Citizens band together for ‘Common Good’
Whether it’s opening doors to valleywide issues such as homelessness, or the doors to Boulder City’s post office, Nevadans for the Common Good is looking for people who want to search for solutions.
A Boulder City-based branch of the advocacy group met recently to research local problems and feed ideas into the valleywide initiative.
Nevadans for the Common Good is a coalition of faith communities and nonprofits, which, in past years, successfully increased funding for Meals on Wheels and the fight against sex trafficking. Recently, the group organized house and small-group meetings to discover the issues that are most on peoples’ minds.
The Boulder City meetings also raised specific local concerns that volunteers will research, to determine if something can or should be done, said a group spokesperson.
Among the issues being studied:
n What could be done to install an electronic door at the Boulder City post office?
n Is there a need for an activities bus to help middle and high school students from Searchlight participate in after-school sports and clubs at Garrett Junior High and Boulder City High School? Currently, the only bus leaves at the end of the school day.
n What could be done to expand mental health services?
n Do young adults at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children need more help with transitions once they turn 18?
n How to coordinate the requests individual churches get from the homeless or down-on-their luck travelers who ask for help to get to their destination.
As the local group looks into these specific problems, anyone is welcome to join the team, which will meet in coming weeks to address five areas: public transportation, health care, housing and homelessness, immigration and education.
The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 20 at the Elaine K. Smith Building, 700 Wyoming St., home to Boulder City United Methodist Church, one of three NFC supporting institutions, along with St. Andrew Catholic Community and St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church.
