Gala to help Las Vegas nonprofit helping homeless women, children

Fairy tale endings will be celebrated and wished for Thursday night at the Suncoast during a fundraising gala for a nonprofit that helps homeless women and children.

As part of its 12th anniversary, Living Grace Homes will share the stories of the young women and children who were helped through hard times and homelessness.

Starting at 5:30 p.m., a silent auction will be held to raise money for the organization, which has provided shelter for more than 400 homeless young women in Southern Nevada and their children.

The gala, in the Grand Ballroom, will continue from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will include keynote speaker Chelli Wolford, colleague and former business partner of rapper Pitbull.

Currently, the organization has two homes where women live before securing employment and permanent housing.

“The home is treated like a home. They have dinners together; they learn family life. By the time they leave they have a new home to move into,” said Sue Rodrigues, who is with Leadership Henderson, which is assisting the nonprofit. “This speaks to our hearts, and their lives are going to be turned around.”

The nonprofit offers prenatal assistance, home placement, counseling, life skills coaching, training, assistance with education, vocational goals and child care for young women ages 14 to 24 who are either have children or are pregnant with children.

The gala will raise funds to cover operating expenses of the homes, and some renovations, Rodrigues said.

It will be presented by the Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada and Findlay Volkswagen.

Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @brianarerick on Twitter.