From the Editor

BY CHANELLE HAYES

Welcome to the first edition of Chic Compass for 2025! We appreciate your continued interest in and support of our publication as we enter our seventh year.

This edition’s cover story features Louie and William Tandiono-Cellona, partners in both business and life. Their dedication to transforming the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral health challenges through their company, Tancell Care, is truly inspiring. Their work in the disability sector led to the opening of the Autism Pride Center, where people with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities can acquire and retain skills that promote independence, productivity and community engagement.

Stories like these bring us joy, and we are proud to share them with you in every edition. Since our launch in 2018, we have included specific features focusing on faith, charity, hope and grace. I wanted these themes to be the central focus of this edition’s letter.

These features recognize the individuals and organizations bringing light into the world through kindness, compassion, optimism and support. In addition to Louie and William and their phenomenal impact on the community, I encourage you to explore more stories of faith, charity, hope and grace in this edition.

We begin with faith, featuring the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada. Insights from Peter Whittingham, the organization’s chair and acting executive director, detail how it provides comfort and strength for families of children diagnosed with Down syndrome.

For our charity focus, we spotlight the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, which has provided emotional, financial, social, educational and psychological assistance to critically ill children and their families in Southern Nevada for more than three decades. Read about this remarkable charity and its fundraising efforts.

In our hope feature, we speak with Taras Krysa, an American conductor born in Ukraine who leads the Las Vegas Sinfonietta. This professional chamber orchestra impacts the community through inspiring classical music performances, including the “Violins of Hope” concert, which honors the resilience of Holocaust survivors and inspires optimism for the future.

Finally, our grace section introduces you to Alice Whitfield, who left her illustrious entertainment career to focus on her true passion: caring for horses at HAV Horse Rescue. Her dedication resonates deeply with us all.

As always, we bring you the best in celebrity features with interviews with Mark Wahlberg, Melba Moore and Bianca Belair in this edition. We also recap this year’s Golden Globes, welcome Shelley Berkley as the new mayor of Las Vegas, and highlight Dale Mathis and Barbara and Larry Domsky, who are making waves in the art scene.

Additionally, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Vegas PBS KIDS Writers Contest Presented by Janice Allen. This initiative promotes children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. You’ll hear from three past winners and learn where they are today.

As we turn the page on another year, we’re excited to share more stories and perspectives with you in 2025. Here’s to a year filled with faith, charity, hope and grace!