Hughes awards Summerlin gift

Street Teens/The Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization and drop-in center for homeless youth, is the recipient of the third annual Summerlin Community Gift. The Howard Hughes Corp., gift sponsor and Summerlin developer, invited residents of the master-planned community to nominate nonprofit organizations which they believed deserving of the company's $5,000 donation.

"We were specifically looking for those organizations with proven track records for making a difference throughout our valley, particularly those outside of the Summerlin community," Hughes Corp. executive Tom Warden said. "We received nearly 100 nominations ... representing more than 60 different nonprofit organizations."

Street Teens, which assists youth from ages 12 to 21, was nominated by Gretchen Papez.

Rosario Mereaux, whose late husband founded Street Teens, and 30 volunteers operate the drop-in center.

"Five thousand dollars to Street Teens is like $500,000 to another organization," Mereaux said. "We are so grateful to The Howard Hughes Corporation; the residents of Summerlin; the Summerlin Community Gift advisory board, which selected our organization; and Gretchen Papez for thinking of Street Teens in the first place. This is a true gift from the heart that will allow us to help so many young people."

Members of the advisory board reviewed nominations and made the final selection, which was based upon the nominee's need, track record and reach. Board members were Assemblyman Chad Christensen, Faith Lutheran Community Church Pastor Ken Lieber, Palo Verde High School student body president J. Dizzle, Summerlin Albertson's general manager Tony Prey, and Sig Rogich Middle School Principal Susan Tsukamoto.

There are more than 3,000 homeless teens in Nevada, according to Mereaux.

"The goal of our organization is to help provide the basic needs for these kids, and to direct them to other resources to help them rebuild their lives," she said.

Street Teens works with the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth to operate The Sanctuary, which provides food, clothing, laundry and shower facilities, job assistance, apartment location and medical care.

Mereaux said the gift will also go towards hygiene products; backpacks; sleeping bags; tents; blankets; CAT bus tokens; socks and underwear; prepaid telephone cards; fast-food restaurant gift certificates; payment for GED testing; FBI checks for volunteers; and a phone line with an 800-service for inquiring parents, relatives and teens.

Summerlin aligns the western Las Vegas Valley, and is comprised of villages. It is home to eight golf courses, more than 100 neighborhood and village parks, 105 completed miles of trails, 17 schools, houses of worship, shopping centers, medical facilities, cultural facilities, business parks and nearly 100 model homes.

Single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums are priced from the mid-$100,000s to more than $700,000. Custom-home sites from one-half acre to three-quarters of an acre are priced from the high $300,000s to more than $1 million, and predesigned custom homes are priced from $500,000 to more than $1 million. Apartments offer monthly rents starting from the high $700s.

To visit the home finding center, travel west on Sahara Avenue past Hualapai Way to Town Center Drive and turn north. Or, take Interstate 215 to Sahara and head east to Town Center. Office hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

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