Page 15 - July 2003 • Southern California Gaming Guide

National Indian Gaming Association Launches Spirit of Sovereignty Foundation Website
The National Indian Gaming Association (niga) announced the launch of a new website for the organization’s Spirit of Sovereignty Foundation, www. spiritfund.com. The Spirit of Sovereignty Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-
pro tscholarshiporganizationcommittedtopromotinghighereducationandpro- viding scholarship opportunities for students of Native American descent.
The website is a resource about the foundation, complete with scholarship applications, and also promotes efforts to create an endowment fund to continue to assist Native students.
California Tribal Employment Continues to Soar as Job Growth for the Rest of the State Lags
Tribal governments continue to outpace all other California private and public sector employers in job growth, registering a 12 percent increase in employment for the year ending May 31, according to state gures.
The foundation has been responsible for awarding 31 scholarships to Native American
graduate students. For the 2002 – 2003 academic year, 20 “Spirit Awards” were awarded. Each student received a total of $5,000 to be split up between the two semesters and upon
proof of academic good standing.
“The purpose of Indian gaming is to give Indian people opportunity— opportunity for better health care, better housing, better education, and a better future. The Spirit of Sovereignty Foundation embodies that concept and niga is proud to provide well deserving students with the resources necessary to make their dreams a
in California for the month were the largest since December and mark the fourth consecutive month of payroll declines in the state.
Employment analysts believe California, because of the downturn in the Bay Area technology industry, has become one of the country’s weakest labor markets.
Tribal government economies have for three years led the state in job growth, with employment more than doubling since January 2000, when there were
17,200 workers on tribal payrolls.
The explosion of employment on Indian lands
has largely been generated by the expansion of tribal government gaming, which was approved by California voters in separate referendums in 1998 and 2000.
Source: California Nations Indian Gaming Association
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
No other industry with more than 20,000 workers experienced job growth anywhere near the gures posted by California’s tribal governments, according to gures released June 11 by the state Employment Development Department. In fact, virtually all state employers reported a loss of jobs for the year. California tribal governments employ
37,200 workers, according to edd gures, more than 90 percent of whom are non-Indians.
“California tribal governments are the one bright light in the state’s economic picture,” said Brenda Soulliere, chairwoman for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association. “Tribal nations are proud to be providing job growth at a time when the state needs it most.”
California employers shed 21,500 workers in May, according to government gures, a month that saw the rest of the nation gaining jobs. Job losses
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July 2003 Page 15
Tribes in the News Gaming News Continued