 259-4900.

Benefit celebration

Courage Unlimited, Inc. will host a special party of fun and food 7 p.m. Wednesday at the EGG and I Restaurant, 4533 W. Sahara Ave. The celebration will be a benefit for the nonprofit organization, which promotes health education and support in the community. For more information, call 431-3749.

Help received from McDonald House

The Shade Tree shelter for women and children has received a $20,000 grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities.

The shelter has appealed to the community for support because it needed money to continue its daily operations. Ronald McDonald Charities had recently developed the grant program for nonprofit organizations that help children.

Shade Tree staff will use the funds to assist with the development of programs at the shelter.

School-to-Careers receives funding

The Nevada School-to-Careers program was recently awarded a $950,000 grant to fund the 8-year-old program.

The program's main goal is to ensure that every student is prepared for the real world upon graduation through a partner-driven system.

Inmates can take college courses

The state Department of Prisons was recently awarded a $107,000 grant from the Department of Education.

Participants in the program will be able to take 36 credit hours toward a business certificate through Western Nevada Community College in Carson City. The money covers the costs of tuition, books and fees.