Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada’s 32nd Annual Festival of Trees and Lights

Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada (DSOSN), the leading nonprofit organization and primary source of education, information, and support for Southern Nevada families affected by Down syndrome, has partnered with the Collaboration Center Foundation, a nonprofit community for achievement and inclusion, focused on providing family and peer engagement, social interaction, recreation, therapy and education to families with children with special needs, to jointly host the 32nd Annual Festival of Trees and Lights starting November 13 at Las Vegas (LV) Ranch, located at 8390 W Windmill Lane.

“Collaboration Center Foundation and Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada are thrilled to welcome community members to our first collaborative fundraising event, the Annual Festival of Trees and Lights,” says Lynda Tache, CEO of Collaboration Center Foundation. “We know that this year has been extremely challenging, especially for those living with special needs, and we love that we’re able to offer a Vegas holiday tradition at our new campus to bring joy to everyone’s hearts. By visiting this magnificent display of splendor and lights, guests are supporting two local charities committed to serving those with disabilities while getting in the holiday spirit.”

Unlike years prior, this year’s holiday tradition has turned into a community collaboration event and will decorate LV Ranch with a collection of brilliantly decorated trees, wreaths, menorahs, and baskets. Benefiting both organizations equally, the holiday decor will be available for bidding through an online auction November 13-19 and will be on display for socially distanced, in-person family viewing nights November 13-15 from 4-8:30 p.m., with a cocktail reception on November 19 from 6-8:30 p.m.

“Our partnership with the Collaboration Center Foundation illustrates the commitment of creating pathways to resources, life skills, support groups and awareness for families of children with Down syndrome or other intellectual and developmental disabilities,” says Jeffrey Grassi, acting Executive Director and Board Chairman of DSOSN. “By jointly hosting this year’s Festival of Trees and Lights, we are giving the Las Vegas community an opportunity to support the beautiful children we have been blessed with.”

Open to the Las Vegas community, the family viewing nights will be available by ticketed-reservation only for one-hour time slots and are limited to 35 guests per slot. Adhering to social distancing guidelines and Nevada’s mask mandate, guests will be able to explore the LV Ranch grounds, view and bid on the online auction items on display and enjoy treats and various photo opportunities. At the end of the week, a limited amount of event sponsors and members of the community will be able to attend a night of celebration that includes a hosted cocktail reception, special entertainment, and additional opportunities to participate in the online auction as it closes.

Proceeds raised from the Festival of Trees and Lights will remain local and allow both organizations to continue servicing individuals and families with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. To make a family viewing night reservation, purchase a tickets for the celebration night, or to participate in the online auction, please visit fotl.givesmart.com. Individual tickets for family viewing nights are available for $10 or $30 for a family of five, with an extremely limited amount of individual celebration tickets available for $250. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information about the Festival of Trees and Lights, please visit https://www.dsosn.org/festival-of-trees-and-lights.

 

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY:

Located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, the Plaza Hotel & Casino will again celebrate New Year’s Eve with downtown Las Vegas’ only live fireworks show on Thursday, Dec. 31.

New Years Eve at Plaza Hotel & Casino

Staged from multiple locations on the Plaza’s roofs and towers, the spectacular fireworks display will be an amazing show for people downtown and visible for miles beyond. The Plaza plans to offer viewing options on property, observing all necessary health and safety protocols. In addition, the Plaza plans to work with the city of Las Vegas to close a portion of Main Street to vehicular traffic for a limited time to allow for additional space for pedestrians as it did for its Fourth of July fireworks show.

“Hosting an amazing fireworks show that lights up the downtown sky on New Year’s Eve is a tradition for the Plaza,” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “We can’t wait to ring in the new year in classic Vegas style. Whether you are a downtown resident at home, having dinner at Oscar’s steakhouse, or staying with us in the hotel to enjoy the holiday safely, our fireworks show will be one for our city to remember.”

The Plaza also plans to offer a special hotel package featuring the best fireworks viewing in Las Vegas with VIP access to the rooftop pool deck. For more information and to book the hotel package with promo code: NYE2021 visit www.plazahotelcasino.com.

 

Set to open mid-December 2020, the Hash House A Go Go in Summerlin will offer its generous, over-the-top, mouth-watering menu including such popular dishes as their signature house hashes and scrambles; oversized flapjacks and waffles; homemade biscuits and jam; multiple varieties of their twisted burgers, and their world famous sage fried chicken and waffles; accompanied by signature Bloody Mary’s, the award-winning Kiwi Watermelon Lemonade and more, in addition to a full service bar.

Hash House A Go Go

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to bring Hash House a Go Go to the Summerlin area, creating 75 jobs in our hometown during what has been an extremely challenging year for our industry,” said Jim Nyberg, CEO, Hash House A Go Go.

Located at the space formerly occupied by Islands Restaurant at 10810 W. Charleston Blvd. in The Shoppes at Canyon Pointe, the 5,339 square-foot space can accommodate 150 guests. The restaurant and bar will initially be open for brunch 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. daily and open for dinner service from 5 – 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Delivery and curbside pickup, complete with its own separate entrance, is also available.

Hash House A Go Go brings farm-fresh food with a funky, modern twist to the locals and visitors of Las Vegas. The well-known restaurant is famous for its unusual décor and enormous portions. The restaurant has garnered dozens of local and national “Best Of” accolades, including, most recently, “Best Local Brunch of All Time” in Las Vegas Weekly’s “Best of All Time” Awards in 2020; “Best Waffles” in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s 2019 “Best of Las Vegas” poll, and has been featured on the Food Network, “Martha Stewart,” “Dr. Phil” and the popular Travel Channel program, “Man v. Food.” For reservations or inquiries, please call The LINQ Resort & Casino location at (702) 254-4646; the W. Sahara location at (702) 804-4646; the Henderson location at (702) 898-4646; the Plaza Hotel & Casino location at (702) 384-4646; visit hashhouseagogo.com or follow across all social platforms @hashhouseagogo.

 

Hearts Alive Village Animal rescue hired Dr. Shadi Ireifej as the Chief Medical Officer.  Dr. Ireifej will be responsible for overseeing all veterinary decisions at the rescue’s new full-service veterinary clinic.

One of their approaches to animal rescue has always been community support, keeping pets in their original homes with the families that love them. However, over the last seven months, the need for community support (pet food, veterinary care assistance, etc.) has become even greater due to COVID-19. This low-cost clinic will provide pet parents with access to veterinary services, so pets receive the care they need regardless of their parent’s financial situation.

Shadi J. Ireifej DVM DACVS graduated from Cornell University with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2006. He then completed a number of rotating and surgical internships and a 3-year surgical residency at Long Island Veterinary Specialists (LIVS). He became board-certified in small animal surgery and a Diplomat for the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (DACVS).

In order to escape the cold, Ireifej decided to move to Las Vegas, working at the Las Vegas Veterinary Specialty Center for a while and then flying across the country performing surgeries at emergency and specialty hospitals that needed surgical assistance. Next, he moved to Silicon Valley, CA and accepted a position as Chief of Surgery at United Veterinary Specialty and Emergency. In 2018, he joined an emergency hospital looking to expand in Los Angeles as Chief of Specialty, where he helped build the after-hours emergency hospital into a successful 24-7 emergency and multi-specialty veterinary hospital.

When the pandemic hit, he moved back to Las Vegas wanting to help pet owners and their pets who couldn’t access care. He launched Vet Triage, a telehealth veterinary clinic where pet owners could have immediate access to triage advice from licenses veterinarians without leaving their homes. He teamed up with Hearts Alive Village a few months later, creating up a platform for foster parents to use Vet Triage after hours so they didn’t have to rush their fosters to the Emergency Hospital. This has provided fosters with peace of mind and saved the rescue thousands of dollars in unnecessary Emergency Care visits.

“In my time working alongside Hearts Alive Village, it became quickly apparent that our long-term goals are in alignment; accessible veterinary care to as many pet parents and their pets as possible 24-hours a day, 7-days a week,” said Dr. Ireifej. “Hearts Alive Village goes beyond this overarching goal in that they aim to morph what has been a persistent animal health crisis into a thing of the past. Together, we are spearheading a movement on multiple fronts and I couldn’t be prouder to join such a compassionate and hard-working organization.

 

 

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is continuing its annual tradition of honoring active military service members and veterans by providing those passengers with free transit service on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Those who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces may ride all 38 RTC transit routes for free from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Veterans Day.

“The complimentary ride offer is our way of thanking the men and women for their services in the United States Armed Forces,” said MJ Maynard, RTC chief executive officer. “We want them to know that we very much appreciate their commitment and sacrifice. “To ride, service members simply need to present the bus driver with their military or veterans identification card from any state when boarding. Outside of the holiday, service members can participate in the Veterans Reduced Fare Program, which provides a 50 percent discount on full-fare pricing for all RTC fixed-route buses. Local veterans can apply for an RTC-issued veterans’ reduced fare ID card at the RTC Bonneville Transit Center, 101 E. Bonneville Ave., in downtown Las Vegas.

The transit system will continue to operate on a Saturday schedule on Veterans Day, while routes 207 Alta and 209 Vegas/Owens will remain on weekday service.

 

Well, gang, that’s about it for this week.

I’m outa here!

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