Bus fosters community

Daniela Mohor

Friday, Nov. 30, 2001 | 3:55 a.m.

Local residents willing to do volunteer work in their communities now just have to get on the bus.

A 43-foot electric blue bus equipped with a computer, a television and a VCR, is the tool of a new campaign designed to foster Las Vegans' sense of belonging.

The project, called "My Hometown," was launched last month by the 2000 graduating class of Leadership Las Vegas -- a nine-month program to develop leaders committed to improving the community.

The idea came in response to the 2000 Census statistics, which showed that only 28 percent of Nevada residents were born in the state, versus the national average of 67 percent. The transient nature of the Las Vegas population makes it harder for residents to develop a feeling of belonging, organizers said.

The class decided to use the bus, which features a large, colorful nightscape with the "My Hometown" logo, to reach out to those residents and help them get more involved in their community.

"We want to let residents know Las Vegas is not only their work place. It's also their community and their home," said Jackie Ramirez, chairwoman of the "My Hometown" events committee.

Sponsored by local organizations and businesses -- such as KLAS Channel 8, the United Way and Classroom on Wheels -- the bus will participate in a number of community events in the next two years.

At each location employees of the Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada staff the bus, providing visitors with brochures on different local agencies. They will also use the bus's computer to help residents find local volunteer opportunities that best match their interests.

"What the bus does is it takes what we offer (at the Volunteer Center) into neighborhoods, community centers, schools and places where people gather so that residents can see more clearly the opportunities to help," said Fran Smith, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Southern Nevada.

By simply entering the word "homeless" into the computer, for example, representatives of the Volunteer Center can pull out a detailed list of the organizations addressing that issue and give visitors a contact number for each one of them.

Volunteer Center officials hope that "My Hometown" will allow them to attract enough people to meet goals they adopted from President Clinton's 1997 Summit on America, Smith said.

The goals are to provide each youth with a caring adult, a safe place to be after school, a healthy start, marketable skills and the opportunity to give back to the community through service.

"We will use the vehicle as a tool for promoting the delivery of all five promises," Smith said.

Expanding the number of volunteers in the community, however, isn't "My Hometown's" only task. Campaign organizers say they also want to help residents become better citizens, helping each other on a daily basis.

"There are a lot of things that a person can do in his community, such as picking up trash, watching their neighbors' home when they are on vacation, picking up their newspaper," said Allison Copening, co-chairwoman of the project.

"We really want people to view Las Vegas as their hometown and take care of the community itself."