4 DECEMBER 15,2010
Smoke Signals
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By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal member and Spirit Moun
tain Community Fund Director
Shelley Hanson briefed the Tribal
membership on its 13-year-old
philanthropic entity at the Dec. 5
General Council meeting held in
Grand Ronde.
And the numbers, after more
than a decade of Tribal giving, are
starting to get quite impressive.
Since Spirit Mountain Communi
ty Fund was started in 1997 as the
first Tribal philanthropic organiza
tion in Oregon, the Grand Ronde
Tribe has given more than $52
million in grants from the fund's 6
percent share of Spirit Mountain
Casino gaming profits.
In those 13 years, the Community
Fund has received 3,359 grant re
quests and funded 1,606 of them,
for a 48 percent approval rate.
In 2010, Hanson said, the Com
munity Fund's budget totaled $3.5
million. This year, the fund received
406 grant requests totaling $11.74
million and funded 153 of those re
quests for a total of $3.2 million.
The Community Fund continues
awarding grants in the broad cat
egories of arts and culture, educa
tion, environment, health, historic
preservation, problem gaming and
public safety. It is overseen by an
eight-member board, which cur
rently has one vacancy.
Current board members are
Tribal Council members Reyn
Leno, who is vice chair, and Steve
Bobb Sr., Tribal member and Spir
it Mountain Casino Human Re
sources Director Camille Mercier,
Portland businessman Sho Dozono,
Secretary of State Kate Brown,
former Congresswoman Darlehe
Hooley and Portland attorney Chip
Lazenby.
Hanson said the Community
Fund's highlights in 2010 included
publication of its annual report,
participation in an ad campaign
that helped defeat private ca
sino proposal Measure 75, starting
( v
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I
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
David Lewis, Tribal member and Cultural Resources Department manager,
talks about an ethnohlstory conference he recently attended In Canada,
where he gave presentations about Grand Ronde history and the Summer's
Collection during the General Council meeting held in the Tribal Community
Center on Sunday, Dec 5.
quarterly award presentations,
creation of a new Web site and
conducting more training for small
non-profits.
In addition, Hanson said, the
Community Fund continues its Or
egon Tribal Grants program, which
has a $300,000 budget and funds
- grant requests from Oregon's nine
federally recognized Tribes.
The Community Fund also con
tinues to fund and manage the
Tribe's Hatfield Fellowship pro
gram, which this year selected
Nez PerceCayuse Tribal member
Shana Radford to work in Sen. Ron
Wyden's office.
For 2011, Hanson said the Com
munity Fund will continue its
Tribal grants program for a fourth
year, partner with the Oregon
Tribal Gaming Alliance to inform
Oregonians about the charitable
giving of Oregon Tribes, foster
stronger community partnerships
and work toward being a corner
stone of Oregon's philanthropic
efforts.
Before Hanson's presentation,
Tribal member and Cultural Re
sources Department Manager
David Lewis discussed his recent
activities.
He said he recently attended
an ethnohistory conference in
Ottawa, Canada, where he gave
presentations about Grand Ronde
history and the Summer's Collec
tion, which is stored in the British
Museum in London.
The 300-artifact collection, as
sembled in the 1870s and 1880s, is
a significant part of Grand Ronde
history and should be returned,
Lewis said, although there is no
law or international agreement
that can force the British Museum
to do so.
Lewis said the Tribe will host a
British Museum representative in
April in an attempt to start convinc
ing the museum that it is morally
correct to return the artifacts.
This will be a long-term project,"
Lewis said.
In other business, Tribal Elders
Gladys Hobbs, Duane Wheeler,
Samantha Dala, Julie Duncan,
Ken Lafferty and Richard Ray were
nominated for three open seats on
the Elders' Committee. The election
will be held between 10 a.m. and
noon Sunday, Jan. 9, during the
next General Council meeting in
Grand Ronde.
Tribal Elder Betty Reed and Ken
Lafferty and Tribal spouse Kathi
Ray won the $50 cash door prizes;
Tribal Elders Kathryn Harrison
and Georgene Gray won the $50
Safeway gift cards; and Tribal
spouse Terry Gray won the $100
cash door prize. D
Eugene Tribal Wellness
Program meets weekly
The Eugene Tribal Wellness Program meets at 10 a.m. Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday.
All levels of fitness are welcome. The program covers strength, cardio
and stretching, and discusses strategies for healthy living at home.
The program is free to Tribal members and their spouses.
For more information, call the Eugene satellite office at 541-484-7085.
a
si t r 1
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
EirikThorsgard, Tribal member and the Tribe's Cultural Protection
coordinator, middle, talks with KGW reporter Grant McOmie, left,
before the filming of a Grant's Getaways segment at Fort Yamhill
State Heritage Area on Monday, Nov. 29. On the right is Park Manager
Ryan Sparks, who talked about the history of the heritage area and
Thorsgard provided input on the Tribal history of the area.
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