By Jennifer Hilton, Director Training and Technology, WestCare Foundation
Let me tell you a story to warm you heart. It all started a week before Thanksgiving when Jansen Taylor
Mike Arthur, Bryan Peterson, and Eddy Cavazos got together for a Friendsgiving celebration. They have been friends since high school and despite having grown up in a tough neighborhood in Las Vegas, managed to still get out and do well for themselves. Each has made their mark in Las Vegas in one way or another from being a part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to owning and managing a successful realty business, serving as a Lieutenant in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), and running as a candidate for Las Vegas City Council. At this dinner, they got to reminiscing and telling old stories about how they wouldn’t be who or where they are without the neighborhood that they grew up in and how they wanted to give back. So, an idea was born, the Box Town Giving Back Event! These tough as nails guys that I knew from high school reached out me to see if WestCare could help. From there, we got to work!
What normally takes six months to plan because of city permits, event insurance, gathering donations, and soliciting sponsorships, came together in a matter of three weeks thanks to the help of our community! By the day of the event on December 18, we had three food vendors to feed folks in the community, three bounce houses, a live DJ supplying the music, three car clubs to make up a car show with fifty entries, and Santa Claus on hand to visit with kids. In addition, the LVMPD brought four squad cars full of toys to give away including brand new bikes! To put the candy cane on top of it all, the UFC donated over $50K worth of brand-new UFC clothing to distribute to the neighborhood that day as well as to the LVMPD’s youth sports team and WestCare Nevada following the event. WestCare was proud to be a part of this amazing event and can’t wait until next year for the Second Annual Box Town Giving Back Event! Thank you to the event’s presenters and all of our community volunteers who made it possible!
Click here for a video recap of this year’s event!
