During trying economic times, such as those we find ourselves in now, it is easy enough for our perspective to diminish. Survival mode kicks in and we become first and foremost concerned with ourselves and our needs. We lose sight of those outside our essential circle. But truth of the matter is no matter how tough things are, there is always someone in more dire straits than our own.
The community leaders featured in the pages to follow have proven that they remain cognizant of their fellow citizens no matter the economic climate. Though they work hard to excel professionally, these titans aren’t just in it for themselves; their efforts work to benefit the community of Las Vegas as a whole.
Recognizing the value of community, they give generously to the city of Las Vegas, not only in terms of money, but with their time, energy and dedication. Whether feeding hungry mouths or quenching our thirst for culture, these good Samaritans help our city and its inhabitants to thrive, raise the bar for compassion for others, and nourish their character in the process. In the upcoming profiles, these community leaders reveal the real benefits of giving back.
KRIS ENGELSTAD MCGARRY
No dream comes true until you wake up and go to work,” are the immortal words of a Las Vegas visionary that hang prominently in the main building of the Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus of Opportunity Village. Kris Engelstad McGarry’s father Ralph, former owner of the Imperial Palace who died six years ago of lung cancer, may be the man behind the words but she is the mistress behind their family’s good deeds.
Kris Engelstad McGarry and her mother Betty, though the Engelstad Family Foundation, have given generously to the tune of more than $80 million to the Southern Nevada community. Bishop Gorman received $10 million in funds for the House of Glory gymnasium, tech center, and chapel on the school’s new Summerlin campus. The Boys & Girls Club received $5 million for a new facility located across from the Boulevard Mall in addition to monies for annual college scholarships. Three Square food bank received funds for a new kitchen from the Foundation along with monies for a Summer Food Service Program aimed at food-insecure children. The list goes on and on of the many non-profits the Engelstad Family Foundation has bestowed with their generosity and in turn made the Las Vegas Valley a more quality place to live.
How long has the Engelstad Family Foundation been giving money away?
The foundation, with more than $500 million in assets, already has donated more than $217 million in less than six years throughout Nevada, Minnesota, Mississippi and North Dakota. That includes more than $80 million in donations and commitments in Southern Nevada.
What’s it like to be able to give away such huge monetary gifts?
It’s the best job in the world. We give away hope. It’s the best thing ever. Sometimes it’s daunting because a lot of people need help.
The generosity of the Foundation is so well-rounded, how do you select the recipients?
Our recipients have to fit into a couple of different criteria. Our giving is generated by medical research, education, children and people with disabilities. For us, if it seems to fill a void, it fits.
What’s the foundation’s most recent donation?
This week we gave $1 million to the Nevada History Museum for traveling exhibits and to finish the King Tut exhibit. We were just really impressed with what Marilyn Gillespie (the Museum’s Executive Director) is doing over there, and with not a lot of funding.
Opportunity Village, the not-for-profit center for adults with intellectual disabilities, received $9 million from your Foundation.
Our donation built the Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Buffalo Road as well as helped to expand its work programs and charitable events. (The new campus has a 52,000-square-foot building that sits on 10.9 acres.) They (Opportunity Village) knew they had outgrown their main campus and so two or three years ago they came to me with the schematics for this campus. It was a good fit for us.
Tell me about your work with Three Square food bank.
Our donation helped build the new kitchen and funded the new summer program which will help feed children while they are not in school. Those that receive free lunches during the school year are forgotten in the summer. In this community there are these little niches that are so easily dismissed and overlooked.
Has there been a particular cause that’s closer to your heart than the others?
There are two in particular that were both an easy fit for us because my father passed away from lung cancer and because it’s the leading disease in Nevada. We gave donations
to the College of Southern Nevada’s cardio-respiratory program and to Nevada Cancer Institute for lung cancer research.
We gave an $8.2 million donation to build the Ralph and Betty Engelstad School of Health Sciences at CSN because there’s
o other pulmonary project in the State of Nevada and they basically operated out of two closets. So when they asked for funding it didn’t seem like much of a leap for us. Hopefully with those students, we will help them and they will stay in Nevada. We hope for the ripple effect and that it will be Nevadans helping Nevadans.
As for Nevada Cancer Institute, the Foundation donated $15 million and has committed an additional $20 million for lung cancer research and infrastructure.
Have you received letters or stories of how your work has changed somebody’s life?
We give lots of small donations. My mother in particular is famous for pulling articles she sees and sending a gift. Most times anonymously. I asked her if it didn’t matter to her if they knew and she said ‘no.’ She just wanted to go to bed feeling good that these people were in a better place.
Who instilled in you the act of giving back?
The greatest gift my parents gave to me was the desire to give. If I could epitomize the gift of giving, it would be my mother and her desire to let it go and give it away. There’s not a house I could live in or a car I could drive that gives me a feeling as good as this. We were fortunate with what we had and had more than we needed. Our family is dedicated to giving back to this community and doing the right thing. It’s nothing more complicated than living the golden rule.
How has the Engelstad generosity enriched your life?
First, I am more appreciative for all that I have, if that’s even possible. Second, I am exposed to people in the community who are less fortunate so I count my blessings. And third, it makes us, as a family, want to dig deeper and see how much more we can do. There’s nothing exceptional about who you are. If you end up in the circumstances we have, you have an obligation to look after others.
DANNY GANS
Never a stranger to the spotlight, Danny Gans was much talked of during his life, and the attention has not diminished following his death. Gans will not just be remembered for his professional success — his ability to entertain, record-breaking crowds, or being named “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year” for 12 years in a row — but because of what an integral part of the Las Vegas community he became.
Gans’ passing did not only leave a hole in the Las Vegas entertainment scene and in the lives of those who knew him best, but also affected thousands of valley residents who may never even have met him. Not only a talented performer, gifted athlete and family man, Gans was a philanthropist and possessed a strong regard for the people of Las Vegas.
Far from being just a headliner on the Strip, Gans embraced his adopted hometown and in the 13 years he lived here became a significant supporter of numerous organizations.
He hosted and donated to the annual Champions Run for Life in conjunction with the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF), adopting the original race created by the NCCF and growing it from a small event for the children served by the foundation, to an event of over 1,500 participants.
“When Danny heard about this and wanted to be a part of it, he brought something so very magical to our event,” said Jeff Gordon, President and CEO of the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. “The clarity of his convictions, the choices that he made, and the promises he kept vaulted this little event into a major happening in our community. His positive attitude simply caused a chain reaction of positive thoughts and outcomes that served as a catalyst for some extraordinary results. We will forever be indebted to Danny Gans and the brightness of hope he so freely gave to so many of our children.”
The 5K run and children’s walk raises money to benefit the needs of critically-ill children and their families living in Southern Nevada. This year Donny Osmond will continue the tradition and host the newly entitled Danny Gans Memorial Champions Run for Life.
Gans was also involved with First Tee of Southern Nevada in hosting their Annual Danny Gans Partee Fore Kids Golf Tournament during the past six years. Proceeds from this celebrity Pro-Am tournament benefit the organization, as well as the Danny Gans Junior Golf Academy whose collective mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through golf.
“Danny was always open, had a smile on his face and he loved the game of golf, the kids were able to see that with him. His death was a huge hit for us emotionally, as well as financially. He was one of the great men who understood what it meant to give back to the community,” said Danielle Gladd, Executive Director of First Tee of Southern Nevada.
This year Rita Rudner will host the event in honor of Gans which is newly entitled the Danny Gans Partee Fore Kids Celebrity Pro-Am Memorial Event. “We want to honor Danny in all he has done for the community. I don’t think people realize just how much he did,” explained Gladd.
In addition to supporting his own fundraising events, Gans contributed to other charitable efforts throughout the valley as well. He became a staple in the annual Four Corners Food Drive, hosted by local radio personalities Mark and Mercedes (Mix 94.1), after one memorable year when they had set an unprecedented goal of collecting 250,000 cans of food, but on the last day still found they were significantly short.
“We were around 220,000. Danny called us and said that he was going to contribute. Most celebs were donating about $1,000 which was equal to 3,000 cans, so we were hoping for that. When Danny found out where we were with our goal, he said that there was no way he was going to let us not reach our goal, so he donated the remaining 30,000 cans.
Food drive finished. After that, every year he would make the last donation to help us hit our goal and he was forever named Danny ‘Cans’ to us,” recalls Mercedes of Mark and Mercedes in the Morning.
One of the reasons Gans was so successful in becoming a respected member of the city was due to his ability to identify with its inhabitants. Though a fixture on the Las Vegas Strip, he looked beyond the city’s shiny exterior and connected with the community in a real way. As Mercedes explains, “People often just look at the ‘shell’ of Las Vegas. If you don’t live here, that’s all you see — The Strip, the Cirque shows, the nightclubs. Danny was not the most famous person to people on the outside. But he was part of what makes Vegas special to those of us that live here.”
Gans’ longtime manager and friend Chip Lightman sums it up best with this statement, released shortly after Gans’ passing, “Danny Gans will not only be remembered as a Las Vegas entertainer, but as a man who loved his family, loved God and loved the city of Las Vegas.”
In the face of his untimely death, there is comfort in one fact, that through his compassionate legacy this ‘Man of Many Voices’ will never be silenced within the community that knew him best.
KIM CANTEENWALLA
Chef Kim Canteenwalla’s culinary career has taken him all over the world, from his native Canada to Southeast Asia, including Cambodia and Indonesia. This international epicure was finally tempted back to North America by a position at then Steve Wynn property Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Mississippi, before landing in Las Vegas as Executive Chef at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.
Known for his novel approach to classic American dishes, Chef Canteenwalla, along with three partners including wife Elizabeth Blau, currently runs Society Café at the Encore Resort, where he works as Executive Chef, and also serves as President of boutique restaurant planning and development company Blau & Associates.
But this chef doesn’t just dedicate his time to satiating the taste buds of those who frequent his restaurant; he also channels his energies towards feeding less fortunate members of the Las Vegas community. Through his volunteer activities at Three Square Food Bank, Chef Canteenwalla utilizes his passion and talent for edible fare to the benefit of those in need.
What do you enjoy about living here?
I love that Vegas is close to being a culinary center, it’s not New York or San Francisco, but there is phenomenal food and beverage in Las Vegas. And with that comes this great pool of talent to work with, who come from all over the world. And there is great availability of product here.
How did you become a chef?
I was inspired by my father as a kid, during the weekends my father would get more experimental and creative with preparing meals and I would help him and it motivated me.
How do you enjoy your time at Society Café Encore?
It’s great working with a team like Wynn that has such an infrastructure, and has a great amount of really smart and passionate people. If you have a passion for what you are doing, it’s going to be successful. We look at Society as being very approachable for all guests, where we feature staple meals but with a creative twist.
How did you get involved with Three Square?
First it was Elizabeth [Blau], my wife, who was involved with the organization. Then we heard they were getting a new kitchen and there was a team of chefs from around town who were involved and I was asked to be a part of it. I got into it late, but it has been great. A lot of the events I have participated in here, and elsewhere, go back to charitable events and getting food to people. In the last three events I have given time to – DISH at Springs Preserve, Bon Appétit at Caesars and Taste of the Nation at Hard Rock – a portion of the money raised went back to Three Square.
How do you contribute to the organization?
We helped with the startup of the brand-new kitchens, helped bring the chef on and have been working with him – going through his menus. Right now we are mostly involved with awareness. The biggest thing we can do is bring awareness to Three Square – bringing the Las Vegas food and beverage community to the table and making them aware of how many people are in need out there and how they can help. A few weeks ago an invite went out to a bunch of chefs and we got to go in and see the facility and make ‘BackPacks’. Once people get out there, they see things in a different way. We had one server who volunteered and was so touched that now his two teenage kids are involved and volunteering as well. Bringing that awareness to the community is the key. There are such great people working there, especially Julie Murray, you can just see her warmth and graciousness.
For you, why is the fight to end hunger such an important cause?
Have you ever gone to bed hungry? When I was young and broke and hitchhiking through Europe I did a few times. It seems such a desperate situation and you don’t forget that feeling. You think of young kids
JULIE MURRAY
A self-proclaimed “life-long Las Vegan,” Julie Murray possesses a love for this unique city and the people in it. As President and CEO of Three Square Food Bank, Julie has not only excelled professionally, but she gets to do what she loves most – cater to the community of Las Vegas.
No stranger to community involvement, Julie, along with a colleague, began the local “I Have A Dream” Foundation back in 1994, and just one year later adopted their first class of ‘dreamers’ through the organization. Currently Murray is “just two years away from seeing all of them in college,” she admits gleefully. Murray was completing her work at the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, helping them build their charter school for at-risk youth, when she was approached three years ago to help launch Three Square, where every day she fights to end hunger in Southern Nevada.
What is Three Square’s philosophy?
Three Square is a non-profit organization whose name signifies three square meals a day. No one in our community should go hungry and our mission is to ensure that people have access to a consistent supply of food. It is crazy that in this vibrant city of Las Vegas we have so many people who struggle with hunger, and so many of them are children. As we go about our day-to-day lives, there are over 210,000 men, women and children who are living in poverty in Clark County and struggle to get food, and the largest percentage are kids under the age of 18. So there are thousands of children who go to school every day with an empty stomach. Our goal is to take this city’s can-do spirit and meet that need.
How did you get involved with Three Square?
I was recruited by a group of community leaders who had just held a study to determine whether hunger was an issue in Southern Nevada because so many were unaware of just how many people struggle with hunger in our city. As one of the unaware, I was shocked to hear the numbers and eager to get involved.
Essentially how does the food bank operate?
The food bank is an efficient food hub where donations of food and funds are made to this central location and from there given to 250 non-profit agency partners, 144 schools, and 10 summer feeding sites for at-risk youth for distribution.
Tell us about Three Square’s new facility.
We opened the facility with a sense of urgency because as the recession hit the number of people who needed food sky-rocketed. Sadly, many of those numbers are those who had a job last fall but now struggle with hunger. Through donations from the community we opened the expansion space which includes a kitchen that allows us to prepare meals for people struggling with hunger. So now we are not only able to supply canned goods and fresh groceries, but prepared meals as well. Many of our volunteers are people who have been recently laid off and are trying to stay engaged and connected with the community.
What are some of the programs within Three Square?
During the school year we have the BackPack Program because, in this vibrant city of ours, 44.5% of the 300,000 students in the Clark County School District receive free or reduced school lunches during the year – which means that their parents have filled out paperwork with income level information and the child qualifies. But during the weekends these families often struggle, so the BackPack Program gives food to these kids on Fridays to take home for the weekend. For the summer, we have the Summer Food Service Program, and just this June we began delivering fresh, nutritious breakfast and lunch meals to summer feeding sites where at-risk youth gather for the summer – the same youth that receive BackPacks during the school year. The meals are delicious and nutritious and made at the new kitchen space at the food bank.
What effect has Chef Kim Canteenwalla of Society Café Encore had on Three Square?
Chef Kim has been amazing, his leadership has been such a great help to our ability to
rovide nutritious meals. He has personally spent time in our kitchen to plan menus and sent a team of his employees in to help prepare meals. We have a great chef, John Hilton, but it involves a lot of work so their help is appreciated. Chef Kim is a role-model example of what can be done when we all work together — at-risk youth are receiving nutrition because of him.
Why is the fight against hunger such an important cause to you?
As a mother of three, it breaks my heart to know there are children who go to bed and to school on an empty stomach—they can’t learn or thrive. And I can’t imagine how that must feel for the parent. Secondly, Las Vegas is such a great city—we have the people and resources to combat hunger, this is something we can beat. It’s not a disease for which there is no cure, there is a cure, this is doable. We just have to contribute our time and resources. When we step up and engage in community service, lives are impacted and improved and we are a better city overall for it.
What do you enjoy about living in Las Vegas?
I love the spirit of Las Vegas, the people, the can-do spirit that makes our city more unique than any other city in the country.
JENNA MORTON
Having resided in Las Vegas for just seven years, Jenna Morton has already become more engaged in the valley’s community than many who have spent their whole lives here. A business executive, environmentalist, philanthropist, political activist and mother, Morton has witnessed Las Vegas from several angles. As an owner of the N9NE group, Morton deftly juggles several responsibilities, including her forte of community relations, ranging from charitable causes to eco-friendly initiatives. And as a board member of the Springs Preserve Foundation, Morton is working to ensure the importance of environmental education and appreciation spreads to the whole of the Las Vegas community, particularly the next generation.
For you, why is environmental awareness such an important cause?
I have always been surrounded by real environmentalists. I grew up with a big compost pile in my back yard — it is still there at my parent’s house. In 1976, my father designed a solar energy system for our house. People used to drive by all the time to look at it — it might have been a bit like the Ark. And my sister is a biologist living in Guatemala, trying desperately to save the Cloud Forest.
What do you enjoy about living in Las Vegas?
The day the children and I left Chicago, it was 9 degrees outside. When we arrived in Las Vegas later that day it was 75 degrees. Need I say more? It was not until we moved here though that I really became aware of Las Vegas as a community. There is a metropolitan energy here. It is sort of like we are a small town with something to prove. There are very few degrees of separation here so we are all in this together and it feels good.
What are some of the environment-friendly initiatives you have implemented within the N9NE Group?
We started with the low-hanging fruit like using recycled office paper and reducing the use of plastic water bottles. Then we focused on cleaning supplies, hand towels and toilet paper. And actually, it was inspiring. As we made simple changes, team members started submitting ideas of their own. The lovely by-product is that most of the changes we make positively impact the bottom-line. When we changed the plastic cups at the Palms pool to biodegradable ones we saved 6 cents per cup. People drink a lot at Las Vegas pools — it adds up. Nove Italiano trades kitchen compost to a farm in Pahrump in exchange for fresh eggs. And this spring we unveiled Las Vegas’ first solar-powered DJ booth. The booth’s banners are printed on BIOflex, a completely biodegradable vinyl. The DJ booth is just one way N9NE Group is pioneering creative strategies to address the threat of global warming by directly eliminating our carbon output. However, we still exist in an environment where we use energy and therefore generate carbon emissions. So as a company we decided a couple of years ago to offset our energy use through a partnership with Green Mountain Energy. Our offset helps to avoid approximately 5.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year. Meanwhile our team feels good about the way we operate. Karma doesn’t hurt either.
How are you ‘green’ at home?
The fuel for my car is waste vegetable oil from N9NE Steakhouse. It has a diesel engine and diesel engines were originally designed to run on peanut oil. The beautiful thing is that when I run out of gas I just call Chef Barry (Executive Chef Barry Dakake of N9NE Steakhouse) and he delivers it to my office. I think the most important thing we do at home is carrying on the conversation with our children about our place in the environment and responsibility to it. They are the change.
Any small acts that make a big difference?
I think the simplest thing everyone can do is UNPLUG. If you are not using it, unplug it. It takes a fraction of a second and the money you save is remarkable, and you save the earth with that simple act.
What is your interest in the Springs Preserve?
The Springs Preserve is my other indulgence; I am there as often as I can be. I love the fact that a place like the Springs Preserve, whose entire premise is conservation, exists in the most unlikely place—a couple of minutes from the Strip. This facility has so much to offer but for me can be described in one word: community. It is a place to meet, relax, eat, learn, be entertained, and play—all while leaving the smallest trace on the planet. With my children it is just a part of the same conversation that we have at home, but here it is graphically illustrated. In the ORIGEN Experience they learn about our community’s history, water conservation, native plants, animals and humans. It is a wonderful resource. The Springs Preserve is a world-class facility; it is an example of Las Vegas’ ingenuity and depth.
Are there any causes that are close to your heart?
Our community is so filled with incredible people who work their tails off to make life better for us all. After-School All-Stars is probably dearest to me. ASAS very simply provides after school programs for children in at-risk neighborhoods that keep them both safe and enriched between 3 and 6 p.m. FIT (For an Independent Tomorrow) is another great investment in our community and helps people who are unemployed or underemployed obtain a living-wage job. In the current economic environment, the need for FIT’s services has grown exponentially.
In your opinion, why is giving back to one’s community so important?
We are living in a moment when community and collective experience is in vogue, thank goodness, but I believe it is a good business practice to pay attention to the people around us. It is amazing what value a simple acknowledgement carries.
JIM ROGERS
This community titan is old-school. He answers his own phone, doesn’t use e-mail, limits his phone conversations from two to five minutes, doesn’t have a cell phone, and you can even still find his number in the phonebook.
But even though Jim Rogers may do things the old-fashioned way, his methods result in great success. Self-made, Rogers practiced law in Las Vegas from 1964 through 1988, then moved on to found Sunbelt Communications Company which owns and operates 16 NBC and FOX affiliate television stations in five western states.
The fortune he has amassed has allowed him to give or pledge more than $275 million to various colleges and universities and be named as one of the top 12 philanthropists in the nation by Time magazine. And if giving bushels of scholarship money away wasn’t enough, Rogers really put his money where his mouth was in the name of education and became Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, opting not to take a salary in the position.
How did education become so near and dear to your heart?
It was because of my law partner Louie Wiener, he was Bugsy Siegel’s attorney. When there were 12 casinos on the Strip he represented 10 of them. He said to me, ‘Neither you or I are very smart, and we wouldn’t have a nickel if not for our education and that we lived in Las Vegas. What are we gonna do with all this money? And, we should give it away while we are still alive.’ So we started giving our money away.
How much money have you given away toward education?
I don’t know how much we have given, maybe $25 or $35 million in scholarships. We have given a fortune to Idaho in scholarships, also to USC, ASU – all because I went to school there (Rogers earned degrees in accounting (B.S.) and law (LL.B.) from the University of Arizona, and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Southern California.) Beverly (Rogers’ wife) gives away English scholarships. She and I were so impressed with one girl’s essay that we paid for her entire education which ended up being $204,000 at Stanford; and it was the best money I ever spent. Although, the last two years have been rough on donations and being able to give money away.
What about the state of education in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas is the only big city without a major university. We need money and a culture where the public sees a need for it. We are shallow, just four miles wide and a quarter of an inch deep. We think that the only mark of success is how much money you bring home on a Friday night.
Did you believe it was your civic duty to take the helm of Chancellor?
In the beginning it was a lark. I was on a plane to Salt Lake with Regents Anthony and Scofield and asked them about being the interim Chancellor. They thought it sounded like a good idea. I served 11 months as interim Chancellor. Then I signed a three-year contract. After that I said I just want to stay through the ’09 Legislative Session so they extended my contract until this past June.
What was your role as Chancellor?
You have to have the bulldog, that’s me. My job is to get out there and champion them (educators and the university system). It’s all of education that I stick up for. The chancellor’s job is not as an educator, it’s an administrator. You need to deal with donors, the Governor, the legislators. My job is to appear on TV, and speak to as many people as possible and advertise education. You have to advertise your product whether it’s selling cars or selling education.
What didn’t get done during your time as Chancellor?
As an educational system, we have never looked past next Friday. I started the Health Science System and I wish it would have gotten further along. We got a 10 to 12 percent cut when it should have been a 20 to 25 percent increase in the university budget.
It (the university system) should be a great partner and leading the city’s culture. It needs to be a university experience rather than just going to class.
What do you still plan to pursue on your education agenda?
I would like to continue to grow the Health Sciences. We have the Cleveland Clinic now. Their budget is bigger than the state of Nevada’s. We just don’t have the time to grow it (Health Sciences) ourselves, we need to partner to move it forward in a faster way.
The funding formula for Nevada education is really low. There are tremendous funding inequities. I am going to pound anyone I can on this issue. CSN has the fourth largest population in the U.S. and yet doesn’t get sufficient monies as compared to its counterparts in other parts of the state. We are one of the few states that the county doesn’t fund the colleges in their area. In our case, the state does it. So that means our county officials have no vested interest in the school being successful.
What do you hope your legacy will be?
That I have made the entire education system connect with the public; we now have an alliance that wasn’t there before. The Chancellor’s office works well with the school superintendents—which is new. I hope that I have made it so the public will start to recognize the importance of education from K-16; and that parents now believe they have an obligation to help with their children’s education, teach them that it’s more than just going to class, get them of a mind that going to college is important. I hope we have gotten it started. I think we have moved it along an inch on a 100-mile journey.
NANCY HOUSSELS
A life-long supporter of the arts, Nancy Houssels continues to leave her mark on Las Vegas. Dancing since she was a toddler, Nancy launched her professional career as half of the dance team of Francois Szony & Nancy Claire, performing all over the world from England to France, Spain, Italy, Lebanon, and Denmark and at such iconic venues as the Hollywood Palace, the London Palladium, Radio City Music Hall, and the Latin Quarter. The duo appeared several times on the famed “Ed Sullivan Show,” even performing as opening acts for the likes of Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra.
Despite Houssels’ retirement from the stage, her passion for dance remained strong and led her to establish the Nevada Dance Theatre (currently named Nevada Ballet Theatre) in 1972 with Vassili Sulich, which she continues to co-chair. Recognized for all she has done, in 2007 Houssels was inducted into the Nevada Entertainer/Artist Hall of Fame at UNLV. Through her hard work and dedication over the years, Nevada Ballet Theatre has been able to provide important outreach to our city by providing lessons to low-income students as well as infusing life into Las Vegas’ cultural arena.
When did you first fall in love with the performing arts?
I started dancing at the age of three and fell in love with it there and then. I was raised with three brothers and my mother thought this would be better for me than football.
What was the inspiration for founding Nevada Ballet Theatre?
It happened by accident really. Vassili (Sulich) was doing a free performance using dancers from the Strip who had a strong ballet background, and wanted to go back to that rather than continue their nightly grind. So he got a little group together and planned a Sunday performance, and he invited me to see the performance and it was packed. It was fantastic and he did it on a shoestring budget. So Vassili and I got inspired and gathered some people in my living room and we all put in funds and that was the beginning of Nevada Dance Theatre. Within a few years we saw it could develop into a legitimate dance company. What began on a budget of $15,000, now ranges from $2.6 – $3.3 million each year. Coming into this economic downturn has made it more difficult to raise money for the arts. It’s almost like starting over, which I have done many times over the years. But sometimes you have to take a couple steps back to go forward again.
In what ways does Nevada Ballet Theatre contribute to the community?
Ballet has a limited following but we do have some converts and once you have seen one of our performances you won’t forget it. We have some terrific dancers and are going up on the artistic scale because of James Canfield (Artistic Director) and Beth Barbre (Executive Director) who are both so in touch with the outside world. As the only ballet company in the state we offer something no one else is. Last September the company was invited to perform at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center. They performed “Equinox” by James Canfield and were beautifully received. It was a great moment for our company and Las Vegas.
The Future Dance program is part of the academy’s education and outreach division and is of special value because we go into mostly the underserved population who wouldn’t necessarily have the ability to pay tuition and attend the academy. These kids take part in lessons and a final performance to represent their school, and at the end of the program about 20 scholarships are given out to exceptional students to train at the academy. We actually have one girl who was a Future Dance student who is now performing in The Lion King (at Mandalay Bay). It’s amazing to see what circumstances some of these kids are living under, and this program gives them some moments of utter escapism and happiness.
Why is promoting the performing arts such an important cause?
I think being exposed to the arts is such a treat. It is an experience you can carry with you all of your life, whether it’s opera or dance or the visual arts. It’s almost intangible but it enriches your life so much, I know it has mine. It’s like being an athlete—if you participate it teaches you concentration, discipline and how to persevere. Just last month we broke ground on The Smith Center for the Performing Arts downtown which will be a world-class performing arts center in Las Vegas and also feature an education outreach program. That to me is the most wonderful happening for our arts community.
Why is culture so vital for Las Vegans?
I think culture is important to the soul. I have been touched by many moments seeing magnificent performers and it is so inspiring. Inspiration is the best way to sum it up. For people who work hard or are going through difficult times in their lives, it provides them with a few moments of ease and pleasure. The real world can be tough, so if we can have a few moments of lightness and beauty it’s worth it.
In your opinion, why is philanthropy so important for the Las Vegas community?
Philanthropy has been a tremendous part of the growth and enrichment of our community. There has always been room for pioneers here and so many people have stepped up and answered the needs of the community. Vegas has been so wonderful, and has welcomed and encouraged people to found these institutions and programs and in doing we so are filling a tremendous gap.
What do you enjoy about living here?
I love that this city doesn’t lock anybody out. If you have an idea you could carry it out here, if you have the perseverance. But when I tell people I was a dancer in Las Vegas they will ask me if I was a showgirl, I have to explain to them my height is 4’11”— I wouldn’t qualify.
