We focused on very high need situations and organizations that could put the product to immediate use. For example, Child Haven, a shelter for abused children, has an immediate requirement to furnish a new cottage opening in December that will house up to 30 at-risk children.
Harvey Dondero, CEO, World Market Center

World Market Center is donating over $250,000 in home furnishings to local Las Vegas charities. The furniture, which was originally inventory of several of the tenants in the wholesale mart building, has accumulated since its 2005 opening. Products being donated include nursery sets, diaper stackers, sheet sets, bed skirts, twin beds, pictures, lamps, cribs, mattresses, pillows, quilts, dressers, chairs, rugs, shelves, desks, bookcases, baskets, bunk beds, beanbags, night stands and chests.

The local beneficiaries of World Market Center’s Furniture Donation Day will include Child Haven, Safe Nest, Ronald McDonald House, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, Young Israel Aish Las Vegas and Goodwill Industries. These organizations were selected based on their immediate needs and ability to utilize the merchandise.

“We are in possession of a vast inventory of new furniture merchandise and wanted to put it to the highest and best use. Our goal was to spread the goods to benefit as many community organizations as possible, and yet still make an impact for each one,” said Harvey Dondero, Chief Executive Officer of World Market Center. “With so many needy charities in the valley, we focused on very high need situations and organizations that we felt could put the product to immediate use in their shelter or thrift stores. For example, Child Haven, a shelter for abused children, has an immediate requirement to furnish a new cottage opening in December that will house up to 30 at-risk children.”

The Las Vegas-based Capitol North American is donating several thousand dollars’ worth of time, labor and equipment to help move the home furnishings products within World Market Center to the trucks provided by the charities. Mitch Rittenhouse, owner of Capitol North American, said is pleased that his company can play an active role in World Market Center’s Furniture Donation Day on October 26.

“We have worked with the team at World Market Center from the very beginning and we have always been extremely impressed with their commitment to the community,” Rittenhouse said. “Not only is World Market Center a major employer here in Las Vegas, but they truly give back through philanthropy. We are proud to be associated with World Market Center and we try to support their philanthropic endeavors however we can. We look forward to being a part of Furniture Donation Day.”

Teri Medina, Child Development Specialist and Supervisor at Child Haven, said much of the product being donated, which includes bunk beds and cribs, will be used in a new cottage being built at Child Haven to be used for siblings housed at the facility, while other goods will be used for the area that houses medically fragile infants. “It means so much to us to receive furniture and furnishings that are of such high quality,” Medina said. “We try to make Child Haven as home-like as possible for children in custody and it’s so wonderful to have new furniture for these kids, who are put in a bad situation. We feel so fortunate to have World Market Center reach out to us in this incredible way. We are so grateful and touched.”

Ronald McDonald House provides temporary housing for families traveling to Las Vegas to receive medical treatment for their children. JoAnn Malone, Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas, said the crib set and bedding received from World Market Center will help make the rooms cozier. “We were so thrilled to be selected by World Market Center for this donation,” Malone said. “The merchandise is very high-end, and we are always in need of bed sheets, pillows and blankets. We ordinarily buy plain white sheets from a catalog. The bedding donated by World Market Center is in bright, vibrant colors. Having these amenities for our families will make Ronald McDonald House feel more like home when they are with us.”  

Sharon Mann, Community Relations Director for Catholic Charities, said the donated product will help raise funds for the organization’s social service programs. “Most of the furniture that we receive is used, so it’s very exciting to have something new for people to buy. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to provide merchandise to our clients that they would never, ever be able to afford. We feel very blessed by World Market Center’s generosity; community partnerships like this with businesses in the community help us make our clients’ lives better.”

Steve Chartrand, Goodwill of Southern Nevada’s President and CEO, said, “Goodwill sincerely appreciates the partnership with World Market Center. Sales of goods in our retail stores represents 93 percent of our total revenue which funds much-needed programs in the community, and the timing is exciting because people are gearing up for holiday buying. Goodwill feels very fortunate to have been selected by World Market Center and it’s great to see their commitment to the local community.”
Dana Pretner-Andrew, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for World Market Center, commented that Furniture Donation Day is one example of the company’s growing commitment to serving the Las Vegas community.

“World Market Center is a new, integral part of the Las Vegas community and is a driver of new opportunities, not only for business and industry, but also for vital service organizations that serve residents in the valley. Together with our tenants we have access to goods and resources that are of value to many worthwhile non-profit organizations. As we grow over the coming years, we hope to be able to touch as many organizations as possible with helpful resources,” said Pretner-Andrew.

Among its charity-focused programs, World Market Center partnered with Las Vegas-based Opportunity Village during the last two markets to create a furniture donation program to benefit people with intellectual disabilities and their families in the valley. Exhibitors at Las Vegas Market were asked to donate their merchandise after the show to Opportunity Village’s Thrift Store where donated goods were sold and all proceeds will benefit the hundreds of families served by the organization. Previous philanthropic efforts have included the Las Vegas Market Relief Fund, designed to help rebuild the communities, homes and lives of displaced families impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The Las Vegas Market Relief Fund raised funds and partnered with three special organizations – National Furniture Bank Association, Habitat for Humanity, and UJC Disaster Relief Fund – who were focused on the relief efforts.