Donation will be Robert ‘Bobby’ and Sandy Ellis’ fourth such donation in 3.5 years; the Ellises have a long history of philanthropy in Henderson
HENDERSON, Nev. – What does one do with $25,000, no strings attached? That’s the question Henderson Libraries will soon be contemplating after it receives a donation of unrestricted funds from local philanthropists Robert “Bobby” and Sandy Ellis.
The donation — scheduled to be presented at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 5, at the Gibson Library, located at 100 W. Lake Mead Parkway — will be the Ellises’ fourth $25,000 donation to the library system in the past three-and-a-half years.
“We are eternally grateful to Bobby and Sandy Ellis for all they’ve done for our libraries and, thus, for our community,” said Marcie Smedley, assistant branch manager at Gibson Library. “In a time when our district funding has hit record lows as a result of the recession, the Ellises have gone above and beyond to help us help the community in its time of need.”
Previously, the Ellises made a donation in the same amount to the Green Valley Library’s Teen Services department for the construction of The Teen Lounge, which doubled the library space available for teen studying and socializing at the library. They also donated $25,000 to the Henderson Libraries Foundation as part of its One for a Million campaign, which provides funds for building the book collections at Henderson Libraries’ four locations. The Ellises have also supported the libraries with a $25,000 donation during the Nevada’s Big Give, which raised funds to purchase tablets to be used in programs and training classes, for Summer Reading Programming for all ages, and to assist in the implementation of the Solar Project at Paseo Verde Library.
Bobby Ellis serves as president and CEO of Snap Towing and former owner of B&E Auto Auctions in Henderson. He has a storied career of philanthropy in Henderson, including ensuring the students at Whitney Elementary School not only have school supplies to last them throughout the school year, but gifts to open during the holidays. He also has helped out students at Basic High School, among others.
Established in 1943 as a single library in Downtown Henderson, Henderson Libraries operates four locations throughout Henderson. Henderson Libraries cooperates with other public libraries in Southern Nevada, the Nevada System of Higher Education, the Clark County School District and all other libraries around the state to provide quality service for Nevada’s residents.
For additional information on Henderson Libraries, visit www.mypubliclibrary.com or call 702-492-6581.