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Meet Your Neighbor: The Watkins Family
By Callie Thomas
It has been said that the family that plays together, stays together. The sentiment turns out to be true, as attested by our 89123 residents, the Watkins family.
Richard and Bettinna Watkins are the guiding forces that instill a strong work ethic and community participation in their family, which includes eldest son Richard Jr. and daughter Tiffany. “Our family is successful because we share a single united goal, and that is to love one another,” says Bettinna Watkins. “People frequently ask us how our family can be so close and loving, and it’s a very simple answer. We spend as much time with each other as possible.” Part of that time is spent helping others throughout the community.
Through his work with the Palms Hotel as a Count Room Manager and within the casino industry, Richard Sr. has formed many relationships with some of the community’s leading organizations and individuals. By the same token, his wife Bettinna is a Call Center Supervisor for Vegas.com, the official Vegas travel site where she manages agents and interacts with Las Vegas tourists, as well as interacting with many of the celebrities that do business with the online resource to promote their shows. Together they have had an opportunity to learn where help might be needed and are always eager to lend a hand. “As a family we are always happy to volunteer for a number of community programs and events,” Richard said. “However, the organization that has meant so much to us personally, The Children’s Heart Foundation, is where we find ourselves most closely associated. Particularly as the foundation was so instrumental in helping us get through one of the most difficult times in our lives when our son Richard went through heart surgery.”
Four years ago, the Watkins family experienced first-hand the Children’s Heart Foundation commitment to making a difference in the lives of children with heart conditions and their families throughout Nevada. The organization lends emotional, educational and financial support to inspire a higher quality of life for all. Each year, the foundation provides a carefree camp experience for children with heart conditions called Camp Mend-A-Heart, which the young Richard has attended. “It has truly made an impact on his growing into teenage years,” Bettinna said. “He has learned self-confidence and that nothing is out of reach as long as he is willing to try.”
The Watkins’ are proud to participate in the 7th Annual Walk with the Heart of a Child fundraising event later this month. They will walk as a family team to help raise dollars to assist other families in Nevada whose children have been afflicted with heart disease. Teams will gather to walk in celebration and remembrance of all the children who fight the disease and to create community awareness. The event is expected to draw more than 1400 participants, and monies raised will help fund programs like Camp Mend-A-Heart, Smart Heart Scholarships, Family Outreach and others. For information on the event, visit chfn.org.
Richard and Bettinna Watkins are optimistic about their family’s future. They look forward to seeing their children begin high school soon and grow up to be successful in their endeavors, knowing that they have the love and support of their family to rely upon. They are proud of being the best parents they can be and for giving back to the community that is their home. “Giving back, to us, is sharing your time and energy with an organization that stands for a noble cause. Being a member of the community means sharing the responsibility of being a part of something bigger than yourself or just your family, and helping to make our neighborhood a better place.”
