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.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/733014
For Staci Columbo-Alonso, there's a direct path from her work for philanthropic Las Vegans like Diana Bennett and the Fertitta family and her own charitable contributions. The Station Casinos executive vice president of innovation and administra- tion joined the board of domestic violence shelter Shade Tree in 2001, and in 2007 she founded Noah's Animal House, a shelter for the pets of women staying there. Before Noah's, many women would return to their abusers rather than relinquish a cherished member of the family. Now, women whose pets stay at Noah's have a less than 2 percent return rate, and the organization is currently expanding to Northern Nevada. "The pet provides them the healing and the courage to stay long enough to break the cycle," she says, "and move forward with their lives." noahsanimalhouse.org Ever since Lin Jerome joined mother-daughter organization National Charity League as a child, philanthropy has been an important part of her life. These days the co-founder and owner of interactive marketing company the Refined Agency also leads Ladies Who Dine, a three-year-old social and charitable organization that connects women to local non-profits and each other through restaurant events. "We want to make sure philanthropy is accessible to all and not just those with very deep pockets," Jerome says. One of the organizations LWD has championed is Green Our Planet, which creates outdoor garden classrooms in Clark County public schools. "In the past two and a half years, they've completed 90 gardens in our school district," says Jerome. But Green Our Planet isn't resting on its very verdant laurels. The organization's next goal? Building hydroponic gardens in local schools that will supply fresh produce to cafeterias. greenourplanet.org 98 vegasmagazine.com lin jerome Green Our Planet staci columbo- alonso nOah's animal hOuse