On Saturday, November 7, 2009 the Foundation for Recovery hosted its 2nd annual Gala and Awards Banquet entitled You Are the Magic. The event highlighted the Foundation’s accomplishments as well as spotlighting our community’s heroes and champions. Canyon Gate Country Club was the ideal location for the event and guests enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres during the Welcome Reception in the Lakeview Room. While mingling with one another, and enjoying the talents of the Green Valley High School String Quartet, they were treated to two custom slideshows – one that highlighted the Foundation’s growth since its inception and another that honored the memory of some whom we’ve lost.

Once the main ballroom was opened for dinner, the Foundation’s guests were treated to a short program by renowned operatic diva Madame Luana DeVol and her accompanying collaborative pianist Valeria Sokolova. Shortly afterward, the evening’s emcee, Dr. Mel Pohl, Medical Director of Las Vegas Recovery Center, took the Foundation’s guests through a wonderful presentation about the Foundation and presented our honorees with their much deserved awards. This year the Foundation for Recovery honored:

• Judge Cedric Kerns – Community Partner Award

• Dr. Rena Nora (posthumously) – Robert Rehmar Addiction Professional Award – which was accepted on her behalf by her daughter, Judge Cheryl Moss

• Drs. Laurel Pritchard and Larry Ashley – Excellence in Research and Education

• Marshall Allen – Community Awareness Award

The Foundation also thanked ALL of its donors and patrons as well as several Friends of the Foundation including County Commissioner Larry Brown and First Friday’s Cindy Funkhouser. To close the evening, the Foundation’s Executive Director, Jeff Horn, presented the Chairman of the Board, Stuart Smith, with the inaugural “Foundation Brick” for his unwavering commitment and support to the vision and mission of the Foundation for Recovery.

It was a wonderful evening and both the Board and staff of the Foundation for Recovery are looking forward to next year’s gala event. 

Charity Golf Event

It was a beautiful day at Silverstone Golf Club when the 72 players took to the course for a full morning of great golf. The shotgun start was at 7:30 AM, which had been preceded by a delicious continental breakfast, players buying raffle tickets and Mulligan certificates, and the distribution of the tournament goody bags. This year’s bags were filled with numerous golf related items, as well as Foundation for Recovery literature and the day’s event program.

On the course there were four contest holes, the $50,000 Hole-in-One, Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive and Longest Putt. Those holes were Desert 3, Mountain 6, Mountain 3 and Desert 9 respectively. Unfortunately there wasn’t a Hole-in-One winner this year but the other contest holes did have winners! They were:

• Corey Gehlken – Closest to the Pin (within 8”)
• Jason Rowland – Longest Drive
• Chris Welch – Longest Putt (32’)

After the 18-hole round was over, the players were invited back into the beautiful dining room and treated to an Italian buffet lunch. Remarks were made during lunch by the Foundation’s Executive Director, Jeff Horn, and by the Chairman of the Board, Stuart Smith. Attendees were treated to a short presentation by UNLV Professor Dr. Laurel Pritchard entitled “Addiction is...” and she was very well received.

Once the remarks and presentation had concluded, awards were distributed to the event’s sponsors – Ken & Mary Woloson, Smith, Vicars & Company, Kane & Company, John Lambrose and Laura Fitzsimmons, and Alpine Insurance. After the sponsors had been recognized and thanked, we gave out the course contest awards as well as announced the winners of the raffle and auction prizes. This year’s 1st place team was honorary event Chair County Commissioner Larry Brown’s foursome, the 2nd place winners were the foursome from Las Vegas Recovery Center and their guests, and the 3rd place winners were the foursome from Kane & Co.

The Foundation was pleased to host such a wonderful crowd for such a great event, and we are looking forward with great anticipation to the 4th annual charity golf tournament. We hope to see you there.

Art of Recovery Exhibit & Auction

The Foundation for Recovery proudly hosted its inaugural Art of Recovery Exhibit & Auction at the UNLV Tam Alumni Center and the event was a huge success. The Foundation’s Event Planner, Jessica Hirshon, curated an entirely original exhibit of artwork which consisted of pieces donated by local artists, Green Valley High School art students, and several very valuable pieces by Marc Chagall, ceramist Tom Coleman and serigraph artist David Schluss. The event’s honorary chair, Cindy Funkhouser of Las Vegas’s cultural event First Friday, also assisted in securing pieces for the event.

The exhibit was on display at the Tam Alumni Hall’s gallery from June 15, 2009 through July 18, 2009. On the evening of Saturday, July 18th, the exciting live auction took place in Tam Alumni Hall’s Marietta Tiberti Grand Ballroom and was officiated over by the auction experts from Metropolitan Auction Company. Every single piece in this diverse and beautiful collection was sold to one of the over 50 attendees. In addition to the excitement of the live auction, guests were able to meet some of the very talented artists and enjoyed complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments while experiencing the unique musical stylings of the Green Valley High School Jazz Ensemble and the Green Valley High School accapella group, Green NV.

 The Foundation for Recovery wishes to extend our most sincere thanks to the very gracious staff at UNLV, Metropolitan Auction Company, and the Clark County School District. And, most importantly, we thank the extremely gifted artists who so generously gave their time and talent to this inaugural event. We are already looking forward to next year’s exhibit and auction and are sure that it will be another hugely successful event. 

Running the Road for Recovery 5K Run

On Saturday, April 18, 2009 the Foundation for Recovery hosted its inaugural 5K “Running the Road for Recovery” at the Kellogg-Zaher Sports Complex in Las Vegas. The event was a huge success! The course through the beautiful park was a runner’s/walker’s delight as the path was wide, the route was interesting, and it was the perfect day to run or walk the 3.2 miles.

Just about 100 people came out to participate in an effort to support the Foundation’s noble and vital mission, and the day was filled with smiles and camaraderie. Participants had a chance to peruse the goods and services provided by the event’s vendors, which included Winder Farms, Iris on the Green Events, the Academy of Human Development, and Genesis Books. Tropical Smoothie Café was in attendance and provided everyone with delicious smoothies. Massage therapy students from the Academy of Healing Arts were also on hand giving free massages to runners and walkers after the event. EVERYONE was a winner and each participant received their own medal as they crossed the finish line, which was well deserved!

The event wouldn’t have been as successful without the tireless and never-ending support of our event partners. We would especially like to thank Behavioral Healthcare Options and Kane & Co. who were the main event sponsors. Special thanks also goes out to Telemundo, our wonderful media partner. The Las Vegas Road Runners, newly renamed the Vegas Rock-n-Rollers, deserve special appreciation, specifically to Terry Collier, Race Director, and Adam Chan, Assistant Race Director, for helping to put together the entire event. We’d also like to thank Bevan Hardy and his team from Shotmakers Photography for taking great care in capturing our special day.