Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2018)
18 JUNE 15, 2018 S moke S ignals Community Fund awards $733,763 in grants By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Confeder- ated Tribes of Grand Ronde, almost hit the $78 million mark in giving when it awarded $733,763 in grants on Wednesday, June 6. Twenty-one large grants and 11 small grants were given out during the fund’s second-quarter check presentation held in the Governance Center atrium. Since its inception in Photo by Dean Rhodes 1997, the Communi- Neighbors for Kids Executive Director Toby Winn and Board Chairwoman Liz Martin shake ty Fund has awarded hands with Tribal Council member Denise Harvey and Spirit Mountain Community Fund 2,627 grants to 1,150 Board of Trustees member Ron Reibach during the Community Fund’s second-quarter nonprofits. Tribal Council Sec- check distribution held Wednesday, June 6, in the Governance Center atrium. Neighbors retary Jon A. George for Kids in Depoe Bay received $48,000 for its Kids Zone community support project and opened the check pre- also won a Pendleton blanket during a raffle giveaway. sentation with a prayer and Tribal Lands Manager Jan read a letter from club members correctly. Looking Wolf Reibach performed thanking the Tribe for its grant. “I am privileged to have been on “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan on The group was awarded $35,000 the board 21 years,” he said. “It is Native flute. for its Memorial Healing Garden, the best job I have ever volunteered Spirit Mountain Community which is expected to open later for. I get to hand out checks to or- Fund Board of Trustees Chairman this year. ganizations that deserve it.” Sho Dozono introduced Tribal Garden planning has been un- He also asked attendees to ac- Council members in attendance, derway for three years and revised knowledge Tribal Elder and for- which included Chairwoman several times to meet prison safety mer Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy, Secretary and security protocols, but the in- Kathryn Harrison, who attended Jon A. George, Denise Harvey, mates have persevered in their de- the event. Kathleen George and Brenda Tu- termination to introduce elements The Community Fund is now fea- omi. Kathleen George and Harvey of the outside world in an otherwise turing a different organization at also serve on the fund’s Board of bleak environment. every quarterly grant presentation. Trustees. “We have a group of inmates The National Korean American Attendees watched a 12-minute who are trying to re-imagine what Service and Education Consortium video that surveyed the Tribe’s justice, restitution and healing can Inc. discussed its work with the history and featured organiza- look like,” Sactang said. Oregon State Penitentiary’s Asian tions that have been helped by Community Fund Program Co- Pacific Family Club. Community Fund grants. Dozono ordinator Angie Sears then read Consortium liaison Karn Sactang then quizzed grant recipients with off this quarter’s grant recipi- and Oregon State Penitentiary questions that were answered ents while Dozono distributed the Recreation Specialist Patrice Lans checks. Community Fund Director Mychal Cherry, Administrative Assistant Jesse Knight, Board of Trustees member Ron Reibach and Harvey shook grant recipients’ hands. Additionally, a Grand Ronde Pendleton Tribal blanket designed by Interpretive Coordinator Travis Stewart and a necklace made by Tribal Elder Joann Mercier were given as raffle prizes. Large grants recipients were: • ABC House Inc. of Albany, $50,000, for its capital campaign “Building Hope Together”; • ARC of Lane County of Spring- field, $23,600, for its World of Work project; • Bridge Meadows of Portland, $20,000, for Changing Lives To- gether – Permanence and Shared Social Purpose; • Catholic Charities of Portland, Photo by Michelle Alaimo $35,000, for family support and Spirit Mountain Community Fund Grants Coordinator Julia Willis’ last counseling services; day as a Tribal employee was Friday, June 1. During her goodbye party, • Chess for Success of Portland, held at the Employment Service Center, she was presented a Pendleton $30,000, for Athletics for the blanket by Spirit Mountain Community Fund Director Mychal Cherry, Mind; left, and Tribal Council member Jack Giffen Jr. She worked for the Tribe • Compassion Connect of Port- l an d , $40, 000, f or ca pa city for five years and is the new program manager at GRANTMAKERS of building expansion of compas- Oregon and Southwest Washington. sion clinics; Fund farewell • Daisy C.H.A.I.N. of Eugene, $40,000, for increasing access to preventive pre- and post-natal care programs; • De La Salle North Catholic High School of Portland, $34,803, for an academic resource center; • Ethos Inc. of Portland, $33,500, for music programs for unde- served youth; • Free Geek of Portland, $20,000, for a digital inclusion associate; • Friends of the Columbia River Gorge, $35,000, for its Gorge Re- silience effort; • Friends of Tyron Creek of Port- land, $10,000, for reconnecting indigenous lands and culture; • Minds Matter of Portland, $10,000, for tutoring and mento- ring programs; • Neighbors for Kids of Depoe Bay, $48,000, for the Kids Zone com- munity support project; • Nest Foundation of Portland, $40,000, for the expansion of its Sexual Exploitation Prevention Education program; • Northwest Center for Alterna- tives to Pesticides of Eugene, $25,000, for Clean Water for Salmon and Communities; • SABLE House of Dallas, $40,000, for nonresident services facility project; • Sandy River Basin Watershed Council of Gresham, $50,000, for Campus Creeks Clean Water retrofit; • Self-Enhancement Inc. of Port- land, $30,000, for the Youth Potential Realized program; • Sexual Assault Resource Center, $33,733, for the “Preventing Sex- ual Violence: Creating Culture Change” program in the Beaver- ton School District. Small grants recipients were: • AntFarm Inc. of Sandy, $5,375, for Connecting the Dots and Ex- panding the Choices program; • Bags of Love of Eugene, $5,500, for its backpack program; • Community Vision Inc. of Port- land, $4,000, for its East Wash- ington County Shelter assistive technology lab; • Partnership Council Inc. Good Neighbor Center of Tigard, $4,500, for the Pathway Home Fund; • El Programa Hispano Catholico of Portland, $5,375, for its “SUN Shine: School Success for Latino Youth” effort; • Portland Tennis & Education of Portland, $4,000, for the Ready, Set, Read! program; • Sauvie Island Center of Portland, $4,012, for Farm Camp scholar- ships; • Therapy Works Northwest of Gresham, $3,000, for a clinic ex- pansion project; • TLC-TNT of Portland, $3,950, for the “Tender Love and Care – Think n Try” initiative; • World Salmon Council Inc. of Portland, $5,375, for its “Salmon Watch” effort; • Young Audiences of Portland, $5,000, for the “Arts for Learning: Putting the Arts in Language Arts” program.