COMMUNITY BRIEFS

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Chamber to host boards luncheon

The Henderson Chamber of Commerce, Henderson Development Association and Henderson Chamber Foundation will hold their annual Meet the Boards luncheon at noon Dec. 14.

The event will allow chamber members an opportunity to interact with board members from the chamber's Board of Directors and HDA trustees, as well as the Henderson Chamber Foundation Board. The event also will serve as an open discussion forum for attendees to discuss business issues facing member businesses, including taxes, medical insurance and education.

All are invited to attend. The cost is $30 per person, $35 after Friday. Reservations for the event are required and can be made online at hendersonchamber.com. Space is limited.

The luncheon will take place at the Reflection Bay Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas, 75 Montelago Blvd. For more information, call 565-8951, or visit hendersonchamber.com.

Presentation discusses 'the bottom line'

Frank Petrasich, president of BlueTree Services -- an undercover evaluation services company that supplies secret shoppers for retail, food and beverage establishments -- will discuss Guest & Customer Retention and Your Bottom Line at the next Henderson Chamber of Commerce network breakfast Dec. 19.

Networking begins at 7:30 a.m., and the breakfast begins at 7:45 a.m. The event will be hosted at Wildhorse Golf Club, 2100 W. Warm Springs Rd.

All are invited to attend. The cost is $20 per person. All checks are to be made payable to Wildhorse Golf Club.

Reservations for the event are required and space is limited.

For more information, call 565-8951, or visit hendersonchamber.com.

COMMUNITY

Animal Sanctuary to hold fundraiser

Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving homeless animals and providing no-cost spay/neuters to financially-strapped individuals, will offer pet owners holiday pictures with Santa.

Every weekend through Dec. 17, pet owners will have the opportunity to bring their pets into a PetsMart adoption center for pictures with Santa.

For $10, pet owners will receive two framed pictures.

The event will be at the following PetsMart locations: 531 N. Stephanie Rd., 6650 N. Durango Drive, 5160 S. Fort Apache Rd., and 2140 N. Rainbow Boulevard.

All funds raised from the event will provide help for homeless cats and dogs in the community, as well as support for the numerous programs HCWS offers.

For more information on the event, go to www.hcws.org, or call 227-5555.

Diners asked to round up for charitable cause

Through Dec. 31, The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation and Keep Memory Alive, the foundation for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, will benefit from the Round-Up for Goodness' Sake program.

It gives diners using their credit or debit cards at participating restaurants a chance to round up their check to the next even dollar amount, or more if they would like.

Proceeds from the rounded up amounts on the checks will be divided between the two charitable organizations. Round-Up for Goodness' Sake kicked off on Nov. 20.

The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation provides recreational and educational opportunities for at-risk youth in the Las Vegas area.

Keep Memory Alive benefits patients with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS, and other memory disorders.

The institute, focusing on early detection and research, will break ground on a new facility in the downtown area of Las Vegas in early 2007.

EDUCATION

Service upgrades district bond rating

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has upgraded its bond ratings on the Clark County School District's General Obligation bonds from 'AA-' to 'AA', reflecting continued economic expansion, the state's commitment to funding education, and what S&P calls CCSD's "strong management."

According to S&P, "The raised rating further reflects the district's proven track record of managing an aggressive building program and operational challenges associated with a growing budget in an environment of constrained general fund liquidity."

S&P says the district's revenues have performed well.

"Most of the district's $1.82 billion general and special education fund revenues are from local sources, consisting of property taxes and a countywide sales tax. Another 26 percent comes from state aid, distributed at a rate of $4,489 per pupil in the budget year 2007," the report stated.