Friday, Dec. 12, 2003 | 4:58 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION December 13 - 14, 2003
The old adage that it's better to give than to receive is driving volunteer efforts throughout the valley this holiday season.
The Palo Verde High School National Honor Society has been making fleece blankets since January. Friday morning they presented 500 blankets to the Straight from the Streets organization for use by the community's homeless.
Linda Mercier, an adviser at Palo Verde, said the students were taught how to make the fleece blankets without sewing, through a knot-technique. Since then, the students have been making the blankets on their own time and paying for the materials out of their own pockets.
"Linda (Lera-Randle El, Straight from the Streets director) is going to take them to the areas where people can really use these blankets," she said. "It's getting cold out there and a lot of people need them to stay warm at night."
"The kids do everything on their own," Mercier said. "They go to the fabric stores to get the fleece to make these double-ply fleece blankets for the homeless."
Each blanket costs about $10 to make, Mercier said. The students usually bought the fabric when it was on sale.
That's not all the Palo Verde High National Honor Society members are doing after school this holiday season, Mercier said.
Friday night, the students served spaghetti to terminally ill children at the Ronald McDonald House and sang holiday Christmas carols at Summerlin Hospital.
The students are also making more than 100 "Reindeer Goody Bags" to give to first grade students at Vail Pittman Elementary School students on Wednesday.
Motivated teens aren't the only ones doing good holiday deeds throughout the valley, however.
Catholic Charities Lied Dining Facility is providing Christmas dinner for the homeless and needy individuals and families on Christmas Day, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
More than 100 volunteers will serve 2,500 meals, said Sharon Mann, community relations manager of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.
Hundreds of individuals and families will receive a warm Christmas meal during the dinner. For some, it will be the only meal of the day, Mann said.
The Catholic Charities Lied Dining room has been serving meals to the community's homeless and needy individuals since 1965.
Catholic Charities is also holding its annual Christmas party for needy families from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Dec. 21, Mann said.
"Toys received from Toys for Tots and other community donations will be presented to the children attending the party," she said.
The Las Vegas Rescue Mission is having a Food Basket and Turkey Giveaway for disadvantaged families and individuals on Dec. 20.
This way, people can get turkeys and supplies to have for Christmas dinner, said Rodney Hill, donations coordinator for Las Vegas Rescue Mission.
Hill said the Mission held a similar giveaway for Thanksgiving, providing 1,460 turkeys to local disadvantaged families and individuals. The Mission expects to give away an equal if not greater number of turkeys later this month.
The Mission currently has about only 600 turkeys,.
"People can either drop them off here, or give me a call and we will pick the turkeys up," Hill said.
Hill said the Mission is also putting together food baskets and wrapping toys for children. Toy donations are also accepted at the 480 W. Bonanza Road office, he said.
Shade Tree Shelter is looking for volunteers to gift wrap presents at the Harley-Davidson retail store at 2306 S. Eastern Ave,, said Volunteer Coordinator Shirley Swift.
The Harley-Davidson store gave the shelter a cash donation in exchange for gift wrapping during the holidays, she said.
Several other Clark County School District schools and departments also are celebrating the holidays and helping the community in a variety of ways.
Holiday food drives were conducted by a handful of schools including the Student Council at ATTC, Beckley Elementary School, Booker Elementary, Centennial High School, Cowan Academic Center, Harmon Elementary, Hollingsworth Elementary, Lincoln-Edison Elementary, Valley High School and White Middle School.
Other schools collected toiletries, school supplies, clothing and blankets to the homeless and less fortunate, including, Burk Academic Preparatory Center M. Earl Elementary, M. Earl Elementary, Guy Elementary, Indian Springs Elementary and Middle Schools, Miller Middle School and Twitchell Elementary School.
The VoTech International Club sent more than 100 holiday cards to several transportation squadrons stationed in Iraq. The men and women receiving the cards are from Las Vegas and Henderson.
Also, the Custodian Department of the Operations Unit has adopted five families from the Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer organization and is holding a toy and gift certificate drive to benefit these families. On Monday, the employees will deliver the goods to the families.
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