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StumbleFundraiser aims to lift spirits of city’s homeless teens
Samantha Radler, 6, has her face painted by volunteer Kirstie McCarthy, 17, at the H.O.P.E. for Homeless Teenagers Fundraiser on Saturday at the Henderson Parkway Pavilion.
Monday, Oct. 12, 2009 | 1:55 a.m.
The underlying theme of this year’s third annual H.O.P.E. for the Holidays event was homelessness is not a choice.
Kelly Robson, director of the Help of Southern Nevada Youth Center, said if teenagers leave home to get away from a bad situation, it’s not their choice to become homeless.
“They’re grateful for anything, because one of the hardest things for youths is to be thrown aside,” Robson said.
A fundraiser was held at the Henderson Pavilion Promenade on Saturday with donations and proceeds going to five local organizations that provide resources and housing for homeless teenagers.
Event chair Judy Alewel said last year’s event raised $29,000. She said with today's sour economy, she will be happy to reach that amount again.
“Whatever we make, we will be grateful for anything that is donated,” Alewel said. “The teens want to feel normal and we want to go that extra step and help them feel normal.”
Alewel said more than 4,000 teenagers are living on the streets in Las Vegas. She said it’s important for the Help of Southern Nevada Youth Center, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, Street Teens, Living Grace Home and Clark County School District Title 1 Hope to work together and provide the best services possible for each person.
Jazmyn Akins, 18, is a resident at the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. She said the organization helped her get into college and pursue her dreams of becoming a commercial photographer and actress.
“My father had a gambling problem and sold our house,” Akins said. “I was living with my neighbors, and I didn’t even know them.”
Akins said her mother works in North Carolina as a teacher and contacted the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth after Akins was "couchsurfing" for a couple of months.
“They put me in a condo with a housemate and take us grocery shopping every two weeks,” Akins said. “My roommate is in high school and the organization makes sure she leads an actual high school life.”
Nancy Amaya, 19, was in a similar situation before she graduated from high school. She said the Help of Southern Nevada Youth Center took her in because her family wasn’t stable enough to care for her.
“They helped me graduate high school, and I was voted class clown and prom royalty,” Amaya said, smiling.
According to H.O.P.E. statistics, 80 percent of homeless teenagers would like to be able to finish high school. The majority of homeless teenagers living in Las Vegas are 16 years old.
Sariah Johnson, 20, said homeless teens should utilize services offered to them. She said walking into the Help of Southern Nevada Youth Center felt like having a clean slate.
“I grew up in a drug neighborhood,” Johnson said. “Life is about choices and you have the opportunity to have better if you want better.”
The event also featured games, a silent auction, train rides, face painting, hair dying and live entertainment by local bands and singer and impressionist Tom Stevens.
Stevens performs impressions at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and served as the moderator at the event. He said he wanted to participate because it brings awareness to the community.
“I wasn’t aware this many were homeless,” Stevens said. “I have been fortunate enough in my life and it touches me to know that kids out here are living on the streets.”
Quin White, 23, lead singer of the band Amarionette, said he wanted to be involved because the issue of homelessness is often neglected. The band dedicated a song called “Apart From the Same” to all the homeless teenagers.
“It’s a song about being different and not feeling like you’re like everyone else,” White said. “No one is better than anyone else, and these kids are like everyone else."
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It is incredibly sad to read that there are over 4,000 16 year olds on the street in Las Vegas...pigs like Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson should write a million dollar check to these charities so they can give these kids a chance at some minimal normalcy.....the problem with Las Vegas is that the wealth is too concentrated and those few families are greedy pigs who have no sense of community needs...they are more concerned about making money in communist China-Maccau, than building a community Park or Social Need Shelters/Centers...that is why the rest of the country has no respect for the Las Vegas billionaires and looks down upon them. Historically, the greatest billionaires gave a ton of money to their communities to help those that are oppressed and in dire need...during this horrible recession Wynn and Adelson, with their $20B, have shown their true character.
Gump, what a liberal hippie way of thinking blame the wealthy for poverty? Truly brainless... Big money makers and titans of industry are the reason behind our country being so great and the reason behind the majority of people having a sense of "normalcy". You should move to Holland. People with the Liberal mental disorder being allowed to run around freely are probably more of a contributing factor in these kids misfortune. Dirty hippie
I dont blame the wealthy for poverty; wealthy individuals have a moral obligation to help children and those less fortunate in their community. LV is the only city in the US with over 1 million population that doesn't have a major public park or structured social services....it is not by coincidence that the industry that these men engage in is destructive to families and communities -- thats why gambing is banned in most major states of this country...men like Adelson and Wynn represent the industry for what it is....their lack of personal satisfaction and Gluttony is described the Third Circle of Dante's Inferno as the pigs that can never get enough -- if they had $50B they still wouldn't be satisfied even if children and families were starving outside their front door.
I believe people have moral obligations to help one another but instead of pointing fingers at them why not point at the people that are in charge of where the large tax money that is collected from these "pigs" goes. To state jobs and retirement plans for instance, a state worker can retire at 40 and collect full paychecks and benefits for the rest of their life for doing NOTHING just for spending 20 years siting behind a desk and saying "take a number". Where does this money come from and why is it not going in a better direction? Blaming a misguided government is more of a logical argument than a couple of "pigs" that contribute huge revenue to this town that goes to the community or over paid state workers.
This article is a sad commentary on our society today. These are kids, who through no fault of their own have becomes victims of our society and our economy. These young adults are often forced to sleep under bridges and eat out of dumpsters. To imagine that happening in our society is unthinkable.
I do not know all of these organizations mentioned, but I do know of NPHY. The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth provides these young adults with help, and a chance for a more normal life. The founders and staff of NPHY are often the first adults who have shown any care or concern for these homeless kids. They should be applauded and assisted in their efforts.
We need to support NPHY and these other charities with their efforts. Not only is it our responsibility, it is the RIGHT THING TO DO.
I agree with you UNLV Grad .... for this organization to "beg" for $20K or $30K to feed homeless youths is a disgrace, especially when a handful of men that own this city (that are worth over $20 billion dollars collectively) are trying to get even more money in their pockets from China without making their home city a decent place for children......the true measure of a City/society is how the children are treated; in Las Vegas children are treated like garbage (lowest standardized test scores/school ratings in the US; highest homeless rates)....Las Vegas is too big, with 2 million citizens, to allow this to happen -- Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, NYC, Boston do not have this problem becuase they would never allow their children to be treated this way.
I believe people have moral obligations to help one another but instead of pointing fingers at them why not point at the people that are in charge of where the large tax money that is collected from these "pigs" goes. To state jobs and retirement plans for instance, a state worker can retire at 40 and collect full paychecks and benefits for the rest of their life for doing NOTHING just for spending 20 years siting behind a desk and saying "take a number". Where does this money come from and why is it not going in a better direction? Blaming a misguided government is more of a logical argument than a couple of "pigs" that contribute huge revenue to this town that goes to the community or over paid state workers. Maybe blame all the people that got wealthy putting these teens parents into homes they could not afford, thousands of people made millions in las vegas exploiting parents of these homeless teens.