2024 was a banner year for Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) Outreach & Engagement, culminating in more than 2,000 volunteer hours from over 800 NNSS volunteers across 20 STEM and seven community events.
During the holiday season, the NNSS was a proud sponsor of the Magical Forest at Opportunity Village and the Dec. 7 Las Vegas Great Santa Run, both major fundraisers for Opportunity Village that directly benefit individuals with disabilities in Southern Nevada. NNSS team members purchased gifts, clothing and necessities for families at Creech Air Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base through the Adopt-A-Family program, and the giving continued throughout NNSS locations with toy collections for the Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation, of which NNSS Fire & Rescue is a part. More than 30,000 donations were distributed to children and teenagers across Las Vegas valley schools and neighborhoods.
STEM leadership
Throughout the year, NNSS Outreach & Engagement coordinated eight STEM field trips for more than 300 Clark County School District students, led six STEM Saturdays for more than 450 members of the community, facilitated the Nevada Science Bowl for 117 students in Nevada and Utah, and sponsored the Las Vegas Science & Technology Giant Expo for more than 9,000 attendees.
As part of its commitment to propelling STEM educational opportunities for students, NNSS proudly served as a leading sponsor of FIRST Nevada, the Clark County School District Book Bus and literacy programs, Nevada Future City, DISCOVERY Children’s Museum Science Bench, Project 150, and University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) Fall Senior Design Awards. NNSS employees took active roles in presenting educational pathways for students to pursue STEM careers during UNLV’s “Student Interactions with STEM” and Las Vegas Science Day sessions, College of Southern Nevada’s Empowering Women in Tech event, Las Vegas Science & Technology Festival’s Science in School initiative, and the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum’s Girl Powered panel.
“NNSS employees spent numerous hours in the classroom and at educational forums this year, drawing direct connections between STEM concepts and the successful careers they inspire,” said NNSS Outreach & Engagement Manager Jennifer Morgan. “Giving students exposure to real-world applications of science alongside an NNSS professional can make a lasting impact to students’ confidence in — and their pursuit of — STEM. We’re proud to inspire that spark.”
Community care
As part of the NNSS’ community pillar, highlights include renovating two homes as part of Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada’s National Rebuilding and Make a Difference Days and outfitting more than 500 Clark County School District students with new shoes and hygiene kits in partnership with the Goodie Two Shoes organization. Employees also prepared 1,800 meal packages with Three Square Food Bank and volunteered at their community garden grounds.
“Giving back to the communities in which we live and work is integral to our presence throughout Southern Nevada and all NNSS locations,” added Morgan. “We called on our employees to support STEM education and community outreach events, and they delivered in a big way in 2024.”