Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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continued on page 66 From the offices of Moonridge Group, Julie Murray is bringing strategic thinking to institutional giving. hyper Linked julie Murray and Moonridge group keep finding new ways to connect philanthropic- Minded nevadans with deserving investMents— and boards of directors. by virginia vitzthum PhotograPhy by brad Swonetz Julie Murray's outlook is so sunny, she can even find things to like about the recent recession. "I've never seen our community struggle as badly as it d id i n 2 0 07 to 2 0 0 9," she says, "but L a s Vega s showed resiliency that surprised me. Now we're more connected than we were." Such optimism befits someone who has spent her life working to help disadvantaged Nevadans. From the time she earned bachelor's and master's degrees from UNLV, all of Murray's work has focused on aiding people in her home state. In 2006 she launched Three Square, Southern Nevada's food bank and distribution hub, from her house, "after I met Eric Hilton, the 82-year-old 'baby' of Conrad Hilton, at a community gather- ing," she says, "and we got excited talking about the prospect of ending hunger in the valley." By the time Murray left the organization in 2011, Three Square had an annual budget of $55 million, and today it distributes 16 million meals every year. vegasmagazine.com 65 PEOPLE Power Strip