98°F
weather icon Clear

St. Jude’s gets Engelstad Foundation grant

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, a nonprofit organization that transforms the lives of abused, neglected and homeless children and young adults ages newborn to 25, was recently awarded a $2,656,300 grant by the Engelstad Foundation for an “extreme makeover” project at its campus in Boulder City.

St. Jude’s Ranch CEO Christine J. Spadafor said the grant will help refurbish the older infrastructure around the campus, including 10 homes and a chapel.

The donation will better the lives of the children staying there, she said.

“These are children that people don’t see. It’s too hard to talk about children who have been beaten, thrown out of cars, and malnourished,” she said. “The Engelstad Foundation sees our children and wants to make their lives even better.”

The campus, which was built in 1967, has some roofs that leak, and the 20-year-old air-conditioning units need to be replaced, Spadafor said.

The foster homes’ makeover will include structural upgrades, interior refurbishing, new appliances and the addition of three power generators in case of an emergency. The chapel on the Boulder City campus, which has served as a beacon for the community and as a marker for the children when they have arrived home, also will be refurbished with exterior, interior and altar renovations.

The St. Jude’s Ranch in Boulder City can take care of as many as 66 children, from newborns to 18-year-olds, Spadafor said.

“That’s what these kids really deserve,” she said. “We are so grateful to the Engelstad Foundation for their extreme generosity to make it possible for our children to live in a better home.”

Spadafor said the campus already is in the planning phase with contractors to get the project going, and people are already lining up to help be a part of the community project.

Trustees of the Engelstad Foundation said their particular interest is helping those children without family or financial support.

“They (St. Jude’s Ranch) were chosen as a grant recipient not only because they have a long, proven track record, but they are important to the entire Southwest region, not only Boulder City,” it said.

The project is expected to be completed in six to nine months.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Toll Brothers gets split decision

The development of the area near Boulder Creek Golf Course known as Tract 350 (the sale of which is slated to pay for the majority of the planned replacement for the aging municipal pool) may have hit a snag last week as the planning commission voted 5-1 to deny the developers’ request to build houses closer to the street than is allowed under current law.

Council gives nod to 185 new hangars

There is at least one part of Boulder City that is set to see growth in the coming years. A lot of growth.

Boulder City ready to celebrate America

Boulder City resident James Cracolici may have put it best when he called the annual July 4 Damboree, “The crown jewel of all events held in Boulder City.”

BC can ban backyard breeders

Although there is nothing on any city agenda yet, the resolution of the issue of whether pet breeding will be allowed in Boulder City took a huge step forward last week as Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford released an official opinion on the intent and limitations of state law that had been requested by city staff last year.

Completion dates for two road projects pushed back

Mayor Joe Hardy tacitly acknowledged that Boulder City gets, perhaps, more than its fair share of funding from the Regional Transportation Commission, given the city’s size.

Businesses recognized at Chamber awards night

The Boulder City Chamber of Commerce’s annual installation and awards night featured many business owners in town and even had an appearance, albeit an A.I.-generated one, by Audrey Hepburn.

Parallel parking approved

Like so many other things in the world of Boulder City government, the issue of reconfiguring parking in the historic downtown area along Nevada Way, which generated enough heat to cause council members to delay a decision up until the last possible moment, ended with more of a whimper than a bang.

Ways to reduce summer power bills

Now that the thermometer is on the rise outdoors, the cost to cool homes and businesses on the inside is doing the same.