Smoke Signals 9
DECEMBER 15, 2011
Community Fund tops $55 miDDioim odd govnimg
New director Kathleen George
distributes first checks on Dec. 7
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
A gift of $20,000 to Salem-based
CAUSA Oregon is particularly
meaningful to Executive Director
Francisco Lopez.
"It is important for me because
I'm from El Salvador, of Mayan de
scent, and the money comes from an
indigenous Tribe here," he said.
CAUSA Oregon will use the money
to provide classes in leadership for in
digenous peoples from Central Ameri
can immigrant families now living in
the group's 10-county area.
"This is very significant for us,"
he said.
For the fourth quarter this year,
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
on Dec. 7 issued 28 grants totalling
$388,200. The event marked the
Tribe surpassing $55 million in
giving in less than 15 years. The
event, held in the Tribal gym, also
was the first funding round for the
Community Fund's new director,
Tribal member Kathleen George.
"It's a proud day for the Tribe
and Spirit Mountain Community
Fund," George said. "In less than 15
years, the Grand Ronde Tribe has
invested more than $55 million to
help with community health issues,
improve education, increase public
safety and protect our environment.
It has always been a Tribal value
to share our good fortune. And the
Grand Ronde Tribe has been true
to that tradition."
George was recently honored with
the Columbia River Hero Award for
2011 by the Columbia River Toxics
Reduction Work Group, an inter
agency group working to improve
water quality in the Columbia Ba
sin. The award was for work done
before joining the Community Fund
when she worked with the Umatilla
Indian Reservation.
This quarter's Community Fund
awards went predominantly to
education projects. Public safety
and health projects received the
second and third highest funding
The Grand f".
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Photo by Michelle Alalmo
Francisco Lopez, xcutiv director and representative for Spirit Mountain
Community Fund grant recipient CAUSA Oregon, middle, stands with
Community Fund Director Kathleen George, left, and Tribal Council member
and Community Fund Board member Toby McClary after receiving a check
during the fund's quarterly presentation in the Tribal gymnasium on
Wednesday, Dec. 7.
in this round of grants.
Twelve education projects re
ceived $162,000 while $104,000
went to five public safety projects
and $90,000 went to eight health
projects. Also, $20,000 went to one
Arts and Culture project and the
last $12,000 went to two environ
mental preservation projects.
Among those funded was a
$25,000 grant to the Boys and Girls
Club of Corvallis for a teen drop-in
center helping with college readi
ness for low-income youth.
"This will help us continue to
expand our high school teen pro
gram," said club Chief Executive
Officer Helen Higgins, "and keep
working on (improved) graduation
rates and getting kids into commu
nity colleges and universities."
With 35 currently in the program,
Higgins said she hopes the grant
will bring the number served up to
more than a 100.
"There are so many people who
need help in our communities right
now because of the slow economic
recovery," said George. "It is good
for our Tribe to be able to help our
neighbors by partnering with non
profit groups that provide such
needed services to families."
A $5,000 grant will help Eugene
based Downtown Languages, a
GED readiness program, reach as
many as 45 students through June
2012, more than double the 20 it has
been reaching. This is the 8-year-old
group's first grant from Spirit
Mountain Community Fund.
Tribal members Travis Mercier
and Marcus Gibbons led the kin
dergarten Chinuk Wawa immer
sion class in a welcome song with
drumming. Tribal Council member
Steve Bobb Sr. gave the invocation
and Tribal Council member Toby
McClary welcomed the group.
Following are the rest of the
grantees:
Beaverton Rotary Foundation
Inc., $10,000;
Centro Cultural of Washington
County, $10,000;
Chelsea Hicks Foundation,
$5,000;
Children First for Oregon,
$25,000;
Children's Vision Foundation,
$5,000;
Dallas Booster Club Inc.,
$5,000;
Dinner and a Movie, $4,700;
Ecotrust, $10,000;
Friends of Opal CreekOpal Creek
Ancient Forest Center, $10,000;
Head Start in Lincoln County,
$10,000;
Lane County Legal Aid & Advo
cacy Center, $30,000;
Loaves and Fishes, $25,000;
National Indian Child Welfare
Association, $10,000;
Native Wellness Institute,
$25,000;
Neighborhood House, Inc.,
$25,000;
Open Door Counseling Center,
$7,500;
Operation Nightwatch Port
land, $5,000;
Oregon Progress Forum,
$25,000;
Playworks Education Energized,
$10,000;
Portland Gay Men's Chorus,
$20,000;
Portland State University Foun
dation, $9,000;
Raphael House of Portland,
$10,000;
Salem Folklore Community,
$5,000;
St. Andrew Legal Clinic,
$35,000;
And the Friends of the Straub
Environmental Learning Center,
$2,000. D
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