By CATHERINE ELLERTON
The Progress
The Clark County Fairgrounds was ablaze with color, laughter and music on the evening of Friday, Oct. 23. The local group “Moapa Valley Helping Hands” held a Fall Festival and Carnival to raise funds in a fight against human trafficking in southern Nevada.
One of the many benefits to the event was bringing local families together for a moment of fun and sharing in these stressful times. Parents and kids had plenty of room to walk around and visit more than a dozen activity booths that were available to keep them entertained.
Many local businesses and organizations donated time in creating and manning the booths. They also provided great prizes to make it a fun and successful evening for the kids.
There was a popular face painting booth by ‘Syd and San.’ Young Maisy Mortensen came away from the booth with a bright new look on life.
There was also a popular bouncy house castle sponsored by Valley Pediatric Dental and Orthodontics who were also passing out free frisbees for the kids.
The treacherous bull ride was operated by Clea’s Moapa Valley Realty. There we found 6-year-old Lily Ross of Las Vegas deciding she just wasn’t sure of that ride.
Martial Arts Black Belt Nick Yamashita of Under the Mountain Martial Arts Academy was giving some advice in self-defense at another booth.
And not too far away, the ‘Marinette’ Dance Team of Mack Lyon Middle School (newly named after the school’s new mascot, the Mariners) was entertaining the crowd with energetic dance routines.
Families in attendance could participate in a Bowling game at the Logandale Storage and U-Haul booth where hitting the bowling pins paid off handsomely in candy and prizes.
Other activities included Pop the Balloon games, cornhole activities and even a ride on a Tractor Hay Ride.
The Paul and Walker families had a booth of balloons, flowers and gift bags where they gave away “Random Bags of Kindness.” When the recipient forwarded the item to the next person it was very heartwarming to be part of their joy of receiving the gift.
Of course, the central purpose of the evening was not kept secret. It was to spread the word of the tragic epidemic of human trafficking going on in the southern Nevada region. All funds raised from the event went to help a series of organizations serving human trafficking victims including the Rape Crisis Center (Rise), Shade Tree and The Embracing Project, and Refuge for Women.
Event organizers indicated that one of the highest rates of human trafficking is in Las Vegas.
Local resident Steve Reese who works as a Sergeant of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, took a moment to talk about the growing problems of human trafficking in the region. Because of the Las Vegas Strip, many come to Vegas from all over to have some fun and buy a girl, Reese said. Many of these young girls are run-aways. But some have been groomed by their parents or others as human slaves to earn money for themselves or their families. Attendees were encouraged to be generous as their funds would go directly to help combat these abominable practices.
The carnival continued to about 7 pm. After that, a “drive-in” movie was screened across the street at the parking lot of the Logandale Sports Complex. This movie was a cartoon of the future and learning the lessons of life. It was sponsored by the Lake Mead Baptist Church. It was a fast paced, delightful story with clever animations of growing up in the future. One of the lessons it brought to all was that even though there seems to be evil all around there is always goodness to overcome.
Nearly $10,000 was raised throughout the evening for the cause, according to event organizers.
“We are so grateful to the community for its support,” said Erika Whitmore, one of a committee of about a dozen local women who organized the fundraiser. “We are especially grateful to all the businesses who did a booth or donated money to make the event a success.”
