The holiday season can be difficult for homeless youth who lack the traditional family setting to celebrate with and share what should be a happy time. Instead of preparing for gift-giving and other festivities, thousands of homeless youth are sleeping on the streets of Southern Nevada and wondering when they’ll next eat. To help change that reality and give these vulnerable youth a holiday season to remember, the nonprofit Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) is kicking off its annual Holiday Giving Campaign.
To fulfill the holiday initiative, NPHY needs community involvement to mobilize supporters and collect gift items to ensure that no homeless youth go without presents during this special time. There are several ways for businesses and individuals to participate. They include gift and cash donations, hosting a holiday gift drive, volunteering at the NPHY “It’s A Wrap” Holiday Block Party, and sponsoring the event with various opportunities from $3,000 for event naming rights to $50 for a company logo on an ornament on NPHY’s Tree of Hope.
“We know Southern Nevadans have big hearts and hope they’ll host donation and/or gift drives at their business, office or church or with a group of friends and family, and/or volunteer at our gift-wrapping event,” said Arash Ghafoori, NPHY executive director. “Their efforts will mean so much to homeless youth to know they haven’t been forgotten and will help us with our outreach to them.”
NPHY can provide guidance for those who want to do a drive, and gift items should be purchased and donated from NPHY’s wish list. This information is on NPHY’s website, www.nphy.org/wrap. Items should be dropped off by Monday, Dec. 10. They include clothing, personal care, household goods, suggested gift cards, and other gifts, such as backpacks, bus passes, art supplies, camping gear, electronics, bikes and skateboards, etc.
Donations can be dropped off at the NPHY Drop-In Center, located at 4981 Shirley Street near UNLV, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Items purchased from NPHY’s Amazon wish list, www.nphy.org/wrap, will be delivered directly to NPHY.
The public component of the NPHY Holiday Giving Campaign will culminate with the 3rd Annual “It’s a Wrap” Holiday Block Party at the NPHY Drop-In Center on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Individuals and company teams are invited to sort and wrap presents for homeless youth and create holiday gift cards. Other festivities include a gingerbread house contest, photo booth, DJ, games, raffles, giveaways, and hot cocoa.
Following the party, NPHY will distribute the gifts and cards to clients and other homeless youth throughout the Las Vegas Valley for the December holidays.
For more information about participation and sponsorship and to view the wish list and RSVP for the “It’s a Wrap” Holiday Block Party, visit www.nphy.org/wrap or call 702-383-1332.
About Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth
NPHY is the most comprehensive service provider for the thousands of homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through core programs and touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. NPHY’s programs stabilize homeless teens’ lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self- sufficiency. Through work with homeless youth, NPHY creates productive, healthy adults who contribute to society. Strengthening and complementing the high-quality direct services for homeless youth, NPHY is dedicated to advocating for the Las Vegas Valley’s homeless youth population and serves as a leader in systems-level efforts to eliminate homelessness among Nevada’s youth. For more information or to support our life-changing work for homeless youth, please visit www.nphy.org.
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