S moke S ignals
APRIL 1, 2016
7
Community Fund surpasses $69 million in giving
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The 39 grants totaling $1.336
million distributed by Spirit Moun-
tain Community Fund during its
first quarterly check presentation
of 2016 held on Wednesday, March
16, leapfrogged the Tribe’s philan-
thropic entity past the $69 million
mark in giving.
At its last presentation in Decem-
ber, the Community Fund sat just
shy of the $68 million mark.
The Community Fund receives
6 percent of Spirit Mountain Ca-
sino profits as part of the Tribe’s
gaming compact with the state of
Oregon and distributes the funds
to nonprofit organizations in 11
northwestern Oregon counties, as
well as once a year to the state’s
nine federally recognized Tribes.
Granting categories include ed-
ucation, health, arts and culture,
environment, historic preservation
and public safety.
On March 16, the Community
Fund distributed 27 large grants,
11 small grants and one Tribal
grant. The largest single grant
stayed close to home with $322,500
being awarded to the Grand Ronde
Tribal Police Project as part of the
Oregon Tribal Grants program.
Spirit Mountain Community
Fund Board of Trustees Chairman
Sho Dozono and Tribal Council
member Ed Pearsall, who also
serves on the fund’s Board of Trust-
ees, welcomed grant recipients to
Grand Ronde.
“Community fund program days
are the four best days of the year,”
said Kathleen George, Community
Fund director. “We get to invite
our friends and partners out to our
homelands.”
George said the Community
Fund cherishes the opportunity to
empower organizations in accom-
plishing the work they do in their
respective communities.
Dozono, who has served 18 years
on the Board of Trustees, said
board members appreciate what
the organizations do to make west-
ern Oregon a better place to live.
Before the grants were awarded,
recipients watched a video that
recounted the Grand Ronde Tribe’s
history, as well as explained how
the Community Fund helps various
organizations in its granting area.
After the video, Community Fund
Program Coordinator Louis King
and Dozono distributed the checks.
Other grant recipients were:
• Beyond Toxics of Portland,
$5,000, for its Cosecha Hermosa
(Beautiful Bounty) Neighborhood
Gardening for Food Security pro-
gram;
• Carlton Police Department,
Photo by Dean Rhodes
Shawn Fleek, Community Engagement coordinator with OPAL, talks with
Spirit Mountain Community Fund Program Coordinator Louis King and
Grants Coordinator Julia Willis before the Wednesday, March 16, quarterly
check presentation held in the Atrium of the Governance Center. OPAL
received a $20,000 grant to build its Youth Environmental Justice Alliance
program. Fleek is a descendant of the Northern Arapaho Tribe.
$5,000, for its Speed Reduction
& Traffic Safety Enhancement
Project;
• Center for Hope and Safety of
Salem, $75,000, for its shelter for
victims of domestic and sexual
violence;
• Chehalem Youth & Family Ser-
vices of Newberg, $20,000, for its
Family Advocacy and Support
Team;
• Community Sharing Program
of Cottage Grove, $4,000, for its
Latino Food Box Project;
• Constructing Hope Pre-appren-
ticeship Program of Portland,
$25,000, for its Skill Trades
Training Program;
• Corvallis Multicultural Literacy
Center, $5,000, for its Com-
munity Beginner English for
Survival, Work and Citizenship
program;
• Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
of Portland, $30,000, for breast
and cervical health education and
support;
• Gleaners of Clackamas County
Inc. of Oregon City, $5,000, to
acquire a forklift;
• Greater Yamhill Watershed
Council of McMinnville, $4,700,
for its Watershed Education
Adventures Youth Stewardship
Program;
• HIV Alliance of Eugene, $25,000,
for reducing injection-related HIV
infections in Lane County;
• I Have a Dream Foundation of
Oregon of Portland, $40,000, for
its Dreamer School Engagement
Project;
• Japanese Garden Society of Or-
egon of Portland, $75,000, for
its Cultural Crossing expansion
project;
CPA returns
Doris Rose, a certified public accountant, will be returning to the
Grand Ronde community.
She will be in the Grand Ronde Housing Department office on
Tuesday and Thursday through April 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, call 503-293-4128.
• Johnson Creek Watershed Coun-
cil of Milwaukie, $10,000, for its
Citizen Science 2016 project;
• Juliette’s House of McMinnville,
$40,000, to support its clinical
services;
• Ka Ana Ike Aka Ohana Founda-
tion of Tualatin, $2,000, for its
Ho’omoana Hawaiian Cultural
Immersion Camp;
• Kukatonon African Children’s
Dance Troupe of Portland, $5,000,
for its Elele (Joy!) Dance, Culture
and Heritage project;
• Mental Health for Children Inc. of
Springfield, $100,000, for a build-
ing to house wellness and commu-
nity-based treatment programs;
• Northwest Catholic Counseling
Center of Portland, $23,500, for
mental health care for lower-in-
come older women;
• Northwest Human Services of
Salem, $50,000, for its QuickCare
capital project;
• Northwest Zen Sangha Center of
Portland, $20,000, for its Siskiyou
Square Community Garden;
• OPAL Environmental Justice of
Portland, $20,000, for its Youth
Environmental Justice Alliance
capacity building project;
• Oregon Center for Public Policy
of Silverton, $5,000, for its Great
Schools, Great Communities proj-
ect;
• Oregon Coast Children’s Theatre
of Lincoln City, $5,000, for its
Arts in Education and Commu-
nity Arts Initiative;
• Oregon Environmental Council
Inc. of Portland, $50,000, for
reducing toxic air pollution in
disadvantaged communities;
• Oregon Latino Health Coalition
of Portland, $50,000, for prenatal
care outreach and education;
• Pacific Rivers Council of Port-
land, $25,000, to protect rivers
and water on Oregon’s private
and state timberlands;
• Pacific University of Forest
Grove, $50,000, for its Vision
Care community outreach;
• Pathfinders of Oregon of Port-
land, $30,000, to help children of
incarcerated parents break the
cycle and build family strength;
• Portland Community ToolBank,
$5,000, for building better com-
munities;
• Rebuilding Together of Portland,
$25,000, to rebuild homes for low
income, elderly and disabled peo-
ple;
• ROSE Community Development
of Portland, $32,590, for its Lents
Youth Initiative;
• Sauvie Island Center of Portland,
$10,000, for its Farm to Kitchen:
Engaging the Next Generation
program;
• Tillamook Bay Community
College, $75,000, to create a
Partners for Rural Innovation
Center to serve Tillamook Coun-
ty;
• Triangle Productions of Portland,
$2,000, for its co-production of
“Heathers: The Musical.”
• Tryon Life Community Farm of
Portland, $5,000, for its Beyond
Nature As Backdrop hands-on
ethnobotany education project;
• Willamette Valley Cancer Foun-
dation of McMinnville, $5,000,
for its Kids on the Block Tobacco
Awareness Program’s interactive
materials update.
• YWCA of Greater Portland,
$50,000, for its Family Preser-
vation Project.
The Community Fund also drew
for door prizes of Tribal vests and
Oregon photo books. Winners were
Chehalem Youth & Family Ser-
vices, Northwest Zen Sangha,
Portland Community ToolBank,
Constructing Hope Pre-appren-
ticeship Program and the Pacific
Rivers Council.
Since its inception in 1997, the
Community Fund has awarded
2,283 grants totaling almost $69.2
million.