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DECEMBER 15, 2020
General Council briefed
on Community Fund
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals staff writer
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
Director Michael Cherry briefed
Tribal members on highlights of the
fund’s 2019 annual report during
the Sunday, Dec. 6, General Council
meeting held via the Zoom video
conferencing application.
During the meeting, Cherry
shared more about the Community
Fund, its mission, and various goals
and objectives.
“We really want to honor our
sovereignty and our culture as
a Community Fund, and those
generations that come after us,”
Cherry said.
The Community Fund was found-
ed in 1997 as the philanthropic arm
of the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde. In accordance with the
Tribe’s gaming compact with the
state of Oregon, the fund awards
6 percent of net income from Spir-
it Mountain Casino in grants. It
is governed by an eight-member
Board of Trustees.
The number of grants awarded in
the past 23 years is 2,908 for a total
of $84.97 million. Grants have been
distributed to nonprofit organiza-
tions in 11 northwest Oregon coun-
ties for the purposes of supporting
education, health, arts and culture,
environment, historic preservation,
public safety and problem gaming,
and to the nine federally recognized
Tribes in Oregon under a Tribal
Grants program.
Community Fund programs also
include the Hatfield Fellowship,
Junior Hatfield Fellowship, Ye
lan Lima Helping Hands and a
new youth grant making program
called Tenes Palach-Kilapay. Im-
plementation of that program was
put on hold due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
“We’re hopeful we’ll be able to
start that in 2021,” Cherry said.
Community Fund goals are to in-
crease knowledge and understand-
ing of Tribal culture, history and
values, contribute to the well-being
and success of the Tribe through
responsible Community Fund man-
agement, be positive ambassadors
of the fund, build and strengthen
new and existing relationships
with community partners, and
strengthen the fund in Oregon as a
key partner in Tribal philanthropy.
“Our main objectives are com-
munity awareness, engagement,
operating efficiently and training
to make sure we are doing the work
we set out to do,” Cherry said.
Accomplishments in 2019 in-
cluded:
• Hosting eight grant writing work-
shops;
• Four “meet the funder” events;
• Two Tribal funder panels and
four Hatfield presentations;
• Conducting 28 site visits;
• Creation of two youth programs;
• New Community Fund display at
Spirit Mountain Casino;
• Four check presentations with
180 attendees representing 115
organizations;
• And adding two new priority
grant funding areas to the health
category.
“We usually do a lot of outreach,
but this year we had to keep it all
virtual because of the pandemic,”
Cherry said. “We conducted 12
grant writing online workshops. It’s
very important to help keep these
connections.”
Cherry said she is excited to have
the display wall installed at the
casino.
“It was in the works for a num-
ber of years,” Cherry said. “I’m
happy we can showcase the work
and our response to the COVID-19
pandemic.”
Following her presentation, Cher-
ry took two questions from Tribal
attendees.
Tribal Council Chairwoman
Cheryle A. Kennedy noted that it is
a “great thing” the Tribe is in a posi-
tion to help during uncertain times.
“We have been able to help many
people in the state of Oregon,” she
said.
In other action, it was announced
that the next General Council
meeting will be held at 11 a.m.
Sunday, Jan. 3, via Zoom with a
program report from the Education
Department.
Since the annual Tribal Council
Christmas party was canceled due
to the pandemic, an online raffle
drawing was held instead. Winners
included Eric Bernando, Charles
Haller, Angella Schultz, Debi An-
derson and Joanna Brisbois, $50;
and Dave Leno and Toby Ambrose,
$100.
Elaine Robertson won a Pendle-
ton blanket donated by the Commu-
nity Fund, and Tiny Gibbons, Val
Alexander and Anthony Quenelle
won necklaces.
The meeting can be viewed by
visiting the Tribal government’s
website at www.grandronde.org
and clicking on the Government tab
and then Videos.
The 2019 Community Fund
annual report can be viewed at
www.thecommunityfund.com/me-
dia/1307/2019-smcf-annual-re-
port-final_digital.pdf. 
WIC visits Community Center monthly
Pregnant? Breastfeeding? Does your family include a child under the age
of 5? If so, you may qualify for the Women, Infants and Children program.
With WIC, people can receive answers to nutritional questions and ac-
cess fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, milk, cheese, juice, cereal
and more.
A WIC representative visits the Tribal Community Center on the third
Tuesday of the month, which will be Dec. 15.
Walk-ins are welcome between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more information
or to schedule an appointment, call 503-879-2034. 
5
Campbell hired as first
Indian Education director
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
SALEM – Grand Ronde Tribal
member and Dallas resident
April Campbell has been ap-
pointed as Oregon’s first director
of the Office of Indian Education,
according to Deputy Superinten-
dent of Public Instruction Colt
Gill.
Campbell, 47, has more than
20 years of experience working
in Indian education in Oregon.
Before joining the Oregon De-
partment of Education in 2013,
she was in charge of the Tribe’s
Education Department. Since
2013, she has served as Indian
Education adviser to the direc-
tor of the state Department of
Education.
Gill said that Campbell will
lead the state Department of
Education’s Indian Education
team and continue to focus on
the state’s commitment to honor
Tribal sovereignty, build authen-
tic relationships and serve to
elevate Native American voices
in the state.
“As a first-generation high
school graduate, April has a
passion for learning and helping
others on their educational jour-
ney,” Gill said.
As adviser to the director,
Campbell led efforts to revise the
American Indian/Alaska Native
Student Success Plan, as well
as efforts to implement Senate
Bill 13, which mandates Na-
tive American
curriculum be
taught in class-
rooms across
Oregon.
“It is an hon-
or to accept the
Oregon Depart-
April Campbell ment of Edu-
cation Office of
Indian Education director posi-
tion,” Campbell said. “I want to
thank my Tribe for supporting
me through my educational
journey and granting me the
chance to serve as the Education
manager from 2006-13. I believe
these opportunities prepared me
for the position I have today.
“In reflecting, when I start-
ed at ODE in 2013, we only
had one full-time staff member
dedicated to supporting our
government-to-government rela-
tionships with Tribes in Oregon
and American Indian students,
youth and families. Now, ODE
has created the Office of Indian
Education with four dedicated
staff members supporting this
work. Although graduation rates
are not the signal indicator of
student success, we have seen
unprecedented graduation rates
for our American Indian/Alaska
Native students and youth, grow-
ing 11 percent in the past five
years. I appreciate ODE’s contin-
ued commitment to growing this
office and expanding resources to
support our AI/AN students.” 