During the recent grand opening celebration of Palms Casino Resort, the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority presented $150,000 to three charities in Southern Nevada. Representatives of Las Vegas Indian Center, Opportunity Village and Mondays Dark were on hand during the grand opening celebration, and each received a $50,000 donation.
With an ongoing mission and commitment to provide a “hand up” to underserved populations in the communities that they serve, the donation marks the first official philanthropic endeavor on behalf of the now open Palms Casino Resort. This donation extends the philanthropic values of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians (SMBMI), which began in Las Vegas prior to the purchase of Palms.
“Positively impacting and changing the lives of those who are in need in our community is of significant importance to us at Palms,” said Latisha Casas, Chairperson of the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority. “As we celebrate opening and engaging with the community, we are humbled and honored to create an ongoing tradition of giving here in Las Vegas.”
The mission of the Las Vegas Indian Center is to promote the rich culture of Native Americans and to provide services that improve the social and economic self-sufficiency of the diverse populations living in the greater Las Vegas area. Palms Casino Resort presented the Las Vegas Indian Center with a $50,000 check to reconnect local underserved communities and Indigenous peoples with resources that develop self-growth, and collective relationships with the community.
“The support of partners like Palms provides a pillar for strength in building long-lasting relationships that enable us to offer ongoing services for our community,” said Rulon Pete, Executive Director of Las Vegas Indian Center. “Partnership cohesion is necessary for our organizations to provide synergetic programs that have a positive impact, create change, and bring abundant opportunities for our people.”
Serving people with intellectual disabilities throughout the community, Opportunity Village was also a recipient of $50,000. The organization believes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families should have choices in where and how they are served and provides a variety of enrichment, empowerment, and employment programs and services. Opportunity Village operates four employment training center campuses and a Thrift Store in Southern Nevada and hosts some of the most popular special events and fundraisers in all of Las Vegas, including the Magical Forest, HallOVeen, and the Las Vegas Great Santa Run. Additionally, Palms further supported Opportunity Village by utilizing the services of their clients in providing cookies for the grand opening celebration.
“Without partners like San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority and Palms, Opportunity Village would not be able to provide the depth of life changing programming for the people we serve, when they need it, and empower them to take an active role in improving their lives,” said Chuck Neuwohner, Chief Program Officer of Opportunity Village.
Created in 2013 by Cheryl Daro and grand opening event emcee and entertainer Mark Shunock, Mondays Dark was the recipient of $50,000. Vegas’ premier variety show for a cause, the mission of Mondays Dark is to raise $10,000 in 90 minutes. The $20 per ticket variety show has become one of the hottest tickets in town. Working closely with 100 local organizations, Mondays Dark has raised over $1 million dollars and every penny has stayed in Las Vegas.
“The support of Palms means everything to Mondays Dark. Our small organization relies on the generosity of our supporters and to now add San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority along with the incredible family at Palms to our team is something everyone at Mondays Dark is over the moon about,” said founder Shunock.
Since January 2020, the Tribe has awarded $10.3 million to educational institutions and charities in Las Vegas including donations to Three Square and UNLV.
