Friends of Nixwa raise $4,200 for bulletproof vest

Tribal member Veronica Gaston announced at the May 18 General Council meeting that Friends of Nixwa raised $4,200 to purchase a bulletproof vest for Tribal K-9 officer Nixwa, which is Chinuk Wawa for "show me."

Gaston said that one anonymous donor from Salem pledged $1,400, which almost covered the entire cost of a vest for the Belgian Malinois.

Tribal donors included $1,500 from Dakota Whitecloud. Other significant donations came from Portland resident Lou Nelson ($100) and Gary Jones of Salem ($288).

Gaston also held numerous raffles during the meeting to give away prizes to those who donated. The grand prize - a Pendleton blanket - was won by Barbara Mercier.

Gaston said that about $2,000 of the funds will be spent to buy the vest and the remainder will pay for any training or equipment Nixwa needs.

She is planning another Friends of Nixwa fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, June 13, in the Community Center. Lasagna will be served for a donation and Nixwa will perform a demonstration, she said. Tribal Royalty will make deliveries on the Tribal campus.

People also can continue to donate to Friends of Nixwa through the Tribe's Finance Department.

"I plan on making another donation come per capita time," Gaston said. "This dog will be able to get anything it needs."

Gaston said people interested in attending should RSVP by 3 p.m. Monday, June 9, by calling her at 503-560-8217.