Right call
Kathleen Vermillion’s personal problems nearly sunk the charity she co-founded — and with it, some of Southern Nevada’s most vulnerable residents.
Fortunately, the Clark County Commission on Tuesday decided against punishing destitute teens and preserved $214,000 in grant funding for the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.
The commission considered yanking half that money to create a summer swimming program for low-income families because of allegations that Ms. Vermillion had misused funds when she was the partnership’s executive director. The former Henderson councilwoman resigned from the charity, which is under investigation. Her subsequent personal meltdown — which included an accusation that she tried to blackmail Commissioner Steve Sisolak, her former boyfriend; a lawsuit against Mr. Sisolak and the county that she eventually dropped; and a possible suicide attempt — helped keep a bull’s-eye affixed on the partnership.
Ultimately, commissioners recognized the charity, which runs the William Fry Drop-In Center, provides life-changing services to boys and girls who would otherwise live on the streets, from meals to showers, from health care to tutoring and counseling.
“I’ve been through hell,” an 18-year-old woman told the Review-Journal’s Kristi Jourdan last week, “and this place is like heaven.”
The county was justified in reviewing the partnership’s finances and services — these are tax dollars, after all — but wise to continue supporting an entity that does much good.