Team Ford Lincoln makes dream come true for local hero

Julie Johnson thought it was going to be just another normal day at Suite One Salon at Hualapai Way and Charleston Boulevard, where she works as a hairstylist. But it became a day she will not soon forget.

Johnson is the founder of Carestream, a local nonprofit that supplies grooming services for the homeless in Las Vegas. Recently, Kim and Dana Wagner, hosts of KSNV-TV 3’s “Wake Up With the Wagners,” walked through the doors of the salon to tell Johnson she had just won a brand-new 2016 Ford Fusion from Team Ford Lincoln as the winner of their “Cars for Heroes” campaign. “Cars for Heroes” is a program in which KSNV solicits nominations for people who are actively making a difference in our community.

The busy mother of eight children, ranging in ages from 6 to 21, was caught completely off-guard when the Wagners announced she had won. Johnson and her husband, James, thought it might be a practical joke. But when the Wagners took her outside to give her the keys to the new Ford Fusion and pointed out that Tom Hawley was circling above in Sky 3, recording the event, the Johnsons knew it was really happening.

Dana Wagner asked her why she started the nonprofit.

“I just wanted to set an example for my kids, that we’re blessed and really lucky to have the things that we have and the opportunities we have,” said the lifelong Las Vegan. “I wanted to teach them to give back and to take care of our community because Las Vegas has been good to us. I just want to set that example for my kids.”

Chris Goeschel, Team Ford Lincoln general manager, was thrilled to see such a deserving recipient win the new Ford Fusion. “We need more people like Julie Johnson in this world,” he said. “At Team Ford Lincoln, we believe in giving back to the community, and seeing Julie being rewarded for living that same philosophy every day with her work at Carestream is really gratifying for all of us.”

In addition to Team Ford Lincoln, “Cars for Heroes” was also sponsored by Children’s Hospital of Nevada and Terrible Herbst, which threw in car washes for a year.

Team Ford Lincoln, located at U.S. 95 and Ann Road, features sales, service and parts with an incredible selection of new vehicles, a free arcade, free Wi-Fi and the Cobra Café. Visit www.TeamFord.com for more information.

Lexus of Las Vegas sponsors hospital’s Ronald McDonald Family Room

Lexus of Las Vegas is the sponsor of the first Ronald McDonald Family Room at Sunrise Children’s Hospital, designed to provide families a comfortable supportive space to sleep, eat and rest while their babies are being cared for in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

Alyson McCarthy, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas, explained that having critically ill or injured children in the hospital puts considerable emotional, physical and financial strain on families, and providing a room for them close to their baby’s bedside eases their strain

“For nearly a decade, Lexus of Las Vegas has been by our side supporting our mission to keep families close,” McCarthy said. “So it honestly came as no surprise that when we shared the news with them about building our city’s first Ronald McDonald Family Room right on hospital grounds, Lexus of Las Vegas jumped at the chance to support the project before I even had the chance to ask. It was literally zero to 60 in just seconds because that’s how Lexus of Las Vegas rolls.

“The support Lexus of Las Vegas has given to our new Ronald McDonald Family Room program at Sunrise Children’s Hospital is making a meaningful difference every single day in the lives of local families who are experiencing some of the most difficult times of their lives.”

A grand opening for the Ronald McDonald Family Room commences with a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 10-11 a.m. Wednesday at the Sunrise Children’s Hospital’s entrance, south parking lot, 3186 Maryland Parkway.

Other contributors to the Ronald McDonald Family Room included the Engelstad Family Foundation, Del E. Webb Foundation, Sunrise Children’s Hospital, Speedway Children’s Charities and NV Energy. For more information, visit: www.rmhlv.org.

The Lexus of Las Vegas dealership is located at 6600 W. Sahara Ave. Visit www.lexusoflasvegas.com for more information.