Because it’s the Right Thing to Do

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Clark County Commissioners Office held a special meeting to honor some of Southern Nevada’s most outstanding women – including our own volunteer board member, Chef Jamie Poltrock of South Point Hotel & Casino. Her family, work family and Chefs for Kids family, were present to see her bestowed with a medal from Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who had nothing but glowing things to say about Jamie’s long-standing commitment to helping our community… 

“She will always be there to volunteer. She doesn’t ever ask for anything in return. We never run out of food. And She’s just really a true asset to the community that people don’t really realize all of the work that she does.”  

You’ve maybe seen her at our Chefs for Kids events (or at least in photos), but she is also a volunteer of the Healthy Kids Festival, her and her husband foster dogs, and she has shaved her head 9 times to raise funds for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. It’s her work with Chefs for Kids that we want to acknowledge today. 

For years, Chef Jamie has been a steadfast supporter of our organization. She volunteers at nearly every Cookin’ Up Breakfast event and is one of two dedicated CHEFmobile drivers that make sure the meals get delivered to the schools we serve. Every year she is sure to donate her time, skills, and resources to cook up a delicious live auction package to raise money for Chefs for Kids at our annual Dinner & Auction. We could rave about all the wonderful things Chef Jamie has done throughout the years, but our most recent experience sums up her heart pretty well. 

Last year we had a breakfast scheduled for Vegas Verdes ES that was unfortunately canceled as we were not able to find a culinary partner to sponsor it. This year we were almost in the same boat and would have to cancel again. Once Jamie heard this, she wouldn’t have it. She knew we couldn’t cancel on these kids a second year in a row. Even though she just spearheaded the efforts for South Point to sponsor a breakfast on February 23, she said their culinary team would also pick up the next breakfast on March 9 at Vegas Verdes simply because “It’s the right thing to do.” 

We can’t pull off a Cookin’ Up Breakfast event without a culinary sponsor to source and cook the food for the kiddos. Their culinary teams have to wake up very early to cook hundreds of meals and have them ready for delivery by 7 a.m. It can be a strain on the team, especially when they still have a full day of catering to execute. We’re grateful for all of our culinary partners, and especially grateful to Chef Jamie Poltrock and the team at South Point Casino for their dedication to going the extra mile and making sure these kiddos don’t go without getting a warm breakfast. 

Chef Jamie Poltrock is the kind of person where any organization she commits to is lucky to have her big heart involved. Thank you to Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick and the Clark County Board of Commissioners for honoring one of our own who truly deserves to be recognized… because it’s the right thing to do.