Fundraising Effort Serves as a Tribute to Long-time Colleague and Friend

What began as a rivalry between the north and south has turned into the beginnings of a very good thing for hopeful scholarship applicants at UNLV.

When the Las Vegas chapter board of the American Planning Association decided to start a scholarship endowment fund at UNLV like their northern counterparts had done through UNR, their goal was to raise $5,000 annually for five years to meet the required $25,000 to start a fund.

Thanks to the help of long-time city planner Bob Genzer, who had just retired, their goal would be met much sooner than anticipated.

“Bob came to us and said ‘let me help you guys get started,'” said Laura Spina, current president of the local APA chapter. “His initial gift gave us the momentum we needed.”

From there, the chapter took every opportunity to raise funds, calling for donations at luncheons and other chapter events. Within a year, they had reached their goal and then some.

“I think about my own experience and I remember how difficult getting through college was,” Genzer said. “There are a lot of students who have no choice but to work full time in order to pay for school. With the kind of hours I had to put in to complete my classes, I know I couldn't have gone to school and worked full time. Giving back just seems like the right thing to do.”

No stranger to this town, Genzer began working for the City of Las Vegas in 1973. One of his initial assignments was to work on the first comprehensive zoning and land use map for the city. When he retired in 2005, chapter members continued their fundraising efforts by passing out flyers at Genzer's retirement party asking friends and colleagues to pay tribute to Genzer by contributing to the scholarship fund. Now fully endowed, the fund is fittingly called the Bob Genzer/APA Scholarship Endowment Fund. Students will begin receiving awards in 2008.

“The Genzer name is popular among the local planning community,” said Spina. “In fact, I think his involvement in our fundraising efforts served as a catalyst to get other people involved. He is just such a great guy and when he retired, people just wanted to pay tribute to him.”

Tribute and memorial gifts to UNLV are a lasting recognition to honor and remember an individual's dedication to a program, field of study, personal interest, or excellence in industry. These types of contributions to the university can be made through outright gifts, estate plans, or endowments which fund scholarships, fellowships, professorships, research, and special programs in perpetuity.

For more information about memorial and tribute giving, contact Deborah Young, director of scholarship and tribute giving, at (702) 895-2818 or Deborah.Young@unlv.edu .