The Southern Highlands Community Association celebrated the 2020 holidays by adding a new dazzling contest to its event lineup. Residents missed the opportunity to attend the annual Tree Lighting and Winter Festival in person this year, so the inaugural Holiday Home Decorating Contest was introduced to give residents the chance to showcase their holiday spirits and decorating skills.

The contest created a fun festive competition between neighbors in the Southern Highlands community, and challenged the residents’ imagination. Utilizing lights, inflatables, scenes, and traditional decorations, the Classic Christmas Award recognized the best use of traditional décor, the Light Up the Town Award recognized the best and most creative use of lights, the Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Award recognized the best use of music and technology, and the Santa’s Work Shop Award recognized the best overall decorations. In addition, Mama Bird, A Southern Kitchen and Rise & Shine, A Steak and Egg Place, stepped in and sponsored the Spirited Neighborhood Award, recognizing the highest percentage of homes decorated within a neighborhood who had entered the contest.

Winners of the 2020 Southern Highlands Holiday Home Decorating Contest are as follows:

• Spirited Neighborhood Award: San Niccolo Community

All individual winners received a $100 e-gift card to their choice of Amazon or Target, and the Spirited Neighborhood Award provided a $5 certificate to each residence with a choice to Rise and Shine or Mama Bird restaurant.

The Southern Highlands Community Association Board was delighted to see the communities decorate the neighborhoods and light up the homes with their dazzling displays. Thank you to everyone who entered in the contest and look forward to hosting this event next year.

A heartfelt congratulations and many thanks to those in Southern Highlands who helped make this year’s annual 4 Corners Food Drive another tremendous success. In partnership with radio station Mix 94.1 and Three Square, the annual 4 Corners Food Drive raises food donations for local families in need during the holiday season.

While food insecurity has historically been an ongoing challenge throughout the valley, this year food banks have seen a dramatic increase in demand. According to Three Square, there are thousands of our additional neighbors in need of assistance.

Throughout the month of November, generous Southern Highland residents delivered canned food items at the Albertsons location at Blue Diamond and Decatur or made cash donations. Olympia Companies SH Charitable Foundation added $2,500 to the donation helping to make it possible for the impactful organization to serve 15,000 more meals to local families in need. While typically Three Square can turn a $1 donation into three meals, this year, they presented a holiday matching program in which they can turn $1 into six meals.

“The need is still there and is perhaps greater this year than ever,” said Angela Rock, Executive Director of the Olympia Companies Charitable Foundation and President of Olympia Management Services. “Interestingly, the increased need also fosters increased generosity and that’s certainly proven to be the case for Southern Highland residents.”

Three Square of Las Vegas is prepared to provide wholesome food to hungry people, while passionately pursuing a hunger-free community. The impactful organization combines food banking (warehousing canned and boxed goods), food rescue (obtaining surplus or unused meats, bread, dairy and produce from hospitality and grocery outlets) and ready-to-eat meals to be the most complete food solution for Southern Nevada.

Thank you again to our Southern Highlands families and friends for spreading joy this holiday season! For more information on Three Square, visit httpss://www.threesquare.org/.

Having the right school supplies, clothing, and hygiene items can make a big difference for homeless, displaced, and disadvantaged high school students who are currently struggling as they pursue their education. Research shows that students with the appropriate school supplies can improve grades, creativity, attitude towards learning, behavior, and self-image – increasing their chances for success at school.

This upcoming school year, perhaps more than ever, high school students in Clark County are in need of new school supplies and full-sized hygiene items. To help meet these needs, Southern Highlands partnered with non-profit Project 150 on a Back To School Collection Drive.

The generosity of the community really shined through as more than 150 school supplies and personal items and $390 in cash donations were secured.  The last day of the supply drive was also National Ice Cream Day, so anyone who made a $5 donation, enjoyed a free ice cream.  As part of its Southern Highlands Summer Series program, the Olympia Companies SH Charitable Foundation made a $5,000 match.

With a mission to provide support and services to homeless, displaced, and disadvantaged high school students so they can remain in school, graduate, and build bright futures, Project 150 has been serving Nevada students in need since 2011.