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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94 vegasmagazine.com Rachel Smith Changing Lives One Friendship at a time Fox5 Las Vegas's More and More Access viewers may be used to seeing veteran anchor Rachel Smith cozy up to the likes of Brad Pitt and Blake Lively. Off the air, though, they're more likely to fnd her in the company of a 27-year- old woman named Michelle Desrochers. The pair frst connected seven years ago when Smith met Desrochers, who has Down syndrome, through Best Buddies, an interna- tional nonproft that creates friendships for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. "There's a real feeling of isolation or exclusion if you have Down syndrome or autism or other special needs," Smith says. "Best Buddies creates something so simple— one-on-one friendship—that makes such a big difference in a life." bestbuddiesnevada.org on rachel smith: Jacket, Balenciaga ($2,745). Earrings, Stazia Loren Estate Collection ($1,250). Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-629-4200; barneys.com. Dress, evening sandals, and ring, Smith's own maRilyn laRSon ensuring seCOnd ChanCes FOr pets Marilyn Larson's more than 40 years in Vegas have included stints as, among other things, a secretary and a helicopter pilot. But one of the roles that has meant the most to her is her posi- tion on the board of the Animal Foundation, which oversees the operation of Nevada's largest animal shelter and pet adoption service. Larson was introduced to the organization's life-saving work by William Bennett, a former owner of Circus Circus, and joined the board after his death in 2002 in order to oversee his $500,000 philanthropic donation toward the shelter's development. In recent years, that progress has equated to a renewed commitment to saving at least 90 percent of the animals that come through the shelter's doors by 2020. "We're one of the fnest shelters in the country now," Larson remarks. "But one of the best things Las Vegans can do to support the Animal Foundation is spay and neuter their animals." animalfoundation.com on marilyn larson: Handbag, Paco Rabbane ($1,590). Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-629-4200; barneys.com. Dress and earrings, Larson's own