Around the Arch Blog

Baby, it’s cold outside!  But you can help warm things up by participating in the “Jump Shots for Jackets” winter clothes drive at the Reno Events Center on December 13 prior to the Reno Bighorns game.

Just bring a new or gently used coat, jacket, hat or gloves to help the underprivileged. The first 150 fans to donate any of those items will receive a lift ticket, courtesy of the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. (A $60 value!)

Beginning at 1 p.m., a Reno Fire Department ladder truck and the Reno Police Department’s K-9 unit will be on-hand outside the Reno Events Center for children to enjoy. Bruno, the Bighorns’ beloved mascot, and members of the Reno Dance Team will also be on-hand to sign autographs and mingle with the crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

As a measure to help serve underprivileged members of the local community in the winter months, the Reno Bighorns will be hosting Jump Shots for Jackets, a special coat and winter clothes drive, on Dec. 13 at the Reno Events Center, prior to that day’s game.

The Bighorns will team with Ashlee’s Toy Closet, the Reno Police and Fire Departments and the City of Reno, City of Sparks and Washoe County through the involvement of the Community Assistance Center.

Fans are encouraged to donate new or gently used coats, jackets, hats and gloves to help the underprivileged. The first 150 fans to donate any of these items will receive a lift ticket courtesy of the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, a $60 value. Read the rest of this entry »

Talk about an opportunity that will be remembered over a lifetime! Three local choir groups, the McQueen Core Jazz Ensemble, Sierra Nevada Children’s Choir and Bella Voce will compete in the 2010 World Choir Games!

Not only will the competition be an exciting event, but the students will also get to travel to Shaoxing, China in July of next year.

As a single parent, I know how expensive that would be for my child and I probably wouldn’t be able to afford for her to go. But the Reno City Council is providing a $1,500 donation to the Reno Tahoe Choral Ambassadors to assist with the expenses. Ward 2 Council member Sharon Zadra urged her colleagues to support the chorale groups. Read the rest of this entry »

What were some of classes you remember from high school? If you’re like me, I remember courses I could relate to outside the classroom. I suspect that is why the “4 Steps into the Future” program at Hug High School is so successful.

It offers students a chance to study local government in the classroom and gain valuable work experience at City Hall too!

Recently, the Reno City Council continued its support of

“4 Steps” by providing $3,188.64 to the program and continuing its interlocal agreement with the Washoe County School District.

Since the program’s inception in 2002, 77 students have participated in it with the majority continuing their education at the University of Nevada, Reno or Truckee Meadows Community College. Fifteen students continued to work for the City while pursuing their post-secondary education after successfully completing their City-paid internships. The “4 Steps” program boasts a graduation rate of 89 percent.

For more information on the “4 Steps” program, contact Laura Dickey, Diversity and Training Program Manager at 775-334-3123.

If you’re thinking about expanding your business or starting a new one, you already know how tough it is to get financing right now. Fortunately, thanks to action taken by the Reno City Council today, you now have another option if your business is in the City of Reno.  Check out the small business loan program that will now be administered through Nevada Microenterprise Initiative (NMI). Read the rest of this entry »

The City of Reno’s Neighborhood Advisory Boards are showing support for services and programs aimed at preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS as well as offering support and counseling services.

The Neighborhood Advisory Boards approved a request to provide $6,500 in Community Pride Grant funds to African-American Community Cultural Education Programs and Testing (A.C.C.E.P.T.) to provide HIV testing and support for AIDS programs. Read the rest of this entry »

Poverty is tough, especially on children. But a little bit of funding through a City program along with the efforts of a non-profit group are helping children in this situation.

At-risk children at Echo Loder Elementary School started off the new school year with new clothes and school supplies. Now, they are also going to be delighted when they discover Santa will not miss their home this year. They will wake up to find new toys waiting for them this coming Christmas.

This all came about through a request from a non-profit group, the Active 20/30 Club to the Ward 3 Neighborhood Advisory Board. The Club asked for $1,500 in Community Pride Grant funds to provide back-to-school and Christmas shopping opportunities to help at-risk children at Echo Loder. The Board liked the idea and recommended approval to the Reno City Council. The Council unanimously approved the request.

Last month, the Ward 2 Central Neighborhood Advisory Board also agreed to provide the group with $1,500 in Community Pride Grant funds for the same purpose.

Community Pride Grant funding is designed to be used for neighborhood specific projects. The funds are generally intended for projects that are short term in nature and quick to implement. In this case, the funds are providing more than just a few smiles. It is demonstrating the commitment to better our community and providing lots of warm, wonderful memories for the children.

The City of Reno and the Reno Redevelopment Agency will help struggling local businesses weather the economic downturn through a program called the Reno Community Vitality and Economic Recovery (RECOVER) program.  It is designed to ease the impacts of the recession and stimulate the local economy to create new jobs at the same time.  Read the rest of this entry »

At today’s Council meeting (November 4, 2009), the Reno City Council passed a Resolution changing the name of the Community Resource Center to the Tom Vetica Resource Center located within the Family Shelter and Community Resource Center Building at the Community Assistance Center. Council Member Jessica Sferrazza read a proclamation to his widow Elise Vetica before the Council approved the name change.
Thomas Vetica, PH.D, died on September 27, 2009. Vetica worked for the Nevada Housing Division and was very instrumental in securing funds for the Community Assistance Center.
Vetica had a lifelong commitment to social justice and he was dedicated to the betterment of society. He was also an anthropology instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College.

At today’s Reno City Council Meeting (November 4, 2009), the Nevada State Chapter of the American Public Works Association honored the City’s Public Works Department with the 2008 Project of the Year Award. The winning project is the Family Shelter and Community Resource Building on the Community Assistance Center campus. The City built the center to provide comprehensive services to homeless and other needy residents in our community.

Pictured: front row – Acting Public Works Director John Flansberg, HDR Engineering, Inc. Northern Nevada Marketing Manager Shelley Read, Grant and Fund Development Manager Maureen McKissick, Blakely Johnson & Ghusn Architects Jim Wallis and George Ghusn: back row – Council Members Dave Aiazzi and Jessica Sferrazza, City Manager Donna Dreska, Mayor Bob Cashell, Council Members Sharon Zadra, Pierre Hascheff, Dan Gustin and Dwight Dortch.