MY CHARITY
Dinosaurs and Roses Charity
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f everyone had the energy of Michele MorganDevore, there’s no telling what could be accomplished. But for Michele, it’s all about making a difference in people’s lives, one person at a time. Michele Morgan-Devore is the executive director of Dinosaurs & Roses, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit she founded in 2008, in response to the effects of the Great Recession. “Seeing so many people who were peers of mine who had lost everything,” she said. “And then reaching out further and seeing that people had an idea that, when you think of low income, you think of someone living on the street. But it wasn’t that way.” She expressed how it was families who would never expect that they’d be going through going through a devastating hardship. Devore’s vision was to rescue through recycling other’s belongings. This included bare necessities that that those in need didn’t have. A successful independent business owner in her own right, Michele owns and operates Morgan Specialties which supplies advertising products to promote area businesses and events. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and her background is in advertising, event planning and manufacturing management, all of which come into play with the nonprofit. There are three Dinosaurs & Roses locations – Meadows Mall, at 4310 E. Tropicana Ave. and at Tivoli Village. “We have something for every budget. Tivoli has a lot of designer and high ends pieces. Meadows is mid-range and the thrift store is where you’ll find the bargain of the century,” she said. And, yes, you can negotiate – that’s half the fun of getting a bargain. She’s
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built it to the point that the nonprofit organization has numerous community partners and is always looking to partner with other causes from schools to individuals. It also operates a Learn to Work Program for high schoolers. On weekends, Michele devotes time for her hobbies - gardening, cooking, reading and hiking. She also likes to make creative projects. Her latest one, decorator flower pieces made from ceramic plates, are destined for Dinosaurs and Roses stores where they sell for $25 to $35. She is looking to partner with an established nonprofit organization to further the effort. She said that she’d welcome hearing from vested organizations in Las Vegas to join forces for the betterment of the community. Still, that intent to see help others get back on their feet is never far away. It keeps Michele at the stores, overseeing the effort. “We’ve had occasions where the mother just sits there and cries because she’s tried to get help from so many agencies and nobody would help,” Michele said. “… Their children sleep on a bare floor. They don’t even have a towel to sleep on. Then she comes to us and gets clothes and pots and pans and she’s like, ‘Now I can cook for my children.’ That’s my reward, that’s what I’m doing, knowing I’ve touched a person’s life.” She resides in Summerlin, with her husband, Dr. Phillip Devore, professor and practicing dentist at UNLV. They have three children. Greg is 34, Shawn is 33, and Stephanie is 32. Two are doctors, one is a lawyer. They also have three four-legged children also known as their rescue dogs – Shana, Andy and Lovie. For a complete listing of partners, see the website, dinosaursandroses.org. MV