Community Fund eclipses $63 million in giving

The 23 grants worth $517,955 distributed by Spirit Mountain Community Fund on Wednesday, Sept. 17, helped propel the Grand Ronde Tribe's philanthropic arm past the $63 million mark in giving since it was formed in 1997.

The fund, which distributes 6 percent of Spirit Mountain Casino profits to non-profit organizations within an 11-county area of western Oregon, has now distributed $63.4 million.

Also during the check distribution ceremony, Community Fund Program Coordinator Louis King announced seven grants to seven of Oregon's nine federally recognized Tribes that totaled $770,000.

Tribe's receiving grants were the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Indians, $110,000 for academic and cultural resources to promote education for Tribal families; the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, $140,000 for the Grand Ronde Education Project; the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, $140,000 for the R Kids Count! Program; the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, $140,000 to help protect museum collections through mechanical systems upgrades; the Coquille Indian Tribe, $100,000 for a Tribal member education, employment and skills inventory database; and the Klamath Tribes, $140,000 for the Klamath Tribes Water Preservation Project.

The quarterly check distribution ceremony held in the Tribal Governance Center opened with Tribal Council member Jon A. George and Land and Culture employees Bobby Mercier and Travis Stewart performing cultural drumming and singing.

Kathleen George, Spirit Mountain Community Fund director, told grant recipient representatives that the fund is a commitment the Tribe made to "making Oregon a better place to live by investing in grass-roots organizations." She thanked those in attendance for their creativity and courageousness in the daily work they do.

Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno, who also sits on the Community Fund's Board of Trustees, said the Tribe's "message of giving" dates back to before the Tribe built Spirit Mountain Casino.

"People helped us for 30 years (during Termination)," Leno said, adding that the Tribe wants to help those communities now. "The membership understands and supports the fund."

Community Fund Board of Trustees Chairman Sho Dozono said that the best part of his job "is giving away the generosity of the Tribe." Dozono distributed the checks as King read off their names and grant amounts.

Organizations receiving grants on Sept. 17 were:

• Civil Liberties Defense Center of Eugene for "Know Your Rights" training, $5,000;
• Food Roots of Tillamook for the North Coast Health & Prosperity Project, $5,000;
• Hand2Mouth Theatre of Portland for "Modern Boys," a theater work about Portland, $5,000;
• Lebanon Soup Kitchen of Lebanon for its Safety for Supper program, $2,560;
• ABC House of Albany for serving abused children and families with improved space, communications and technology, $7,335;
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Emerald Valley in Eugene for its teen program expansion, $25,000;
• Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis for its "Project Learn," $30,000;
• CASA Voices for Children of Corvallis for increasing capacities and efficiencies, $13,000;
• Cascade Aids Project  Inc. of Portland for its "CHATpdx" program, $23,000;
• Daisy C.H.A.I.N. Creating New Healthy Alliances in New Mothering of Eugene for its professional family support services, $42,495;
• Family Building Blocks Inc. of Salem to support its Polk County Healthy Families program, $27,500;
• Friends of the Children in Portland for its ninth-grade program launch, $30,000;
• Kinship House of Portland for Kinship Bridge, a partnership model for foster and adoptive children, $30,000;
• Neighbors for Kids in Depoe Bay for its Full STEAM Ahead project, $33,000;
• Peninsula Children's Center of Portland for its Quality Rating & Improvement System certification, $25,000;
• Portland Community College Foundation for its Future Connect program, $10,000;
• Sable House of Dallas for case management services for its shelter residents, $50,000;
• Sheridan School District for its Academic After School program and attendance initiative, $50,000;
• Sponsors Inc. of Eugene for its Reuniting in a Supportive Environment program, $15,000;
• Strengthening Rural Families of Philomath for rural education opportunities, $34,743;
• Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality for Aprendiendo Avanzamos (Learning Together, We Advance) program, $25,322;
• Tillamook Early Learning Center for its Social and Emotional Education and Supports project, $9,000;
• And the YMCA of Greater Portland for its Domestic Violence and Prevention Continuum, $20,000.

The Community Fund also gave away three gift bags through a drawing that went to Daisy C.H.A.I.N., the Sable House and the Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality.