Las Vegas residents volunteer their time to various organizations
Super Mike and Sherry
Mike Bercseny might not wear a police uniform, but he is well-known and respected among the Metropolitan Police Department.
The 68-year-old southwest resident has volunteered for Metro for 19 years and is known for his dedication to the department. A couple of years ago, Metro officers came to visit him in the hospital after undergoing a surgery and found him filling out paperwork for Metro from his hospital bed. That act he earned him the nickname “Super Mike.”
Today, even with an oxygen tank strapped around his neck, which he makes sure to take off for photos, and a foot brace, Mike Bercseny still does not let anything get in the way of his volunteer work.
His wife, Sherry Bercseny, 65, has helped Metro with him, accompanying him to events whenever more hands are needed. After retiring in January, she decided to become a full-time volunteer.
Police Capt. Roxanne McDaris said the couple’s best quality is their dependability.
“Every time we need help, we turn around and Mike and Sherry are always here, at Enterprise (Area Command), anywhere in the community Metro wants to be. They are just in 100 percent ,” McDaris said. “They are always so friendly and willing to do whatever we ask.”
The Bercsenys recently helped the department during Halloween weekend by handing out candy to kids during the Trunk or Treat events held at various command stations. Sherry said the holiday season is usually the busiest time for Metro volunteers.
“It helps out the police officers, and takes some of the strain off of them on certain things that they don’t have time for in their effort to keep our community safe,” she said.
Mike has assisted with missing person cases and helped start Metro’s handicap parking program, which he is now in charge of. He and a team of volunteers search for cars illegally parked in handicap spaces and issue citations. As an Army veteran and a retired business owner, Mike said volunteering keeps him productive.
“This keeps me going, it really does,” he said. “It’s a lot more fun than laying around at home.”
Making Wishes Come True Together
Las Vegas native Justin Kalb grew up watching his parents devote their free time to charity work. As a father of four, he wants to instill those same values into his children.
Justin, 40, serves as a board chair for Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada and his wife Jessica Kalb, 36, as a volunteer. The Make-A-Wish foundation is known for granting wishes for children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions.
Together, the couple have been a part of making a children’s dreams come true. Since Justin owns a contracting company and Jessica works as an interior designer, they have also helped in constructing the organization’s new office space in Summerlin.
“I just feel like, as parents, it’s our duty to show both the good and the bad side of life and to show them that not everybody has what they have and giving back as a way to show that gratitude for what you have been given,” Justin said.
Earlier this year, Justin was able to help realize the dream of a 6-year-old boy from Colorado who wanted to be a contractor. Justin invited the boy to work at one of the construction sites with his contracting company, Kalb Industries, and his employees welcomed the boy with the hard hat, hammer and tool belt they ordered for him.
“Seeing the joy in his face is a moment I’ll never forget,” he said.
The Kalbs are also volunteers for the Junior League of Las Vegas’ annual holiday bear project. The volunteers interview a child from an at-risk school and come up with a Christmas wish list. The parents said they to bring their 10-year-old son, Hudson, with them to shop for the gifts and use it as a teaching moment.
“He can see that it’s not all about him and him getting presents, it’s about giving to other people,” Jessica said.
A Sister Affair
Identical twins Dacia and Danya Morello believe that their mother, Patti Morello, has one of the best jobs in Las Vegas.
Patti is the creative activities specialist at Opportunity Village. After learning about the organization’s mission to help children and adults with intellectual disabilities, Dacia and Danya became volunteers. They come in once a week to help the artists involved with Opportunity Village’s Fine Arts program inside the Engelstad Campus, 6050 S Buffalo Drive
The sisters, 16, help by handing artists their materials, art utensils and give them some ideas and feedback. Danya said working alongside Opportunity Village’s Important People, or OVIPs, has enriched her life.
“Being able to help in the art room, you are there with them when they learn how to finally figure out something or how to do something different,” she said. “You are there through their tough moments and their great moments and you get to experience a lot with them.”
Dacia’s favorite moment in the art room was when she helped an artist create a painting of Paris. Dacia showed the artist how to draw diagonal lines to give the painting more depth. Afterwards, the artist could not stop praising the teen.
“It made her day,” Dacia said. “She told me, ‘Wow, you should become an art mentor. You are amazing at art,’ and kept talking about it for the rest of the day. All I did was draw a line … but she thought that was best thing ever.”
Sharen Golbois, an Opportunity Village artist, said she considers them sisters to her and looks forward to seeing them in and out of the art rooms.
“They are excellent volunteers here,” she said. “I love them so much.”
The teens are also full-time students at the College of Southern Nevada, studying American Sign Language. Their goal is to become interpreters and continue helping people with disabilities.
“To say I am so proud of them is really an understatement,” Patti said. “It’s every parent’s dream to have kids that help their community, help others and have compassion and love for everyone else.”
Visit lvmpd.com, snv.wish.org and opportunityvillage.org.
To reach View intern reporter Rocio Hernandez email rhernandez@viewnews.com or call 702-387-5233. Find her on Twitter: @rociohzz.
