Las Vegas turns one hundred this year, and signs that philanthropy is blossoming in the gaming city are abundant, the Las Vegas Business Press reports.

Area nonprofits have been the beneficiaries of record-breaking donations, including a $50 million gift in March from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation for a performing arts center downtown, and a recent $25 million pledge by gaming executive William S. Boyd to the law school bearing his name. In addition, the Nevada Cancer Institute received a $25 million matching grant in January from the Greenspun Family Foundation, and the United Way of Southern Nevada has seen contributions rise 8.4 percent, to $10.5 million, over the last sx months.

"The difference between a good city and a great city is one where businesses and residents get involved in the community and give back," said Julie Murray, president of the Business Community Investment Council, which counts among its members Cirque Du Soleil, Boyd Gaming, Southwest Gas, HSBC bank, and the Howard Hughes Corporation.

About sixty-two local businesses give to charities on a regular basis, and Murray is hopeful that BCIC's new awareness campaign, Philanthropy Matters, will cause that number to grow. "If you have businesses giving back, it benefits everybody. It benefits everybody if there is less homelessness, and the sick and the elderly are taken care of."