About us
In 2013, the community of Sierra Oeste had the highest concentration of all violent crime in the
Northwest Area Command, as well as the highest density of illegal shootings in Las Vegas. A very low
income community, many of its 82 buildings were in ill repair. Commonly referred to by her residents
as the “BGs,” meaning “Baby Ghetto,”
Project Director of Heroes United Christian Schoyen, City Councilman Ricki Barlow, Positively Kids’
CEO Fred Schulttz, Pastor of Liberty Baptist Church Matthew Teis, UNLV Criminal Justice Director Dr.
Bill Sousa, Moonridge Group CEO Julie Murray, NWAC COP officers and many others understood that reducing crime in Sierra Oeste was not a matter of “if,” but rather an understanding of “how.” In 2013,
our group of community partners came together in an effort to improve the quality of life for the
children and families in this community through initiatives we believed would reduce crime.
Together, this group of community partners hosted community clean-ups, block parties, an Easter
OUR STORY
parade, brought Thanksgiving meals to families and Christmas presents to children. The results were overwhelming.
Since beginning these community engagement efforts, Sierra Oeste (now Desert Meadows) has seen a 75% reduction in violent crime and a 27% decrease in calls for service.
In the summer of 2016, the success continued with outreach and community engagement efforts in the Cornerstone Crossing apartment complex. By partnering with ThreeSquare, over 3,000 meals were distributed to hungry children and a weekly Kid’s Club was formed. Now, every Saturday morning, Terion, Onaje and 20-30 other young people join volunteers for games of kickball, dodgeball, snacks, and character-building stories. These young people have been on field trips to the Nellis Air Show (where Terion decided he wants to join the Air Force when he grows up), made s’mores at Mt. Charleston, and engaged in volunteer activities helping Metro and local churches.
Police Officers in NWAC spent 15 years trying every avenue at their disposal to improve Sierra Oeste, but all efforts had failed.
This neighborhood which was once an epicenter for crime in our area is now a beacon of hope.
For the past three summers, entire families have been reached through free community BBQs and for the last two years, a partnership with local In-N-Out restaurants allowed back-to-school picnics which include free school supplies and backpacks for every child in the community. Christmas parties have been hosted with the help of our police department, and gifts have been regularly given to children who otherwise wouldn’t have received any. In the summer of 2017, this group was able to duplicate their success at Cornerstone Crossing in the Avery Park apartment complex.
In 2018, Pastor of Liberty Baptist Church Matthew Teis, Moonridge Group CEO Julie Murray, and NWAC COP officers went a step further by forging a partnership with the NHL Players Association, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and other community leaders to create Heroes United Hockey, a free youth hockey development program.
and were provided with free meals, transportation, and coaching for our 3-month long season. This program added a second team of 25 students in 2019, and looks forward to continuing to developing their skills both on and off the ice.
Liberty’s Hope was incorporated as a non-profit in early 2019 to continue building upon the success stories of Sierra Oeste, Cornerstone Crossing, and Heroes United Hockey by providing an official organizational structure for the many individuals who have been diligently reforming our community together, while also creating an avenue which will allow donors and community partners to financially support our efforts by giving towards these and other upcoming endeavors via a 501c3 organization.
25 low-income students were outfitted head-to-toe with their very own hockey equipment