59°F
weather icon Partly Cloudy

Veterans see green this holiday season after group from 7-Eleven donates funds

Living in the Nevada desert residents of the Nevada State Veterans home may not get to enjoy a white Christmas, but this year they received some holiday magic in the form of a little extra green.

Todd Ferguson is a member of the Southern Nevada 7-Eleven Community Involvement group and on Dec. 23 he called the home to ask if he could swing by with a little surprise.

Unbeknownst to the veterans home, more than 100 7-Elevens across Southern Nevada had been raising money for veterans, as well as law enforcement officers, during November. Donation jars placed on the cashier’s counters at each location were filled by generous customers and two days before Christmas Ferguson drove in to deliver a check for $861.

“Every quarter, and almost every month, we support a different group or project,” Ferguson said. “Some months the initiatives are national, but many times we do these on a local level. For November we chose to raise money for police and for the veterans home and, to be honest, I couldn’t believe we hadn’t targeted them sooner.”

The group’s goal was to raise at least $500 for the veterans home, so members were thrilled they were able to surpass that, according to Ferguson.

“I am a veteran myself and it really meant a lot to us to be able to do something for these people who sacrificed so much,” he said. “The passion and dedication of the workers and the energy of the people living there, it was so inspiring. This may have been our first year doing this, but we’ve already decided we want to do much more in 2017.”

The check was donated to the Nevada Veterans Assistance League, which helps residents cover expenses they might not otherwise be able to afford.

The home is funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as well as insurance and private payments, but is not allowed to solicit donations so there are times when funding can run short, according to executive assistant Kristy Waggerman. The league often helps residents with little things not covered by the primary funding.

“They didn’t tell us anything about it beforehand so the donation was an incredible Christmas surprise,” Waggerman said. “The NVAL funds help residents with all kinds of things, from getting out to dinner and going to the movies to replacing items that otherwise wouldn’t be covered, like a lost hearing aid. We are just so thankful for their kindness.”

Those interested in donating to the home can contact volunteer coordinator Julie Boyster at 702-332-6741.

Contact reporter Hunter Terry at hterry@bouldercityreview.com or call 702-586-6711. Follow him on Twitter @HunterBCReview

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Early home maintenance and prep makes way for happy holidays

Wake up and smell the pumpkin spice! The holidays are coming and your home is about to go into overdrive. Now’s the time to knock out both seasonal home maintenance and holiday preparation, before the days get shorter and the to-do list gets longer.

Boulder City’s Got Talent this Saturday at library

The public is encouraged to come out to a free event, which features some of the top entertainers Boulder City has to offer.

UNLV professor wows STEM students

Garrett Junior High School’s Flight and Space teacher, Ryan Pusko, invited his brother, Dr. Matthew Pusko, to speak with our sixth-grade students on Friday, Sept. 29. Dr. Pusko teaches at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Engineering and came to inspire and educate our STEM students. Dr. Pusko’s visit was part of an effort from UNLV to expose students to the careers of the future and to ignite their passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Afterschool clubs at Garrett Junior High

Editor’s Note: Class in Session is a new column in which Boulder City schools submit articles written by the principals, faculty or students. It will focus on programs, classes and activities within the school.

BCHS homecoming week filled with activities

Editor’s Note: This is a new weekly column submitted by Boulder City schools, written by principals, administrators, faculty or students. It will focus on events, programs or new classes at the various schools.

Runion excels at both sales and trails

Bret Runion has an uncanny knack of remembering a house he sold 30 years ago, who bought it, who sold it and in what year. And if you give him a few extra seconds, he could probably tell you the coloring of carpeting in each.