Community-Centered Strategy
The unique experiences of our region are at the center of every project, ensuring those most impacted are the primary architects of the solutions we build.
About Desert Rose Gives
Our founding story.
Desert Rose Gives was founded in Southern Nevada to confront a stark reality: our state consistently ranks last in the nation for behavioral health access. While our headquarters is in Las Vegas, our work reaches across the region to serve those navigating Existential Isolation (EI), the profound loneliness and separation that fuel behavioral addictions, overdose, and suicide. We believe that true prevention must be culturally responsive, moving beyond clinical grant language to address the real-world disparities our communities face.
The “Rose” in our name represents the resilience of people who thrive in even the harshest environments. Bianca D. McCall, LMFT, built this organization on a foundation of clinical expertise and federal advisory experience, but the heart of the work belongs to the people. We are a 501(c)(3) dedicated to ensuring that through development, research, and data storytelling, every experience is Seen, Heard, and Understood. We don’t just identify problems; we equip the systems, workforces, and policies required to solve them.
Mission
To bridge behavioral health disparities through ultra-culturally responsive training and data storytelling that empowers communities and strengthens regional systems of care.
Vision
A regional landscape where clinical innovation and connection eliminate Existential Isolation, ensuring every individual is authentically Seen, Heard, and Understood.
Our values
Expertise in Lived Experience
We treat lived experience as a vital dataset, centering and compensating the voices of those who have navigated these systems to inform our clinical and advisory work.
Ultra-Culturally Responsive Frameworks
Our programs are designed within the specific histories and cultural realities of the communities we serve, rather than being translated down from a generic template.
Proactive Connection
We target the Existential Isolation that fuels behavioral risk, providing the innovation and support needed to solve loneliness before it escalates into high-acuity crisis.
Regional Accountability
We prioritize named, transparent partnerships and local governance to ensure our work remains directly accountable to the people of Nevada.
Who holds the work
Desert Rose Gives is governed by a five-member board of Southern Nevada leaders whose professional range and community ties keep the work honest and local.
Bianca D. McCall, LMFT
Founder and President
Bianca D. McCall is a professional women’s basketball player in retirement, licensed clinical therapist, and renowned TED speaker having presented at over 50 conferences since 2023. Bianca has more than 25 years of expertise in behavioral sciences, with a thriving mental wellness and performance consulting practice for public departments, private workforces, education and sports ecosystems in 13 U.S. states and three countries. She is a trusted voice at the intersections of existential concerns, mental health, and AI technology in underserved and under-resourced groups, including the professional development of special populations and performance-based workforces. Bianca is an advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a contributor to National Best Practices for prevention programming. She has delivered keynotes, training, education, and consulting that resonate across global wellness, media, sports, and entertainment industries.
Rachel Kaplan
Vice President
Rachel Kaplan, M.Ed., B.S., is Vice President of the Desert Rose Gives Board of Directors. Rachel is a seasoned educator and administrator with over 20 years of experience. Raised in the Midwest, she earned her B.A. in Elementary Education with minors in Math and English, and her M.S. in Leadership and Curriculum Instruction from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Throughout her career, Rachel has served in various teaching, administrative, and supervisory roles across public and charter schools nationwide. She moved to Las Vegas 25 years ago and spent nearly two decades teaching in the Clark County School District.
Heather L. Parisi
Secretary
Heather L. Parisi is a Senior Project Manager with 25 years of experience in product development, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality assurance. Inspired by her athleticism and her own healthy lifestyle, Heather introduced Flip2BFit, a board game blending strategy, exercise, and evidence-based experience to create a new PE offering accredited within PE curricula across the United States. Heather’s philanthropic spirit found the culmination of her dream in Uganda, where she established a small nursery and primary school with a mission to bring a healthier lifestyle to world communities.
Steven Ness
Board Member
Steven Ness brings over 20 years of sophisticated banking and finance experience to the Desert Rose Gives board, specializing in the financial health and strategic growth of business owners and affluent individuals. Within our mission to address regional disparities, Steven provides the concrete financial framework and strategic guidance necessary to empower our community leaders and ensure their initiatives are built on a sustainable foundation.
Morris Jackson II
Board Member
A 24-year veteran of the financial services and banking industry, Morris Jackson II leads the Las Vegas market for U.S. Bank’s Consumer and Business Banking division. He oversees a team of more than 500 retail and business bankers across 64 retail branches, focused on deepening relationships with existing customers and acquiring new ones. Known for his servant leadership and entrepreneurial mindset, he consistently delivers data-driven strategies that enhance customer experiences, increase market share, and fuel sustained growth. Morris is also a successful franchise owner and operator of three Valhallan Esports Training locations in Las Vegas, Nevada; Folsom, California; and Cornelius, North Carolina.
Strategic alliances and regional partnerships
Systemic change requires coordinated effort. Desert Rose Gives works alongside academic, clinical, and community institutions to bridge gaps in the regional continuum of care. The following partners have given written permission to be named on this page.
University of Nevada, Reno (CASAT and NRAP)
Collaborative efforts focused on behavioral health workforce development and the Nevada Recovery and Prevention (NRAP) program.
Intermountain Health, Community Initiatives
Collaborating on the development and deployment of evidence-based programming for at-risk youth and under-resourced communities.
WestCare Nevada Inc.
Partnership on community-based prevention and pilot delivery across Southern Nevada.
ECQO Holdings
Desert Rose Gives is the named independent research partner on the ECQO-Care Pilot framework, contributing research design, cultural-responsiveness review, and community pilot oversight. Desert Rose Gives does not operate or build the ECQO Holdings platform.
Village Schools Organizations
Partnering on youth-serving prevention education in school-based community settings.
Vegas Golden Knights Foundation
Supporting our wellness and performance education work across athletic and community settings.
Desert Rose Gives also works with additional regional partners in behavioral health workforce development, athletic foundations, financial-literacy institutes, public health foundations, and Native youth-serving organizations. Those partners are listed publicly only after written permission is on file.
Who we serve
Desert Rose Gives serves at-risk and historically marginalized youth, ages 13 to 26, throughout Southern Nevada’s under-resourced zip codes. We serve minor participants (13 to 17) with written consent from a parent or guardian, and adult participants (18 to 26) who consent for themselves. Programming is age-appropriate and structured to respect the developmental and legal context of each age band. Our work deliberately prioritizes communities disproportionately impacted by behavioral health disparities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse populations. The majority of our participants identify as BIPOC, reflecting our deep commitment to addressing the specific and unique needs of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Asian Pacific Islander, and the region’s Tribal Nations (Urban and living on reservations).
We support those navigating Existential Isolation, a distressing sense of separation that drives high-acuity challenges such as gambling harm, overdose, and suicide. Our outreach extends to the surrounding ecosystems, including parents, caregivers, and educators, ensuring a comprehensive approach to mental resiliency. We place a strategic emphasis on the 16 to 26 demographic, a group uniquely vulnerable to the intersection of online gaming and social isolation. By integrating clinical innovation with community-driven development, we empower these ecosystems and the professional workforce to ensure every individual is Seen, Heard, and Understood. This approach transforms the regional landscape of care throughout the entire state of Nevada forever.
