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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2018)
S moke S ignals OCTOBER 1, 2018 13 Kathleen George discusses power of Tribal philanthropy By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer Tribal philanthropy and the new relationships it has created among Oregon and Washington Tribes, as well as their sur- rounding communities, was one of the topics discussed during the Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington Confer- ence: Grantmakers as Change- makers held at Spirit Mountain Casino on Wednesday, Sept. 26, through Friday, Sept. 28. Grand Ronde Tribal Council member and former Spirit Moun- tain Community Fund Director Kathleen George was one of four guest speakers at a Wednesday afternoon breakout session, “The Power of Tribal Philanthropy.” George also serves on the Spir- it Mountain Community Fund Board of Directors. The Tribe was a premier spon- sor of the event with Community Fund employees doing most of the organizing, which took up much of the past year. The three- day conference included full days of networking, breakout sessions and evening events. “It is wonderful to be back with my peers in the philanthropic community,” George said. “I had the honor to serve as Community Fund director for several years. Potlatch is a social contract of giving among Tribes and is a deeply rooted value in all of our communities. It is always Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez Tribal Council member Kathleen George, right, joins Jackie Chambers, second from left, of the Coquille Tribal Community Fund, and Karissa Lowe, left, Cowlitz Indian Tribe/Meyer Memorial Fund, in a panel discussion on Tribal philanthropy during the Grantmakers as Changemakers conference held at Spirit Mountain Casino on Wednesday Sept. 26. George was head of Spirit Mountain Community Fund before being elected to Tribal Council. important to me to recognize that the role of being invested in the community is a deeply rooted tra- dition.” In addition to George, other guest speakers on the panel were Coquille Tribal Community Fund Administrator Jackie Chambers, Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribu- tion Fund Administrative Assis- tant Denise Garrett and Cowlitz Indian Tribal Council member Karissa Lowe. Panelists were asked questions Madalyn (Mady) Volz ranging from memorable partner- ships to the challenges of managing a philanthropic fund. George told attendees, mostly nonprofit grantmakers from Ore- gon and Washington, about how Tribes struggled in the recent past to even be federally recognized, and how the ability to have casinos has allowed them to give back to the local community and other Tribes in need. “All of our Tribes have experi- enced the worst of federal govern- ment policy, but there is lots of hope and rebuilding now,” she said. “It is good to take a mo- ment to remember these hard times. We now have a wonderful opportunity to invest in a lot of communities and affect a lot of lives.” Spirit Mountain Community Fund was launched in 1997 and since then has funded 2,570 grants totaling $76.5 million to local nonprofits and other Ore- gon Tribes. “A few years after the Commu- nity Fund was going, we decided to invest in the other Tribes through our Tribal grants pro- gram,” George said. “There are many ways in which we interact and connect with other Tribes, but this allows us to partner with our sister Tribes in a way we would not normally.” George said a few memorable Tribal grants over the years in- cluded helping the Burns Paiute Tribe keep its youth center open and providing a bus to help teens from the Warm Springs Tribe attend summer credit recovery sessions so they could graduate from high school. “Those really felt like import- ant investments,” George said. “In Warm Springs, they were really excited about the program because high school graduation See GRANTMAKER continued on page 14 MARRIAGES IN TRIBAL COURT Hello, my name is Madalyn Volz. I am 14 years old and I’m a freshman at McMinnville High School. I am on the junior varsity coed cheerleading squad. In the spring I will be joining the rugby team. When I get older I would like to become a registered nurse. Tribal Court is now issuing marriage licenses and is able to perform marriage ceremonies for a filing fee of $40. For questions regarding scheduling, contact the Tribal Court at 503-879-2303. Madalyn Volz Isabelle Grout Hello, I am Isabelle Grout. I am 15 years old and I’m a sophomore at Willamina High School. I have been honored to serve my Tribe on the CTGR Royalty Court since 2009 and I am currently the Senior Miss Grand Ronde for 2018-19. Serving on Royalty has provided me with some amazing opportunities and adventures. My favorite has to be traveling to New York City and participating in a ceremony with the meteorite Tomanowos on display at the American Museum of Natural History. I am involved with our Canoe Family and have participated in journey. It is hard work, but it felt so good to work as a team, sharing our Isabelle Grout songs with other Tribes and meeting some great new friends. I can’t wait for next year. At school I participate in the SMILE program. SMILE stands for Science, Math and Investigative Learning Experiences and is a precollege program put on by Oregon State University. I am on the cheerleading squad and involved in Club Med and Student Council. I am so honored to be involved in the Youth Council to further my lead- ership skills and to be a voice for the youth in our Tribe. I would like to thank the Tribe for continuing to offer these great expe- riences and opportunities and let you all know how lucky I feel to repre- sent you and my family in this capacity. Thank you for all your continued support and love. Ad created by George Valdez
