Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada receives 15-passenger Chevy van

A group of community-minded Southern Nevadans combined forces recently to help provide backpacks and school supplies to underserved youth and donate a 2016 15-passenger Chevrolet van.

The van was donated to the Boys &Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada by Signature Real Estate Group and Citywide Home Loans, among others who helped raise the funds for the purchase of the van from Findlay Chevrolet. Backpacks and other supplies were collected from residents of Las Vegas. Findlay Chevrolet hosted a two-hour radio remote with the Mix 94.1 station at the dealership off the 215 Beltway between Jones and Rainbow boulevards.

“A few friends from Leadership Las Vegas (a wing of the Metro Chamber of Commerce) suggested that they wanted to make a difference in our community,” Findlay Chevrolet General Manager Doug Fleming said.

The creation of the endeavor was sparked by the fact that four members came from Leadership Las Vegas, including Chad Leavitt, Findlay Automotive Group chief accounting officer; Brian Rice, chief operating officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada; Andy Bischel, CEO of the Boys &Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada; and Vandana Bhalla, a corporate broker for Signature Real Estate Group.

Bhalla approached Leavitt about the possibility of working together and donating the van. Her vision became a reality, and the 15-passenger Chevrolet van can now be used to transport young students to and from 14 Boys &Girls Clubs locations in Southern Nevada.

Bhalla led the charge by rallying Signature Real Estate Group agents and others to pitch in and raise the money for the van. Donors were given plaques as recognition for their contributions.

Brandon Roberts, owner and corporate broker at Signature Real Estate Group, said, “We pride ourselves on having an office culture in taking care of the community in which we live.”

The automotive group created a special promotion at Findlay Chevrolet, where the month-long drive concluded with school supplies and the van being donated. The end result was a very effective promotional effort that assisted hundreds of Clark County School District students who were faced with the reality of starting the 2017-2018 school year without the necessary tools.

Bischel said the van would come in very handy for the Boys &Girls Clubs. “We really need multiple vans to get more kids to and from school,” he said. “It will be used for field trips. Also, the children in our neighborhoods desperately need supplies.”

“It’s stunning how many of our young people simply don’t have the tools necessary for being successful in school,” Fleming said. “The students will benefit from this day for many years to come.”

Both Roberts and Fleming said the promotion would continue in the future.