North Las Vegas shelter gets first major face-lift in 30 years
When Lisa Bolan first stepped foot in The Shade Tree shelter for women and children, she recalled it as dark and dingy.
She had spent two years on the street and was ready for a new start. After spending a few months in treatment, she returned a few weeks ago for a second stay.
That’s when she saw the renovated kitchen, the newly done floors and the newly implemented and secure front desk. “Then, it really hit home that I was really homeless, and this is it,” Bolan said Wednesday.
“Now, it’s home for women going through a difficult time,” she said. “It shows us that the grass is a little greener. There’s hope out there.”
The nonprofit North Las Vegas domestic violence shelter received its first major face-lift through $2.5 million in renovations.
The third floor has been renovated and equipped with a new clinic, a private nursing room, bathrooms and dormitories.
A new 1,700-square-foot kitchen, detailed with gray-and-white tile and donated stainless steel appliances also will receive $10,000 in donations in kitchen supplies.
The donation will save the shelter approximately $1,200 a month in disposable dishes and kitchen supplies, organizers said.
“Companies have the capacity to give, and they want to give. They just don’t know how to,” said Darrell Richards, vice president of construction for Wynn Las Vegas. “By breaking the giving into small pieces, it’s palatable.”
The renovation of The Shade Tree involved some 170 community sponsors, including $1.5 million in donations, in-kind, labor and pro bono services from Wynn Las Vegas, which served as the catalyst for the change.
“This is Las Vegas,” Richards said. “When you come to this facility and see the energy, the heartbreak, you can’t help but be part of The Shade Tree.”
Caesars Palace renovated the second floor with granite counter tops and new showers to upgrade the formerly institutional design.
About $10,000 worth of kitchen supplies will be donated to the nonprofit, saving $1,200 a month in disposable dishes. New washing machines mean residents no longer have to pay to wash their clothes. New solar panels will help keep shelter costs down.
Also included in renovations is a healing garden, children’s playground and the nonprofit’s first walk-in refrigerator. The chefs can now prepare food without having to run to and from the storage area a floor below.
The Shade Tree and Wynn will celebrate the shelter’s renovation on Saturday with a special Mother’s Day weekend brunch to break in the new kitchen.
For new executive director Linda Perez, the renovations serve as a reminder of how much the community can help an organization such as The Shade Tree. Perez said she is a domestic violence survivor and knows the important role shelters can play in changing lives.
“To know the living space of someone is really important to their emotional state — this makes me very excited,” she said. “We have a small window to impact our children, and this is huge.”
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Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @brianarerick on Twitter.
