MGM Resorts Foundation Donates $30,000 to WestCare Foundation’s Women and Children’s Campus Following Women's Leadership Conference Funds to be used toward Women and Children's Campus in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, March 25, 2015 /3BL Media/ -- In a generous move that reflects the importance of women helping other women in Southern Nevada, The MGM Resorts Foundation has awarded WestCare Foundation a $30,000 grant for its Women and Children's Campus.

The campus, located at 5659 Duncan Drive in Las Vegas, houses women and children who have experienced challenging situations. It provides safe shelter services for area youth as well as residential substance abuse and mental health treatment for women and their children 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  This facility provides much-needed services to several thousand individuals annually. WestCare, founded 42 years ago in Las Vegas, is a human services organization that has grown to provide services in more than 17 states and two U.S. Territories.

"We are extremely honored and humbled by this generous grant from The MGM Resorts Foundation," said WestCare President Richard Steinberg. "Our non-profit has been dedicated to helping women, youths and many others start fresh lives over the last several decades, and we couldn't do it without support like this from business partners and the community."

The donation, which was presented March 12 at an event at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino, stemmed from the Annual Women's Leadership Conference. The conference is a signature program of the non-profit 501(c)(3) MGM Resorts Foundation, the presenting sponsor of the conference. 

“The WestCare Women and Children’s Campus, like our own resorts, operates 24/7, 365 days a year,” said Shelley Gitomer, Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Engagement at MGM Resorts International. “They invest heavily in women, and that’s why MGM Resorts wants to invest in WestCare. We were very impressed with the caliber of work being done at this organization.”

The conference is the nation’s new forum to promote women’s personal and professional development and advancement. The purpose is to inspire women to seek their highest level of personal and professional growth by presenting participants with role models, varying perspectives and strategies for development.  The next conference – the eighth one -- will be held July 13-14 at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Proceeds of the conference after costs are donated to one or more Las Vegas community nonprofit agencies devoted to the welfare, protection and/or development of girls and/or women. 

Over the last several months, WestCare has implemented ongoing improvements of its Women and Children’s Campus. Dubbed a “Makeover Series,” hundreds of local volunteers, including from local churches and schools, have donated their time to renovate different rooms at the facility. The next session will be held March 21 and focus on renovating five living rooms at the campus, which serves WestCare’s Healthy Families Program, the adult women’s serenity unit, the female veteran’s living room, and the safe haven for chronically homeless with mental health disorders.

About WestCare

WestCare was founded in Southern Nevada more than 40 years ago and is a community-based nonprofit that provides responsive human services and behavioral health care programs in 17 states and two U.S.  territories. WestCare offers a broad range of programs, including: outpatient and residential services treating both substance use and mental health disorders; shelters and transitional living projects providing services to victims of homelessness, domestic violence, and HIV/AIDS; assistance within the criminal justice system, including treatment and reintegration; educational and vocational services for both youth and adults; family centered therapeutic communities for growth and rehabilitation; and Veteran’s services including case management and housing projects.  The organization’s mission is to “uplift the human spirit,” and each of its programs has been designed to reach that goal, making WestCare one of the most dynamic nonprofits in the nation. 

About The MGM Resorts Foundation

The purpose of The MGM Resorts Foundation is to collect and distribute monies and assets donated by employees of MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) for the aid and support of qualified community nonprofit programs, agencies or organizations designated exclusively by MGM Resorts employees. In addition, the Foundation collects and distributes donations to the Foundation by third-party non-employees to support charitable, scientific, literary, and educational activities approved by the Foundation's Board of Directors and organized by MGM Resorts employees to benefit qualified non-profit charitable organizations designated by the Foundation's Board.

Contact: Holly Silvestri

The Ferraro Group

702-367-7771 - holly@theferrarogroup.com