6 APRIL 1,2006
Smoke Signals
Community Fund Gives Away Nearly Two Million in January
FUND continued
from front page
doors," according to the grant pro
posal summary of the program.
'This is a real vote of confidence
in our work," said Gottfried.
The Community Fund gift will
enable Gottfried to provide a year's
worth of outdoor experiences meant
as "alternatives to drug
useabuse" to 60 Yamhill
County teens. Gottfried
said that more than 100
would likely benefit.
"The (Tribal) Council is
supporting programs from
pre-school through universi
ty," said Tribal member and
Spirit Mountain Commu
nity Fund Director Shelley
Hanson, presenting a check
to Gottfried, "especially for
at-risk kids. We're commit
ted to supporting programs
about the outdoors and the
environment."
"If it helps just one kid
stay in school, it's worth it,"
she said.
At $20,000, this was just
a tiny part of the Spirit
Mountain Community Fund
gifts approved in January.
Fund gave away nearly $2 million
in grants of about $3.5 million re
quested. Of 56 proposals, the Fund
filled part or all of 39 proposals
and one, a project reaching out to
victims of domestic violence and
rape, was tabled.
Among funded proposals, the
Fort Yamhill Interpretive Program,
which had an opening ceremony
March 26, the 150th anniversary
of the creation of the Grand Ronde
Reservation, received $50,000 for
continuing work on this multi
phase project.
A joint project between the
Oregon Parks Department, the
Oregon State Parks Trust and
the Tribe, the 55-acre site a half
land Children's Museum to help
renovate the facility's cafeteria to
make room for 150 or nearly three
times the facility's current capac
ity of 55.
Another $50,000 went to the
Oregon Coast Aquarium to help
develop a new, interactive exhibit
called, "Claws!" It will include
many species of crabs, lobsters,
I t : ' V l-' W M ' V J
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Giving Ways Jeffry Gottfried, Director of Educational Recreational Adventures, left, Shelley Hanson,
Director of the Spirit Mountain Community Fund, center, and Jackie Leno Grant, Manager of the Tribal
Education Division, discuss the Community Fund's recent grant to Gottfried's organization.
The
mile north on Route 22, just off
the junction at Route 18 in Grand
Ronde, includes interpretive pan
els and kiosks as well as other
interpretive events.
The Pentacle Theatre in Salem
received $25,000 for capital im
provements. The Spirit Mountain
gift will pay for a remodel of the
theatre's lobby. Also among the
gifts is a $50,000 grant to the Port-
shrimp, isopods and copepods from
the around the world. .
This exhibit, with interactive
graphics and audio-visual media,
will open to the public on May 27
with a host of weekend activities.
The Willamette Educational Ser
vice District received $40,000 for
the Willamette Father's Project, a
program aimed at new fathers and
how to get them interacting and
bonding with their babies.
Teaching Research received
$30,000 for a new intervention for
children with autism.
Nehalem Bay received $12,000
for the Manzanita handicapped
beach access project.
From arts and culture to educa
tion to environment, from health
to public service, the Community
Fund continued mak
ing a difference across
its 11-county area.
Education programs
received the lar
est amount in gifts:
more than $500,000.
Health was next with
gifts worth nearly
$280,000. The arts
received $175,000 and
environmental grants
equaled $128,000.
Community Fund
Trustees award large
grants four times
each year: in Janu
ary, April, July, and
October. Deadlines
for submitting appli
cations are: Febru
ary, May, August and
November.
The Community Fund distrib
utes six percent of the casino's net
profits, and currently gives away
between $4.5 and $5 million in
grants each year, said Community
Fund Director Shelley Hanson.
The Tribe celebrated a Commu
nity Fund landmark of $30 million
in giving last November (see Smoke
Signals, 12105).
!
Software Savant Serves Up Computer Hardware
Gate's Foundation grant helps Tribal Library keep current with new computer.
By Ron Karten
The Grand Ronde Tribal
Library's share of the Gates
Foundation "Staying Connect
ed" grant is $1,102.53.
"Staying Connected" grants
reimburse libraries for buy
ing a new patron-accessible
computer. The grant also was
given to the libraries of seven
of Oregon's nine recognized
Tribes, though according to
the Gates Foundation website,
all that provided free access to
an internet-connected computer
were eligible.
"We're very happy to get a new
computer here and happy to have
a good working relationship with
the Oregon State Library," said
Tribal Librarian and Tribal mem
ber Marion Mercier. "We ap
preciate this contribution to our
library."
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A view looking outside into the Tribal Library
Last year's work at the State
Legislature paved the way. Trib
al member and lobbyist Justin
Martin along with lobbyists Tom
and Dave Barrows advocated for
House Bill 2674.
"It's a great bill," said Martin.
"The legislature thought so and
we ended up getting it through.
It was a collaborative effort not
only with us but with other Tribes
as well."
The bill added
Tribal libraries
in the state to
the list of librar
ies community
and college librar
ies, for example
entitled to be
included among
grants given by
the Oregon State
Library. Grants
typically come
from the federal
government or
private founda
tions. "Marion Merci
er did a lot to help
get us informa
tion and we kind
of just went and
shopped the con-
1
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A new computer at the Tribal
Library courtesy of the Gates
Foundation.
cept around," said Martin.
The bill sailed through both
houses and was signed by the
Governor in May, 2005. It
became law on January first
of this year, and in March, the
Oregon State Library passed
along the first of the benefits
to the Tribe.
The Tribal library has long
had two Internet-connected
computers for patron use. One
that had been around for many
years recently was replaced
with a new one. B