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JANUARY 15, 2004
General Council Hears Spirit Mountain Community Fund Report
By Ron Karten
The January General Council meet
ing was held on Sunday, January 4,
at the Tribal Community Center in
Grand Ronde. Here are the highlights:
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
Kennedy called the meeting to order;
Tribal Elder Janet Phillips offered the
invocation.
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
Director and Tribal member Angie
Blackwell presented the program re
port for the Community Fund. Be
cause of the state's troubled economy
these days, the Fund in 2003 included
a lot more grants for so-called "basic
services," said Blackwell.
Unemployment, food insecurity, chil
dren without medical coverage, the
rising cost of prescriptions and school
cut-backs all contributed to the Fund's
decisions to increase contributions for
basic services in its 1 1-county service
area.
Organizations supporting arts, cul
ture organizations, education, environ
ment, health, historic preservation,
problem gaming and public safety are
eligible for funds from the Spirit Moun
tain Community Fund in all 1 1 coun
ties. "We consider our grants to be invest
ments in the communities we serve,"
said Blackwell.
Over the fund's first six years, it has
awarded more than $23 million to
such organizations, said Blackwell.
The Fund's Board of Trustees, which
makes these decisions, includes three
Tribal Council members Ed Larsen,
June Sell-Sherer and Jack Giffen
one gubernatorial appointee retired
Portland lawyer Richard Botteri and
four community leaders selected by the
Tribal Council Oregon State Sen
ate Majority Leader Kate Brown, re
tired Senior Council to Congressman
Earl Blumenauer, Kris Olsen, commu
nity leader and CEO of the Portland
travel agency Azumano Travel, Sho
Dozono, and Spirit Mountain Casino
Director of Marketing and Tribal mem
ber, Adam Henny.
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Community Spirit Spirit Mountain Community Fund
Director Angie Blackwell provided Tribal Council and the Tribal
community a detailed look at how the Community Fund works
and who benefits from the Tribe's generous gifts to neighbor
ing communities. The fund is the eighth largest in Oregon.
"We pride ourselves on being very
responsive to what the non-profit sec
tor needs," said Blackwell.
Funding decisions also rest on some
specific Tribal values, including be
nevolence and compassion, the aspi
rations of youth, respecting and hon
oring Elders, developing self-sufficiency,
sustaining and preserving the
air, water, land and its inhabitants
while respecting and celebrating diversity.
The Fund's strategic planning pro
cess also has focused on new programs
that are grass roots or volunteer
driven, said Blackwell. This Small
Grants Program offers a shorter turn
around time for issuing funds as well
as technical assis
tance services and
a two-year mem
bership in
GrantStation, a
website to help
non-profits find
other granting
agencies for their
programs.
Six percent of
gaming profits
from the Spirit
Mountain Casino
goes to the Spirit
Mountain Commu
nity Fund. The
1997 compact,
which allowed the
casino to feature
slot machines and
new Class III
games also dedi
cated that six per
cent of profits to
non-Tribal chari
ties. Today, the
Fund grants more
than $4 million a year to charities in
the 1 1-county area.
The Fund is the eighth largest non
profit granting agency in the state.
Door prize winners included $50
winners: Tribal members Betty Bly,
Charles Haller and Debbie Larsen,
who donated her prize to help Tribal
youth Amanda Jones Schulte with the
expenses surrounding her needed
heart-lung transplant. Tribal mem
ber Mike Wilson won the $ 100 prize,
and donated it to help Amanda Jones
Schulte.
Tribal member Chris Mercier in
quired about the Tribe's Ethics Ordi
nance, which was repealed last year.
"Our concern was abuse of the ordi
nance," said Tribal Council member
Jan D. Reibach. "It was being used to
attack others for personal reasons in
stead of ethical reasons."
"We were looking at what other
Tribes were doing," said Tribal Attor
ney Rob Greene. "We were the only
one with an Ethics ordinance."
Tribal Council brought in Peter
Jarvis, one of the state's leading Ethi
cists, for advice.
"A decision was made not to go for
ward with another Ethics ordinance,"
he said, but emphasized that the Tribe
has other ordinances to stop ethics
abuses without a special ethics provi
sion. Tribal Elders voted for four new El
ders' Committee members. Commit
tee members are elected for staggered
two-year terms. The new members
are: Tribal Elders Ruby Bigoni, Merle
Holmes, Cherie Butler and Arlene
Beck. The three remaining commit
tee members will stand for election
next year.
Tribal member Linda Olson decried
the vandalizing of a Tribal Council
member's vehicle. She called it, "rep
rehensible." Tribal Council Secretary June Sell
Sherer noted that the family home of
Charles and Tribal member Carol
(Haller) Gleason burned over the holi
day season and said that contributions
were welcome. Contributions can be
made to the family in care of Charles
Haller II in the Tribal Council office.
Heart And Lungs Hanging Tough For Tribal Member
Nearly $10,000 collected for Amanda Jones Schulte through family fundraislng events, donations.
By Ron Karten
"It's amazing that people that you
don't even know are so caring and help
ful," said Tribal member Tracy Schulte,
mother of 19-year-old Tribal member
Amanda Jones Schulte, who will one
day soon need a new heart and lungs.
Nobody knows when the transplant
will be needed, only that at some point,
it will. In March, Schulte will see her
cardiologist (for the heart). In May,
she is scheduled to see her
pulmonologist (for the lungs). "At that
time," said Tracy Schulte, "there may
be a discussion of new medication" for
Amanda.
The medication is called Flolan.
"Flolan is generally administered in
travenously, which is invasive," said
Tracy Schulte. "In Europe, they are
testing an inhalant-type (Flolan), and
that may be available in this country
as early as March."
Amanda's physical condition re
mains "stable," said her mom, "except
for the cold weather. It makes it
harder for her to breathe so she has
missed a lot of school. She will be
switching to home school for (the cold
est days of winter). Hopefully, when
the weather warms up, she will be able
to go back to a modified school sched
ule." Meanwhile, Amanda has not been
sitting around. In December, after
seeing her father and grandmother
take a Community Emergency Re
sponse Teams (CERT) class, Amanda
signed up as a volunteer for the Red
Cross. Among the skills they will
teach are "CPR (cardio-pulmonary re
suscitation) and how to bandage," said
ner mom.
While she
may not be
able to do the
CPR because
of her condi
tion, her
mom thinks
that she'll
certainly be
able to do gift
wrapping
and other
"small things
that don't
take a lot of
energy." Amanda Jones
Amanda
also is making plans to attend classes
at Modesto Junior College near where
the family lives in California.
And as yet another example of how
life goes on in the midst of such big
health concerns, Amanda has recently
had braces put on her teeth.
"Each day is a different day," said
her mom. "One day, I think every
thing is ok and the next day I realize,
'No, it's not.'"
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The kindness of strangers, however,
has been one constant throughout this
process. "That's really touched my
self and my family. It touched my
heart."
Likewise for Amanda's uncle, Tribal
member Marty
George, who
works for the
Tribe. "You
know, this has
been a real
awakening ex
perience for
me," said
George, "and
yes, of course
it's changed my
life. It really
has. It's made
me think of oth
ers with the
Schulte same need. I
can see myself
going on to help raise money for oth
ers." George has been instrumental here
in Grand Ronde, along with cousins
and fellow Tribal members Angie
Blackwell and Debbie Larsen, both also
working for the Tribe, in holding fund
raisers for the Schulte family and rais
ing nearly $5,000 for the cause. A din
ner and silent art auction alone raised
$2,700. A penny drive by Blackwell's
daughters, Megan and Tribal mem
ber Miranda Ellis, raised $213.10.
To date, the family has raised nearly
$10,000, and spent only $100, reserv
ing a hall for a fund-raiser planned
for May. "Hopefully, we won't have
to touch any of that money until after
the operation," said Tracy Schulte.
A Board of Directors made up of
friends and family members was set
up to administer the Fund, and in the
by-laws are a number of provisions for
how the money raised can be spent.
In particular, it notes that should
Amanda not use the money, it will be
given to another young person also
needing a transplant.
Most of all, the family wants to
thank everyone, and in the same
breath, they worry that they may be
leaving somebody else out.
"It means so much to me," said
Marty George, "that anybody who has
helped out in any way knows how
much we appreciate it."
Editor's Note: Contributions can
be made through Marty George at
the front desk of the Tribe's Gov
ernance Building in Grand
Ronde, or directly to the family's
special account: Help Hand
Amanda Heart & Lungs in care
of the Oak Valley Community
Bank, 4120 B Dale Road, Modesto
CA 95356, Account 007-000847.