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VEGAS INC C OV E R STO RY Lauran Meyer joined the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, after watching a colleague and friend succumb to the disease. In 1999, her boss, Nevada Power (now NV Energy) President Steve Rigazio, was diagnosed with ALS. He died two years later at 47. Rigazio's death motivated Meyer to become active in ALS of Nevada. "These people are so special and so brave," Meyer said. "It's heartbreaking." Now retired, Meyer joined the ALS board in 2001. She has worked with the organization ever since. MEYER While Meyer has spent time with patients and families struggling with the disease – she used to take Rigazio to therapy sessions and breathing treatments – she now works primarily to raise money. She coordinates the annual Steve Rigazio Golf Classic that this year raised $40,000. NV Energy has been a generous supporter of the cause. The company has matched employee contributions to raise $80,000 in donations since 2006. Caesars Entertainment also is a big donor, contributing a major prize to the golf tournament. The money pays for part-time help for the group's executive director, Megan Testa, and funds monthly ALS clinics. The local group also helps maintain a national ALS registry that consolidates diagnoses to try to find causes for the disease. "We do everything with a heart of gold and a shoestring budget," Meyer said. "We're very frugal, and we try to make every dollar go further." STEVE MARCUS GIVING BACK: Jeremy Anderson, general manager of heating and air conditioning franchise Aire Serv, stands near a statue of Ronald McDonald at the Ronald McDonald House in Las Vegas, which provides temporary housing for families who travel to the valley to receive critical medical treatment for their children. When Jeremy Anderson's son was born eight years ago with Down syndrome and two holes in his heart, the newborn spent 15 days in intensive care. Anderson was able to spend every day at the hospital with his son and go home every night. Parents at the Ronald McDonald House aren't so lucky. They live in other cities and states but come to the valley to get treatment for their child. The Ronald McDonald House offers them boarding for little or no cost. Anderson, the general manager of Aire Serv, a heating and air conditioning franchise in Henderson, can't imagine how hard their stays are. That is why he donates dozens of hours and thousands of dollars a year to the Ronald McDonald House. A decade ago, Galit Rozen didn't know anything about Shade Tree, a North Las Vegas shelter for women and children. Today, she is one of the nonprofit's leading volunteers. A commercial real estate broker, Rozen started a back-to-school event every August that provides backpacks, school supplies and uniforms to children staying at the center. She also created a holiday shopping event, letting children choose three or four donated gifts for their mothers, along with wrapping paper and cards. Rozen launched a similar event for Mother's Day. "She's just an amazing lady," said Marlene Richter, executive director of Shade Tree. Rozen, who co-owns Commercial Professionals, said she is drawn to the group because she is a mother of three and her ROZEN heart breaks for struggling families. Many women at Shade Tree are victims of domestic violence. Others are homeless. Some are drug addicts. All need help getting back on their feet. "I truly believe a lot of these women are victims of circumstance," Rozen said. | 12 AUGUST 2013 20130812_VI01_F.indd 17 | Anderson changes the facility's air filters for free four times a year. He replaced 12 air conditioners at cost for $55,000, a job that typically runs about $135,000. He recruits other contractors to pitch in for free or at cost, and his fiancée, a hair stylist, gives free haircuts to guests. He "acts with his heart," said Alyson McCarthy, executive director of the facility. Anderson began volunteering for the Ronald McDonald House in March 2011. He learned about the group through Aire Serv's parent company, the Dwyer Group, which donates to the charity every year. He quickly discovered that staff members didn't know how to change air filters properly. "It escalated from there," Anderson said. Cameron Cheal works for a bank but regularly finds himself on the front line of car wrecks, fires and other crises. Cheal, a private banker with Bank of America, volunteers about 100 hours a month to the Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada, which sends volunteers to crime scenes, accidents, fires and other emergencies to help family members, witnesses and bystanders cope. "This is giving back at a basic human level," Cheal said. "It doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor or if you even speak the same language, it's important to have somebody to be there with you when a tragedy occurs." "We're not doctors or psychologists, but we're there to provide emotional and practical support to the survivors of tragedy," Cheal added. Volunteers arrange for shelter, food, clothing and transporCHEAL tation for victims, notify family and friends, coordinate with authorities and make referrals to social services agencies. Cheal has worked with TIP for two years and already has increased his hours. Last year, he was named Bank of America's Volunteer of the Year and won a $1,000 donation for TIP. 17 8/8/13 2:11:48 PM