UNLV and Alumni Association Team Up to Help At-Risk School

The UNLV Alumni Association is challenging the university community to help some of the valley’s most deserving youth get a big dose of Rebel pride.

UNLV is piloting an Adopt-A-School program that pairs the UNLV community with Cunningham Elementary School, where many of the students are homeless or living below the poverty line.

The Alumni Association has committed to purchasing 100 Rebel Fun Packs — a combination of football tickets and food vouchers — to reward students who are excelling in Cunningham’s accelerated reading program, and is asking faculty, staff, and alumni to match its contribution.

Rebel Fun Packs are $50; each Fun Pack purchased means one deserving Cunningham Elementary student will receive a t-shirt, four game tickets and a voucher for hot dogs and drinks. Plus UNLV Athletics will donate $5 for every Fun Pack sold to Cunningham Elementary for the purchase of accelerated reading materials.

“This will be the first time that many of these students and their families have been exposed to a collegiate event,” said Earnest Phillips, director of marketing and public relations. “My hope is that the enthusiasm of the campus community will rub off and provide a memorable experience for each of these youngsters.”

Seventy percent of the students at Cunningham, which is located near Sam Boyd Stadium, are on free or reduced lunch. “Cunningham is located very close to the campus of UNLV, yet for some students, the reality of attending college seems so far away,” said principal Stacey Scott-Cherry.

To purchase a Rebel Fun Pack for a deserving child at Cunningham Elementary School please follow the instructions below. Thank you for your participation in this worthwhile cause and GO REBELS!