Dear Friends, Family, & Supporters of Project REAL,
Our Origins
Today—December 28, 2024—marks the 20th anniversary of Sam Lionel, Irwin Molasky, and Dr. Andre Walton filing for Project REAL’s nonprofit tax exemption. It’s a milestone worth celebrating, and collectively as Project REAL’s Board of Directors, we’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on where this organization has been, where it stands today, and where it is headed in the years to come.
This year has been both challenging and transformative. As many of you now know, since we were seated in August 2023, Project REAL’s board has been navigating transitional issues that stemmed from circumstances beyond our control. Through this process, we have worked to reconfigure the organization so that it could best serve the vision with the original intent of our founders, ensuring Project REAL continues to serve Nevada’s youth in meaningful and impactful ways.
While conducting the work that’s been needed to ensure a successful future for Project REAL over the last 17 months, we uncovered historical documents and engaged in conversations with past supporters and family members of the founders that brought the broader vision of Project REAL into sharper focus. This clarity has reinforced our understanding that the work we deliver today is deeply rooted in the vision our founders laid out, and it is reflected in the programs we now offer to students across Nevada
Returning To An Original Vision
While Project REAL has been known among many in the community simply as ‘That courthouse field trip nonprofit that also does the books about Nevadan laws for kids (what was formerly Play By the Rules)’, it became clear that this organization has always been about much more than laws, consequences, and field trips.
In fact, the founders envisioned an organization that would preserve opportunities for young people by helping them make the best decisions—not through blind obedience to the law, but by fostering the development of their character and knowledge of the world around them. They believed in empowering students to make choices driven by the futures they could see and were excited to pursue—futures that felt attainable.
Through this lens, the programming we deliver today has evolved to embody many more of the empowering principles envisioned by our founders For example…
Collectively as a board, we’ve been struck by how everything we now offer to Nevadans reflects the founders’ complete original vision for the organization—a nonprofit that would shape Nevadans into the best versions of themselves by opening their eyes to the possibilities in front of them. The experiences we offer today focus on equipping students with the opportunities, knowledge, and hope they need to achieve the futures they want for themselves.
As our program has expanded to meet evolving community needs, it has remained deeply aligned with the founders’ original vision of empowering youth through education, character development, and civic engagement. While the acronym Project REAL—Relevant Education About Law—once best described how the program was being delivered, it didn’t fully capture the “why” behind it.
Since those early days, our work has evolved to embody not just legal education but the empowerment and inspiration envisioned by the founders. That brings us to today and what we, as a board, envision for the future.
Where We Stand & Where We’re Headed
Our current board – one we are actively working on growing – is incredibly proud of what this organization has accomplished – especially in consideration of some of the realities we discovered which came to light for many of you this past September. Despite all the conditions Project REAL faces in our recent past and even issues we are still wrestling with today as a result of developments tied to it, for every $25 raised we’ve delivered at least 3.5 hours of programming to one student, empowering thousands to make better choices and build brighter futures.
Over the past 20 years, Project REAL has served over 250,000 Nevadans. Of those, more than 160,000 were served since we began collecting behavioral impact data in 2016, and 80% of those students have shown positive behavioral outcomes. This means that – since 2016 – at least 128,000 students are better prepared for their futures as a direct result of experiences we provided them with.
Looking ahead, we’re excited about the next 20 years. Consider that all over the last 8 years – and under the challenges we’ve been dealing with – Project REAL managed to accomplish all of this:
However, one challenge we’ve faced throughout our history is that our name—Project REAL—doesn’t fully communicate what we do. To many in the community, we’ve often been referred to as either ‘That nonprofit that does the law guides and courthouse field trips’ or ‘That nonprofit Sam and Irwin founded.’ Even with the acronym Relevant Education About Law featured prominently in our logo and stationary, it rarely resonated beyond those closest to the organization, such as the founders, board members, key donors, and highly-engaged judge-volunteers. While it worked well for maintaining support from those who already knew us, it didn’t effectively communicate our mission to new audiences or foster the growth we need to expand our impact.
While the name ‘Project REAL’ honors our origins, it hasn’t always conveyed the breadth and impact of our work as effectively as we’d like. This organization deserves a name that effectively reflects our work and that can inspire people to support and engage with us. That’s why, in mid-September this year, we had planned to launch a survey to explore a new name that better reflects the scope of our work. While the launch was delayed due to factors familiar to many of you, today feels like the perfect time to invite you into that conversation.
Before The Year Ends…
As we celebrate 20 years of service, we’re reflecting on what’s possible in the years ahead. The impact we’ve had so far is just the beginning, and we’re committed to expanding our reach, deepening our impact, and continuing to empower Nevada’s youth. There are two ways you can lend your support to help us achieve this vision before the year ends:
Help Us Explore a New Name
We are excited by the possibility of finding a new name that better resonates with the work of Project REAL, but we want your input! Take a few minutes to complete our survey and help shape the future of this organization and the amazing services it provides to young Nevadans.
You can be taken to the survey by clicking here.
More Than Ever, Please Donate or Sponsor This Work
While we would love to focus on the positive aspects of our work, the fact of the matter is that given some of the issues our board has been working on – including developments stemming from the news in September – have led to some unprecedented funding challenges for Project REAL. While we have funding secured that ensures some level of service through at least December 2025, right now there are some very unfortunate realities we are facing.
One of those challenges is the very real possibility that we may not be able to conduct this school year’s planned annual print run of Adulting 101 – a project that’s served 40% of graduating seniors in Nevada for the last two years, and which just this year began reaching students in Nevada’s rural counties including Lincoln, White Pine, and Elko. Your support is critical to ensuring our services can continue reaching students across Nevada – especially during these challenging times. Every dollar you provide helps us deliver life-changing experiences that empower our state’s students to make better choices, build brighter futures, and positively impact their communities.
With all that being said, we welcome your online donations or those mailed to our office:
ONLINE
https://projectrealnv.org/donate
OFFICE
Project REAL c/o Kamer, Zucker, & Abbott
6325 S. Jones Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV, 89118
Our Thanks & Gratitude
Bright and exciting days are just ahead for Project REAL – or whatever new name we might find ourselves operating under – and we’re excited to share this journey with you. Thank you for your trust, your support, and your belief in the power of education to transform lives.
From all of us at Project REAL, thank you for making these 20 years possible. Here’s to the next 20, and the many exciting things to come after that!
In Gratitude,
Shelby Sutter, Board President
Kimberly De La Cruz, Board Treasurer
Mike Kamer, Executive Director
