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Las Vegas nonprofits lifted by corporate volunteerism
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Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal
From left, Mara Sacasas, Alam Mazumder and Laura McLemore sort items at Three Square food bank. The three, who work at the Monte Carlo, give their time as part of MGM Resorts' employee volunteer program. » Buy this photo
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Volunteer Joann Smith, who works at the Monte Carlo, tosses cereal boxes into the dry goods bin at the Three Square food bank's north campus building. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal » Buy this photo
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Dale Baca thinks of himself as a crack dealer.
He knows all he has to do is expose a friend to his drug of choice one time and then, bam! They're addicted. Of course, he's not dealing illegal drugs, he's peddling a much better, more legal form of addiction: doing good deeds.
Baca, who works in MGM Grand's poker room, has been volunteering for the past five years, helping local nonprofits with their food drives, fundraisers, outreach efforts and more. He has even become an unofficial recruiter of volunteers, taking curious friends to events and ensnaring them in the sticky web of donating their time and skill to worthy causes.
Baca is one of thousands of local casino employees who volunteer through their companies. Much of Baca's efforts are tied to his workplace and, in a way, pay dividends to his employer. The company reaps the benefits that come from employing a generous, giving worker.
But Baca, and others like him, are not paid for the extra effort. Their individual motivations vary but it generally comes down to one thing: making a difference.
"They say you can fall into the wrong crowd. I fell in with the right crowd," Baca says of his reason for volunteering.
Some casino companies, such as MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment Corp., dedicate entire departments to philanthropic endeavors within the community. Staff members provide a variety of support to line employees, like Baca, who want to donate their time to a worthy cause.
In 2010, Baca was recognized by his company's charitable foundation that helps pair employees with nonprofits in the community. He was given a Shining Star, a corporate award that honors an employee who volunteers significant amounts of personal time to supporting their community while inspiring others to do the same. Baca received $1,000 to donate to the charity of his choice.
"This is about us recognizing that there is a great need in the community," says Jocelyn Bluitt-Fisher, community affairs director for MGM Resorts International. "It's not about our image, it's really about recognizing the needs in our community and figuring out ways to give back to those who support us. That is ingrained in our company culture from the top down."
Some departments within the company use volunteer projects as a team-building exercise, Bluitt-Fisher says. At least 100 team-building exercises were held last year in support of nonprofits in the community. It gets people out of the office and gives them the opportunity to get to know their co-workers better. Recently, a group from Monte Carlo's human resources department spent time at Three Square food bank, sorting through donations and stocking the nonprofit's shelves.
Without this kind of assistance, local charities would suffer, nonprofit representatives say.
Nevada ranks 50th in the nation in volunteerism, according to statistics from Volunteering in America, a government entity that tracks volunteer rates.
Corporate volunteerism in Las Vegas is "quite extensive and, I dare say, Three Square wouldn't be where they are today without them," Three Square President and CEO Brian Burton says.
Many local companies, including the Palms, Station Casinos, NV Energy, Caesars Entertainment and others, donate money, goods and access to their employees, Burton says. In 2011, Three Square volunteers worked about 68,000 hours, the equivalent of 32 full-time employees. That helps the nonprofit funnel resources into completing their mission, Burton adds.
In 2011, Caesars Entertainment employees donated 132,000 hours through the HERO program, the company's employee-based volunteer program.
"I've been volunteering my whole life," says David Mikowski, a dealer at Paris Las Vegas. Recently, he served holiday meals at the Gay and Lesbian Center's youth dinner and participated in Aid for AIDS of Nevada's AIDS Walk.
Mikowski volunteers because he enjoys helping people. It really is as simple as that, he says. He started in elementary school while growing up in Michigan. He would walk door-to-door raising money for St. Jude's Ranch.
"It felt good and it became a competition after awhile. If you achieved certain levels, you'd get prizes. I remember the dancing soda can, I got one of those," he recalls.
Later, as a young adult, he worked for a hotel resort that hosted the Special Olympics. His aunt has Down syndrome so he was motivated to volunteer for the event. Seeing the event's effect on participants inspired Mikowski to do more.
"I'm not somebody who has a lot of money to give to agencies but if I can give my time, sometimes I feel like that is more important," Baca says. "It feels good to know that some of these agencies might be around because I helped them."
Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.
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