Smoke Signals 3
Tribe sets Milestone 'Mark of Giwln
to Communities in Oregon
Spirit Mountain Community Fund reaches $10 million in charitable contributions.
APRIL 1, 2001
By Justin Phillips
A
new mark for the new
millennium.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde are accomplishing what no
other Tribe in Oregon has accom
plished. A Tribal tradition of shar
ing and giving back to their commu
nities has resulted in the Tribe reach
ing the $10 million figure for chari
table giving in the state.
The Spirit Mountain Community
Fund recently announced the Tribe's
accomplishment of reaching the
mark in less than five years. The
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
was created in early 1997.
An eight-person board of trustees
made up of Tribal Council members
and community leaders administers
the community fund.
"$10 million is a lot of money, but
to me, the real worth in our giving
lies in the lives that we touch. How
can you measure the value of a
smile?" said June Sell-Sherer, Tribal
Council. "It's priceless."
A celebration dinner was held in
Salem on March 19 at the Hallie Ford
Museum of Art and in another event
that took place in Portland on March
22 at the Oregon Zoo.
The community fund disperses six
percent of Spirit Mountain Casino
profits to projects and programs in
the areas of education, health, pub
lic safety, problem gambling, arts and
culture, environment and historic
.
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no million is a lot of money,
but to me, the real worth in our
giving lies in the lives that we touch.
How can you measure the value
of a smile? It's priceless."
June Sell-Sherer, Tribal Council
preservation in eleven Northwest
Oregon counties: Clackamas,
Multnomah, Washington, Tillamook,
Lincoln, Yamhill, Polk, Marion,
Benton, Linn and Lane.
"I am so pleased that the Commu
nity Fund reflects the values I share
as a member of the Tribe and I am
proud to play a role in continuing our
traditions by sharing with the com
munity," said Angie Ellis, Commu
nity Fund Administrator.
"The community fund has enabled
us to address the special needs in our
community in a very proactive way,"
said Kathryn Harrison, Tribal Coun
cil Chair. "It honors our ancient
Tribal traditions of sharing and giv
ing back. All of our members of the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
are so pleased that we are able to help
worthwhile organizations and
projects who work to protect our en
vironment and help our neighbors."
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Breaking New Ground for Giving The confederated Tribes of the
Grand Ronde Community of Oregon Tribal Chair Kathryn Harrison poses for a photograph
with the founder and CEO of (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism) SOLV Jack McGowan.
SOLV was a major recipient of dollars from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.
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Some Grant Recipients
t
r
A.C. Gilbert House
Renovation
American Diabetes Association
Elizabeth Furse Diabetes Grant Research
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Pacific Northwest:
Regional Council Documentary Video: Year End Report
Easter Seal Society of Oregon
Capacity Building Project
Friends of the Willamina Library
Library Materials Upgrade
Grand Ronde Elementary School
3-Point Self-Esteem Builder
Project for Reading and Math Improvement
Academic Improvement
Health Dynamics Hospice Foundation
Terminal Care for Indigent Clients
Hospice Care
Lane Community College
Student Longhouse
The Library Foundation
The Fund for Native American Collections & Programs
Life Flight Network
Oregon Children's Foundation
"10,000 By 2000" Campaign
BlazersSmart Read
SMART Statewide Expansion
Oregon Coast Aquarium
OCA's Frogs and Whales Changing Exhibit
Revision of Passages of the Deep
Oregon Gambling Addiction Treatment Foundation
Prevalence StudyFoundation Initiation
Disordered Gambling Among Older Adults
Demonstration Project tied to Adolescent Study
The Oregon Garden Foundation
The Oak Grove Restoration at The Oregon Garden
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
Debt Reduction Program
Supplemental Grant for Education Outreach
Educational Outreach
Riverwak
The Oregon Zoo Foundation
Eagle Canyon and The Oregon Zoo's Great Northwest
Birds of Prey
Polk County Sheriff's Office
Law Enforcement Services
Grand Ronde Police Services
Portland Art Museum
Lena Taku Waste Exhibit
Center for Native American Art
Western Oregon University
Construction of New Library
Willamette University
Native American Gallery in the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
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