Golden Rainbow discovers its pot of gold

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2004 | 10:08 a.m.

The only nonprofit organization in the Las Vegas Valley that helps HIV and AIDS patients obtain permanent housing was bombarded by good Samaritans Tuesday, after its offices were robbed on the weekend.

The organization, Golden Rainbow, was set back by the crime just as it was preparing for an annual benefit set for Dec. 1, designated World AIDS Day by the United Nations.

The crime occurred Sunday night, resulting in losses of more than $20,000, including $400 worth of vouchers for Thanksgiving dinners, officials said.

But members of the community -- ranging from a single mother on a fixed income who took up a collection among fellow workers at Smith's Food and Drug, to a former client -- responded to the news with turkeys, canned food, cash and checks, said Eric Fleming, executive director of the organization.

Fleming was aghast only a day before. He said the timing, with Thanksgiving and the benefit coming up, made the crime especially difficult to bear.

"During the holiday season, it's hard to see this," he said. "We're here to help low-income people -- why does this happen?"

The burglary also draws attention to an unfortunate reality for nonprofit organizations trying to help the less fortunate -- small budgets and a lack of sophistication often lead to less-than-ideal security systems, making them an easy mark for crooks.

Kathleen Boutin, executive director of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, said "people steal from nonprofits because they know we may not have the security measures that big businesses do."

Her organization's Henderson office was burglarized Nov. 8, the second time this year, resulting in a loss of about $3,500 in computers and other office supplies.

Fleming said that when he arrived at work at 9 a.m. Monday morning he was surprised to find that someone had thrown a rock through the window of his organization's office on East Desert Inn Road.

He said the burglars made off with computers, printers, petty cash, checks and the Thanksgiving vouchers. The privacy of his clients was not compromised, he said, because confidential information is only kept in files under lock and key.

Fleming said his organization has been in the valley for 18 years -- three at its present location -- and had "never thought about having a security system."

"We only have a staff of two and try to keep our overhead low," he said.

"Every bit of money we make we try to get into the hands of clients," he said.

Golden Rainbow's annual budget runs from $300,000 to $350,000, Fleming said. The organization each year helps about 500 low-income people with HIV/AIDS, with everything from utility bill payments to providing housing in nine apartments it owns.

There are about 7,200 people in Clark County with HIV/AIDS, Fleming said.

His organization is currently preparing its annual benefit, to be held Dec. 1 at the nightclub Krave. Performers slated for the event include members of the casts of "We Will Rock You" and "Mamma Mia."

Fleming said members of his board are planning to address the lack of security at the organization's office as a result of Sunday's crime.

Meanwhile, the organization has people to thank in the same community that produced the thieves, Fleming said.

"It just shows Las Vegas has a big heart," he said.

"A couple of people can give you a bitter taste, and then the rest of the community can pick you up," he said.

The "rest of the community" includes members of the Advent United Methodist Church; Breck Wall, producer and star of the show "Bottoms Up;" Clark County Health District; Jewish Family Services; and AIDS service organizations.

Still, Boutin said she didn't know how the thieves can live with themselves.

"Stealing from charitable organizations trying to help the less fortunate -- it's no different from stealing from the poor or starving," she said.