MINNEAPOLIS -- As part of NATO's 12th Anniversary and Trade Show in Las Vegas, NATO will launch the first Meetings with a Mission (MWM) event, a community engagement initiative for attendees to serve at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission on April 22, 2013, to kick off the Show, which runs through April 24.
NATO Show attendees registered for the NATO MWM event will serve for a half-day at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission in the areas of preparing and serving meals, assembling hygiene kits and performing light property maintenance to directly benefit the 501(c)(3) charitable organization. On the NATO MWM website, those who are unable to attend can opt to donate toiletries for the hygiene kits or make a monetary donation to the Rescue Mission.
"The NATO Meetings with a Mission event is an effort to create an environment of connections--NATO with the city of Las Vegas, NATO attendees with their peers and ultimately, attendees with those in need in the community," said NATO president Andy Kerstein. "Beyond a standard fundraising event, NATO's Meetings with a Mission allows for hands-on interactions to make a positive impact in the host-community of Las Vegas. It also fosters a spirit of giving back that our attendees can take back with them to their respective businesses and communities."
The Community Partner for the 2013 NATO MWM event, the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, provides redemption, recovery and re-entry to the homeless, addicted and those in need through direct services of food, shelter, clothing and restorative programs. The Rescue Mission is working to serve the metro area of Las Vegas that is ranked with the fourth highest rate of homelessness in the nation.
Robert Brunner, executive director for the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, said it is partnerships such as this with NATO that the Rescue Mission truly values. "A true mutually beneficial relationship is fostered when both sides of the serving are engaged. Here at the Rescue Mission, we seek to not only make an impact in the thousands of lives we are serving daily, but we hope to make an impact on those who come to serve with us," said Brunner.
NATO board member and NATO MWM champion Andrea Myers said, "We are thrilled to launch this brand new initiative for NATO and look forward to developing our relationship with the Las Vegas Rescue Mission to grow the MWM program in the years to come. We challenge our retailers, manufacturers and distributors to roll up their sleeves and engage in the community for a more meaningful experience in Las Vegas this year."
To learn more about NATO Meetings with a Mission including registration, sponsoring, or donating to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, visit www.NATOMWM.com.
NATO's 12th Anniversary and Trade Show is the premier tobacco-industry show for retailers, manufacturers and distributors. For more information, visit www.NATOShow.com and follow @ShowNATO.
NATO is the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, a national retail trade association that focuses exclusively on local, state and federal tobacco legislative issues and leads the fight for all tobacco interests in the United States.
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