Brett Torino has been a resident of Southern Nevada for thirty four years and an active member of the business community with interests in Las Vegas and throughout the country in the real estate, resort hospitality, gaming and entertainment industries. Mr. Torino’s belief that life is a service industry, nothing is free, and you give until it hurts and then give a little more, has been the foundation for a lifetime of charitable giving. Prior to the creation of the Torino Foundation, Brett Torino, its benefactor, served this community as a dedicated, entrepreneurial philanthropist for well over two decades; serving some of Southern Nevada’s leading charitable organizations in the various capacities of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Founding Member and Board Member.
Mr. Torino designed and built the well known holiday attraction, The Magical Forest, for the Opportunity Village organization, a local, non-profit organization, whose mission is to work with mentally challenged adults. The Magical Forest generates millions of dollars in direct and in-kind contributions to Opportunity Village and is considered to be one of the most successful fundraising events in the country. In addition, in 2005 Brett Torino designed and built “Christmastyme” a holiday attraction in the inner city of North Las Vegas. The gift of Christmastyme brought beauty, excitement, and joy to this community for the holidays.
The seed for the Torino Foundation was planted in 1993 when Brett Torino acquired Lovell Canyon Ranch, an oasis set in the Toiyabe National Forest. The Torino Ranch is located on the west side of the Spring Mountains, eleven miles off Highway 160 and is approximately a 45-minute drive from Las Vegas. The Torino Ranch is the only land holding of its type and elevation within the Toiyabe National Forest and provides a picture perfect blend of forest, lake and glen. The unique environment of the Ranch inspired Mr. Torino to make the Ranch available to serve needs greater than his own. The Torino Ranch has become the community’s most popular destination for non-profit organizations and the activities they provide for critically ill or at risk children through camps and educational programs.
Further, after extensive development and planting the Torino Ranch supports hundreds of fruit trees, flowering gardens and organic horticulture programs within a greenhouse environment. The inspiring beauty of the rich ecosystem of the Ranch makes it the ideal environment for education programs that raise children’s awareness of nature, ecology, conservation, organic gardening and appreciation for healthy organic foods.
The focus throughout Brett Torino’s adult life of investing his time, effort and resources in high impact charitable organizations led to his forming an entrepreneurial philanthropic foundation. Mr. Torino’s time, resources, entrepreneurial leadership, and the ability to build experienced and dedicated teams resulted in the creation of the Torino Foundation.
In April 2008, the Torino Foundation’s first Board of Directors was seated. Mark Brown was named Chairman and Debbie Faiman, Angela Quinn, Michael Huntsman, Steve Cohen and Brett Torino, Members at Large.
The Torino Foundation’s strengths are in having a substantive, multi-level, multi disciplined, Boards of Directors and a strong staff with experience in youth development, camp programs, education, working with special needs children and a highly disciplined approach to the business management of a 501(c) (3) exempt organization. Business resources contributed by the Torino Companies include personnel with expertise in creating and leading dynamic teams, legal, finance, accounting, risk management, human resources, and program and project management. This organization is committed to insuring the accountability of all Torino Foundation funds contributed by Brett Torino and other generous donors and to providing oversight of the staff’s responsibility to spend those dollars wisely. The highest standards are set in producing results that make a difference in the lives of the children we serve.
