Las Vegas fireworks booth operators try to stay cool while raising money for their cause
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Freedom House Sober Living’s fireworks booth is one of the few open early Monday morning on South Rainbow Boulevard and Warm Springs Road as other booths won’t open until late afternoon to beat the heat.
“I’ve been out here since 8 a.m. this morning and I’ll leave at 6 p.m. tonight,” Darryl Ursery, the lead housing case manager for the organization said.
Freedom House Sober Living is a recovery center treating those with addiction and helping them get on their feet.
“Once they transition next door to sober living, they’ll sit down with me and I’ll help them get vital documents like I.D., birth certificate, a Social Security card,” Ursery explained. “I will also reach out to different community partners like ampm, Buffalo Wild Wings, Shoku Ramen, different restaurants that are willing to hire our participants.”
Aside from drinking plenty of water and taking extra breaks, shifts are rotated every five hours so no one has to stay out in the sun all day long.
“We’ll go right here, grab some water, some Gatorade and the Freedom House takes care of that and we’ll come back here and put it in the ice chest, hang out, have fun and sell some fireworks,” Ursery said. “Luckily it’s kind of shaded in here right now but we also have this swamp cooler over here. 10 gallons of water about three bags of ice and a generator and we are good to go!”
Ursery said despite this extreme weather, he hopes people will come out to support their cause and anticipates more customers after the sun sets.
“TNT actually reached out to us and they got with my bosses. We purchased the fireworks upfront and when this is all said and done, we will go out to the Speedway and meet with them and we will divide the cost and take the remaining of that and put it back into our program that will help get the vital documentation or offer scholarships to the homeless that want to come back into our program,” Ursery remarked.
Ursery said he is equipped with everything he needs to stay cool and plans to stay at the booth all day today if you’d like to pass by. Their booth is located at 7350 S. Rainbow Boulevard in the Albertsons parking lot.
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