By Janna Karel Las Vegas Review-Journal and Madelon Hynes Las Vegas Review-Journal
Opportunity Village staff wave to their clients at the Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Thursday, May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas. The staff and clients haven’t been able to interact because of coronavirus, so they organized the drive-through event to lift clients’ spirits. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
An Opportunity Village client waves to a staff member at Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Thursday, May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas. The staff and clients haven’t been able to interact because of coronavirus, so they organized the drive-through event to lift clients’ spirits. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Opportunity Village staff wave to their clients at the Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Thursday, May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas. The staff and clients haven’t been able to interact because of coronavirus, so they organized the drive-through event to lift clients’ spirits. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Opportunity Village staff wave to their clients at the Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Thursday, May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas. The staff and clients haven’t been able to interact because of coronavirus, so they organized the drive-through event to lift clients’ spirits. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
An Opportunity Village client is excited to see staff at Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Thursday, May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas. The staff and clients haven’t been able to interact because of coronavirus, so they organized the drive-through event to lift clients’ spirits. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Opportunity Village staff wave to their clients at the Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Thursday, May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas. The staff and clients haven’t been able to interact because of coronavirus, so they organized the drive-through event to lift clients’ spirits. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
An Opportunity Village client and their family waves to staff members at Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Thursday, May 21, 2020 in Las Vegas. The staff and clients haven’t been able to interact because of coronavirus, so they organized the drive-through event to lift clients’ spirits. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Opportunity Village staff wave to their clients at the Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 in Las Vegas. The staff and clients haven’t been able to interact because of coronavirus, so they organized the drive-through event to lift clients’ spirits. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals, families and businesses in Las Vegas are stepping up to offer relief to people who need of food, services and support. Here are stories about people who are leading with kindness and proving that the community is #VegasStrong.
OV staff hosts drive-thru parade
Opportunity Village staff got to say hello to their clients during a drive-thru parade on Thursday.
About 30 staff members cheered and waved as cars rolled by in the parking lot of the Ralph and Betty Engelstad campus at 6050 S. Buffalo Drive. At the event, staffers wearing masks stood 6 feet apart and held signs reading “We Miss You” and “See You Soon.”
“It went extremely well,” said Marty Wood, director of marketing at Opportunity Village. “We are thinking of doing another one next week at our Oakey Campus.”
Wood estimates 50 cars participated in the parade, which also featured former Gov. Brian Sandoval and his wife Lauralyn, a foundation board member; Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, a board of directors member; and the Vegas Golden Knights mascot, Chance.
During the pandemic, Opportunity Village has expanded its online programs and adjusted its operations to include more in-home care for clients.
“We are still in need of funding as it costs even more to do in-home services,” Wood said.
To help support the nonprofit, visit opportunityvillage.org.
