Where I Stand — Guest Columnist Marilyn Gillespie: Community spirit

Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2004 | 8:41 a.m.

Editor's note: In August the Where I Stand column is written by guest writers. Today's columnist is Marilyn Gillespie, executive director of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. I MOVED to Las Vegas 16 years ago, just as a CBS news program was broadcast that left the impression that the only people who lived here were gamblers, alcoholics and street walkers. Las Vegas didn't fare much better in the recent articles in The New York Times, which depicted Las Vegas as a terrible place to live.

It's easy to come to our community as an outsider and see all that is wrong. In fact, many that visit fail to see that we have a community.

As the director of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, a nonprofit organization, I've been questioned by visitors from out of town as to why the museum is not better supported in a seemingly rich environment such as Las Vegas. Although Las Vegas' economy is better than most, our rapid growth has created a boomtown atmosphere with many organizations starting or expanding to cover increasing needs in the community.

Although ranked as the worst in the nation for philanthropy, Nevada has a core list of corporations and individuals who give generously. These are the names you see on every donor wall in town. They are inundated with requests from worthy causes trying to clothe, feed, house, heal and educate our community. In an effort to encourage and assist others to give, organizations such as Business Community Investment Council are educating businesses on how to set up giving programs of their own.

Most of our population has lived in Las Vegas for only a few years. Ties to "back home" prevent a sense of community from happening for a while. Often new companies to Las Vegas give, but giving is controlled by corporate headquarters and donations are often restricted to that location.

A common complaint heard here is that there is no culture in Las Vegas. Las Vegas does have culture, and all the elements are here -- ballet, symphony and museums to name a few -- but all are still in the formative stage. Awareness messages are difficult to achieve since they are typically overshadowed by the messages of the megaresorts. Nothing we can do could be bigger than the incredible events and attractions that take place on the Las Vegas Strip.

Museums suffer along with every other nonprofit in town for being underfunded. But museums experience another obstacle. Being located in the "Entertainment Capital of the World," we are in direct competition with the Strip because we compete for people's time.

Museums around the world rely on tourism attendance as a large source of revenue. In most communities there are a handful of entertainment opportunities -- in Las Vegas there are hundreds.

In other communities residents entertain visitors by taking them to their local museum. In Las Vegas a trip to the Strip is a must see for any visitor. Local museums receive tourists counted in the thousands, as opposed to the millions that come to Las Vegas.

Most Las Vegas museums are still very young, being less than 20 years old. In contrast, the Field Museum in Chicago is 111 years old, the American Museum of Natural History in New York is 135 years old, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is 91 years old. Las Vegas has four museums that are now Smithsonian Affiliates which will allow us access to their vast collections that have been accumulating for the past 158 years.

But, with all of that said, there is giving in Las Vegas and there are many museums, both public and private to support. The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is a good example of a grass-roots effort that started with little, overcame many hurdles and has flourished in Las Vegas. Without community support, this growth and development would have been impossible.

To a community's culture, living in a boomtown can have some drawbacks. But there is an upshot -- an individual can make a difference. I think all of us want our children to grow up with the same educational and cultural advantages that are available in other metropolitan communities.

As Las Vegas comes into its own as a community (not just a vacation destination), it will catch up with its rapid growth, and a sense of belonging will happen. It just takes time.