Imagine Dragons singer makes first donation at Summerlin’s ‘Giving Machine’

Las Vegas autochthonal Dan Reynolds, frontman of stone set Imagine Dragons, was astatine Downtown Summerlin connected Tuesday buying a smorgasboard of items astatine a agleam reddish vending machine, but the items weren’t for himself.

The vending machine, called the Giving Machine, lets donors lend to section nonprofits and planetary giving campaigns. Reynolds was this year’s archetypal donor.

He said his household valued the value of foundation and selflessness. He adjacent worked with 1 of the benefiting nonprofits, Opportunity Village, arsenic a teen for his Eagle Scout project.

“This is for our kids. This is to amusement them what beingness is about,” helium said. “It’s to thatch them a speedy acquisition that it’s not astir TikTok. It’s not astir likes connected Instagram. Your self-love, your self-worth, your joyousness successful beingness volition travel from giving to others.”

Sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, individuals tin acquisition items astatine the instrumentality ranging from $3 to $300. But alternatively of dispensing the selections — covering and dental hygiene items, meals oregon schoolhouse supplies — the publication is logged for nonprofit beneficiaries. Donors besides tin underwrite assemblage admittance applications oregon trial people fees and occupation skills training.

This year’s section nonprofit beneficiaries see Communities successful Schools of Nevada, Eye Care 4 Kids, Three Square, Future Smiles and Opportunity Village. Global beneficiaries see the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and Church World Service Global.

Giving Machine archetypal launched successful the Las Vegas-area successful 2019 and raised $823,000 — astir $470,000 of which went to section nonprofits, according to the church. The task was connected hiatus successful 2020. This year, Las Vegas is 1 of 10 cities with the initiative.

Communities successful Schools CEO Tami Hance-Lehr said the enactment received astir $90,000 from the instrumentality successful 2019, which helped it enactment 53 schools crossed the valley. The nonprofit works connected dropout prevention and this year’s donation includes a USB larboard for integer learning access, schoolhouse uniforms, graduation supplies and underwriting assemblage admittance fees.

“They spell close into our schools and assistance our students destruct immoderate obstruction it is that keeps them from coming to school,” Hance-Lehr said.

Jeff Parker, who oversees the Giving Machine task successful Las Vegas, said the inaugural issuccessful due to the fact that radical spot the large and tiny ways they tin get progressive and assistance those successful need.

“We question to travel the illustration of Jesus Christ oregon immoderate others that we follow, that we spot arsenic an illustration successful our lives that assistance america bash good,” Parker said.

The Giving Machine volition enactment successful Downtown Summerlin, crossed from Macy’s, starting Tuesday done Jan. 3, 2022.

McKenna Ross is simply a corps subordinate with Report for America, a nationalist work programme that places journalists into section newsrooms. Contact her astatine mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ connected Twitter.