Smoke signals., July 01, 2011, Page 3, Image 3

Smoke Signals 3
JULY 1,2011
Community Fund surpasses $54 million in giving
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Jilana Merciar, Spirit Mountain Community Fund's administrative assistant
for larga grants, sarvas punch as attendees help themselves to refreshments
during the Fund's quarterly check presentation in the Tribal gymnasium on
Wednesday, June 15.
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signalt editor
Spirit Mountain Community
Fund, the philanthropic arm of
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde, leapfrogged over the $54 mil
lion mark in giving on Wednesday,
June 15, as it awarded $658,637 to
36 charitable organizations in an
11 -county area.
Community Fund Programs Co
ordinator Louis King announced
during the event held in the Tribal
gym that the Community Fund has
now given away $54,272,000 since
it was formed in 1997.
Tribal Council Vice Chair Reyn
Leno, who also serves on the Com
munity Fund Board of Trustees,
said it was something to be very
proud of.
"We had absolutely nothing here,"
Leno told organization representa
tives who attended the quarterly
check presentation. "But we're not
just the casino. We are the Tribe
first and always will be. We ap
preciate this opportunity to have
people understand who we are."
"If not for the support of Tribal
Council," said Portland business
man Sho Dozono, who also serves
on the Community Fund Board of
Trustees, "we would not have the
money we've been distributing for
the last 14 years."
Spirit Mountain Community
Fund distributes 6 percent of Spirit
Mountain Casino profits four times
a year to charitable organizations.
This quarter's grants will support
dental care for low-income Orego
nians, playwriting workshops, cre
ating a safe space for abused women
and a Native American Cultural
Center and programming at Oregon
State University in Corvallis, among
other worthwhile efforts.
Leno and Dozono were accompa
nied at the event by Tribal Council
member Steve Bobb Sr., who also
serves on the Board of Trustees, and
casino Facilities Director and Tribal
member Ron Reibach, who was ap
pointed to the Community Fund
Board of Trustees on June 8.
After drumming and singing
by the Grand Ronde drum group,
Bobb gave the invocation and Leno
and Dozono delivered welcome
speeches. Then organization repre
sentatives watched the Tribe's 25th
Restoration video, created by the
Public Affairs Department, to learn
more about Tribal history.
After the video, King read the list
of grant recipients, who then posed
with Dozono and Reibach for pho
tos taken by Tribal photographer
Michelle Alaimo.
Recipients on June 15 were:
Basic Rights Oregon Fund,
$25,000;
Broadarts Theatre Inc., $3,000;
Clackamas Service Center Inc.,
$2,000;
Corvallis Art Center, $15,000;
Council for Responsible Sport
Inc., $5,000;
Dental Foundation of Oregon,
$25,000;
Financial Stewardship Resources
Inc., $10,000;
Friendly House Inc., $30,000;
Japanese Ancestral Society of
Portland, $49,813;
Kukatonon, $5,000;
Lane Coalition for Healthy Active
Youth, $21,210;
Marion-Polk Food Share,
$5,000;
McMinnville School District,
$30,000;
Medical Teams International,
$25,000;
Mercy Enterprise Corp.,
$15,000;
Neighbors for a Livable West
Linn, $3,950;
Old Library Studio, $5,000
Oregon Child Development Coali
tion, $26,414;
Oregon State University Founda
tion, $50,000;
Partners for a Hunger Free Or
egon, $$25,000;
Playwrite, $3,000;
Portland Woman's Crisis Line,
$15,000;
Qigong Sensory Training Insti
tute, $15,000;
Quilts From Caring Hands,
$2,000;
ROSE Community Development,
$38,985;
Salem Multi Institute, $15,000;
Sisters of the Road Cafe,
$20,000;
Ten Rivers Food Web, $5,000;
Northwest Coalition for Alterna
tives to Pesticides, $18,265;
Oregon Zoo Foundation,
$20,000;
Tucker-Maxon Oral School,
$20,000;
Volunteer Caregivers, $5,000;
Wild Salmon Center, $20,000;
Willamette University, $15,000;
Willamette Valley Hospice,
$50,000;
Wisdom of the Elders Inc.,
$20,000. B
Committee seeking youth
to sell raffle tickets
The annual Contest Powwow Committee is looking for 15 middle
school or high school community youth who would like to sell raffle
tickets to support this year's event.
Youth will sell tickets through Aug. 16. The youth who sells the
most tickets will win a 19-inch flat screen TVDVD combo.
Youth will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis to sell
tickets.
For more information, contact Social Services Administrative
Assistant Kalene Contreras at 503-879-3095 between 8 a.m. and 5
p.m. daily. D
I X ,
a i i i J--
, . IV-" !-'
of
..SB
? Portland Area Office
ft T
WE DN E S D AYTH U RS DAY
July 6 &l7, 13 & 14, 20 &21 and 27 &28
10A.M.-2T.M.
ACTIVITIES INCLUDE HEALTH AND WELLNESS ACTIVITIES,
NATIVE ARTS & CRAFTS,
CHINUK. WAWA AND FIELD TRIPS
TRANSPORTATION WILL BE PROVIDED FOR THE YOUTH.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE
CONTACT LISA ARCHULETA
503-235-4230
Ad created by George Valdez
Ad created by George Valdez