LAS VEGAS, NEV. (June 27, 2025) – NBA Hall of Famer, member of Communities In Schools (CIS) national board of directors, Boys & Girls Club (BGC) Alumni Hall of Fame, and founder of The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, Shaquille O’Neal, was joined by local leaders and dignitaries to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Shaquille O’Neal Youth Complex with a press conference and shovel ceremony on June 27. The collaborative youth facility, estimated at $24 million, will benefit nonprofit partners, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada (BGCSNV), and Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada (CIS of Southern Nevada).
Speakers included Shaquille O’Neal, Dr. Lisa Morris Hibbler, executive director of The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, Sandra Douglass Morgan, president of Las Vegas Raiders and leadership from nonprofit partners: Andy Bischel, executive director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada; and Tami Hance-Lehr, CEO and state director of Communities In Schools of Nevada. Special guests included Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill and CCSD Superintendent Jhone Ebert, among others.
Designed by Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto and constructed by CORE Construction, boasts a 30,000 square foot BGCSNV clubhouse and the country’s first-ever CIS Alumni Center. The CIS Alumni Center, made possible in part by the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation, is dedicated to serving former CIS students. Thanks to generous donations from local sports organizations, the complex will also feature a 54,000 sq. foot multi-sports field sponsored by the Las Vegas Raiders and a UFC-themed mixed-martial arts and boxing center.
The state-of-the-art complex clubhouse includes other amenities such as an Early Childhood Learning center, gymnasium, mental wellness rooms, technology and innovation labs, and more, providing youth in grades PK-12 with the academic, social, emotional, recreational, and tech resources needed for youth development and long-term stability. The groundbreaking comes nearly a year after Clark County commissioners approved a vote to donate the five-acre plot of land to the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation. The Shaquille O’Neal Youth Complex is expected to be completed in late 2026.
The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation is also offering donors a chance to leave a legacy by naming various rooms and spaces within the facility. For more information: Las Vegas Facility — The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation.
About The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation
The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation creates pathways for underserved youth, helping them achieve their full potential. Established in 2019 by the NBA Hall of Famer, television sports analyst and entrepreneur Shaquille O’Neal, the Foundation works to instill hope and bring about change in communities, collectively shaping a brighter future for our children. While primarily partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs and Communities In Schools, the Foundation simultaneously supports Shaquille’s other charitable endeavors, such as his annual Shaq-a-Claus holiday event and initiatives alongside his corporate partners. For more information, visit shaqfoundation.org.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada boasts 13 clubhouses throughout Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas. Our mission is to enable young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Focused on three main impact areas – Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles, and Good Character & Leadership – Clubhouses provide a safe, supportive place to go (both physically and mentally), life-changing opportunities, and the chance for youth to learn, grow, and become who they want to be. Serving over 7,000 youth each year between the ages of 5-18, Clubs operate Monday through Friday before and after school, with extended hours over school breaks such as spring, winter, and summer break. For more information: https://bgcsnv.org/ | Facebook@BGCSNV | Instagram @BGCSNV | 702-367-2582
About Communities In Schools of Nevada
CIS places full-time and professionally trained site coordinators in 118 Title I and high-needs schools across Nevada to support more than 100,000 students in grades K-12 (more than 70,000 who reside in Southern Nevada) who face barriers to their success—increasing the likelihood of students staying in school and graduating on time. The organization taps into a statewide network of more than 120 community nonprofits, partners, and agencies, bringing the community into the school to get students whatever they need to overcome the barriers they face that prevent them from achieving academically. From eyeglasses, dental care, health care, and professional counseling to food, school supplies, clothing, and housing, CIS identifies student needs and finds a way to address them, closing the gaps they experience in their everyday lives. CIS’s long-term vision is for every child enrolled in a Title I or high-needs school to access a CIS site coordinator and their evidence-based model of integrated student support, otherwise known as wraparound services. The graduation rate for CIS case-managed high school seniors in Nevada for the 2023-2024 school year was 97 percent. For more information, visit http://www.cisnevada.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Media Contact: Cherryl Kaopua, cherryl@twgpr.com, 702-408-8334
