S moke S ignals
APRIL 1, 2018
7
Fund surpasses $77 million mark in giving
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
Spirit Mountain Community
Fund, the philanthropic arm of
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde, surpassed the $77 million
mark in giving on Wednesday,
March 14, when it awarded 24 large
grants and eight small grants total-
ing $726,070 during its first-quar-
ter check presentation held in the
Governance Center Atrium.
Since its inception 21 years ago,
the Community Fund has awarded
2,602 grants to 1,128 organizations.
The fund receives 6 percent of Spir-
it Mountain Casino proceeds and
distributes the funds to nonprofits
in 11 northwest Oregon counties to
aid such endeavors as education,
natural resource protection, health
care and public safety.
Tribal Council Secretary Jon A.
George opened the check presen-
tation with a prayer and Lands
Department Manager Jan Michael
Looking Wolf Reibach performed an
honor song.
Spirit Mountain Community
Fund Board of Trustees Chairman
Sho Dozono introduced Tribal Coun-
cil members in attendance, which
included Chairwoman Cheryle A.
Kennedy, Brenda Tuomi, Kathleen
George and Jack Giffen Jr. Kath-
leen George and Giffen also serve
on the fund’s Board of Trustees.
Attendees watched a 12-minute
video that surveyed the Tribe’s
history and featured organiza-
tions that have been helped by
Community Fund grants. Dozono
then quizzed grant recipients with
questions that were for the most
part answered correctly.
“This is the best job I have had,”
he said. “I get to give away someone
else’s money to people who deserve
it. It’s been an amazing ride for me
to see the generosity of this Tribe.”
First-time Community Fund
grant recipients Susan Armstrong
and Nora Niesen of Guide Dogs for
the Blind, and Golden Retriever/
Labrador mix Valeda, gave a brief
presentation about the history of
their organization and the work
they do to help people with visual
impairments become more indepen-
dent. The organization received a
$25,000 large grant to support work
at its Boring campus.
The nonprofit organization began
in 1942 to serve World War II vet-
erans. Currently, it has evolved to
two main campuses in San Rafael,
Calif., and Oregon, with smaller
“lounge” areas scattered about the
region. It serves an average of 300
clients annually and has 2,000
puppy raisers. There are 60 pup-
py trainers total at the two main
campuses.
“We rely solely on donations and
it is expensive to make a guide dog
… it costs about $50,000 each,”
Armstrong said. “We are very
grateful for this money (today).”
Community Fund Program Co-
ordinator Angela Sears then read
off this quarter’s grant recipi-
ents while Dozono distributed the
checks. Community Fund Director
Mychal Cherry, Community Fund
Grants Coordinator Julia Willis
and Administrative Assistant Jes-
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Spirit Mountain Community Fund Program Coordinator Angela Sears pets
Valeda, a guide dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind who accompanied Susan
Armstrong, right, to the fund’s first-quarter check presentation held in the
Governance Center Atrium on Wednesday, March 14. Armstrong is Guide
Dogs for the Blind’s vice president of Oregon’s training operations and gave a
presentation about the nonprofit during the check presentation.
se Knight shook grant recipients’
hands.
Additionally, three necklaces
made by Public Affairs Administra-
tive Assistant Chelsea Clark and
a Grand Ronde Pendleton Tribal
blanket designed by Travis Stewart
were given as raffle prizes.
Other large grant recipients
were:
• Advantage Smiles for Kids of
Redmond, $40,000, for orthodon-
tic treatment for at-risk youth;
• Boost Oregon of Portland, $10,000,
for outreach to health care pro-
viders and Spanish-speaking
parents;
• Casa For Children Inc. of Port-
land, $25,000, for educational ad-
vancement and fostering futures
for youth in foster care;
• CASA Voices for Children of
Corvallis, $20,000, for quality
advocacy for abused/neglected
children and support of at-risk
youth;
• Catholic Community Services of
Mid-Willamette Valley & Cen-
tral Coast of Salem, $40,000, for
integration of services to support
homeless parents and their chil-
dren;
• Coast Fork Willamette Water-
shed Council of Cottage Grove,
$15,070, for the Watershed Ac-
tion Teams for Education, Res-
toration and Stewardship effort;
• Community Resource Trust of Sa-
lem, $50,000, for the Salem-Keiz-
er Career Technical Education
Center;
• Family Building Blocks Inc. of
Salem, $40,000, for expanding
capacity to serve children most
at risk;
• I Have A Dream Foundation of
Portland – Oregon, $40,000, for
the Dreamer School Project early
childhood initiative;
• Lifeflight Network Foundation
of Aurora, $20,000, for its flight
simulator campaign;
• Lifeworks NW of Portland, $25,000,
for Healthy Families Oregon;
• National Wildlife Federation of
Milwaukie, $25,000, for salmon
restoration through an “eggs to
fry” stewardship model;
• Oregon Environmental Council
Inc. of Portland, $25,000, for part-
nerships for new investment in
clean water and healthy fisheries;
• Oregon Justice Resource Center
of Portland, $40,000, for its Wom-
en’s Justice Project;
• Oregon Law Center of Eugene,
$35,000, for its Rural Outreach
Project;
• Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing
Foundation Inc. of Portland,
$20,000, for its mobile health
screening program;
• Playworks Education Energized,
$30,000, for a Playworks coach in
Portland;
• Raphael House of Portland,
$25,000, for its Prevention Edu-
cation Program;
• Serendipity Center Inc.
of Portland, $15,000, for the
Farm-to-Community project;
• Somali American Council of Or-
egon in Portland, $40,000, for a
community center and office;
• The Northwest Catholic Counsel-
ing Center of Portland, $26,000,
for mental health care for low-
er-income older women;
• The Salem-Keizer Coalition for
Equality of Salem, $40,000, for a
parent-led early intervention and
literacy intervention program for
Latino English language learners
in preschool through third grade;
• Xerces Society of Portland,
$15,000, for advancing healthy
watersheds through freshwater
mussel conservation.
Small grant recipients were:
• Clackamas Service Center Inc.
of Portland, $5,000, for its com-
munity health and nutrition
program;
• Multicultural Integrated Kidney
Education Program of Portland,
$5,000, for education and target-
ed mentoring for better health
and lives;
• Muscular Dystrophy Association
of Portland, $5,000, for the Ore-
gon and southwest Washington
summer camp;
• Rock Creek Food Pantry of Port-
land, $5,000, for its backpack
program;
• St. Johns Food Share of Portland,
$5,500, for the FoodSecure –
FoodSmart program;
• The Jim Pepper Native Arts
Council of Portland, $3,500, for
the Jim PepperFest 2018 – Speak/
Sing Native;
• Warrior Sisters of Eugene,
$5,500, for Warrior Sister Sun-
days: Empowering women and
girls through free self-defense
education;
• And Wordcrafters in Eugene,
$5,500, for its writers in the
schools effort. n
Social Services has bike helmets
The Tribe’s Social Services Department has bicycle helmets available
for distribution. Those needing a helmet should visit the department and
sign a helmet application, as well as get fitted.
For more information, contact Social Services at 503-879-2034. n
Are you frustrated with your diabetes control?
Do you have questions about diabetes?
Do you need help managing your diabetes?
If so…
Call the Medical Clinic today at 503-879-2002
To schedule an individual diabetes education appointment