Page 9 - December 2004 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Morongo Band of Mission Indians Donates 6000 Turkeys to Local Charities and Hosts Local Community Firefighters
Marking the largest turkey donation in its history, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians gave 6,000 turkeys, double last year’s donation, to Southern California charities and families in need. e turkeys provided 30,000 anksgiving meals to 43 Southern California charitable organizations. With a tradition of helping others in time of need, the tribe began its anksgiving outreach in the 80’s and has continued to increase e orts throughout the years.
“Our annual anksgiving donation is the Morongo tribe’s way of continuing the tradition that started 380 years ago when Indians helped hungry settlers o the coast of Massachusetts,” said Morongo Tribal Council member Joletta Tsosie.
“Each year we are thankful for our ability to help the local community and provide a warm holiday meal for families in need.”
Some of the groups that received turkeys included Lieutenant Governor Bustamante’s Operation Gobble; Second Harvest Food Bank; Alternatives to Domestic Violence; the Salvation Army; St. Vincent’s Catholic Church; Riverside City Mission; Cabazon Elementary School; Morongo Faith Chapel; Red Barn Food Ministry; Riverside County Fire Department Chaplain Corps; eight local VFW Posts, Cabazon Fellowship; Ho er Elementary School; Morongo Head Start; GI Forum for Vets in Need; ABC Recovery Center; Central Elementary School; Riverside/San Bernardino County Indian Health and the Trinity Whitewater Boys Home.
is year, Morongo tribal council member Tsosie and tribal members put a timely spin on the term “ anksgiving” by hosting daily turkey lunches in the Morongo Community Center for local community re departments that battled last year’s wild res. e
special meals were a “thank you” for local re ghters in recognition of their courage and e orts demonstrated during last year’s wild res, the worst in California’s history. In addition, the local heroes were invited to help with the preparation of turkeys for delivery.
Morongo’s tribal tradition of sharing is a generations-old practice. e tribe’s contributions extend well beyond the annual anksgiving donations. e Morongo Band of Mission Indians gives generously on an annual basis to a multitude of local community groups and less fortunate Indian tribes. Morongo matched a $1 million donation it made to the American Red Cross during last year’s wild res with a $1 million donation to the San Diego chapter of Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes on the San Pasqual Indian Reservation in
Valley Center, which were lost to wild res.
San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Contributes $5.5 Million to the City of San Bernardino
I n mid October the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians reached a mutual aid agreement with the City of San Bernardino to provide additional
funding in support of city improvements, beyond the special distribution fund to which the tribe contributes additional monies. In a ceremony on October 18th at the San Bernardino City Council meeting, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians bestowed a $5.5 million gift on the city to fund a number of public
works improvements, most notably in the vicinity of Victoria Avenue in Highland.
Neighboring cities often receive further support from the tribe in the way of donations for cultural, social, and economic projects to benefit the common good of the local communities. To date, the Tribe has given millions of dollars to support local programs including Cal State San Bernardino, the San Bernardino Fire Department,
the Lighthouse for the Blind and many other deserving organizations.
is latest signi cant nancial contribution underscores the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ dedication to the community and is in addition to the Tribe’s ongoing contributions to the Special Distribution Fund and the Revenue Sharing
Trust Fund as outlined in its Tribal-State gaming compact.
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Honored for Energy Efficiency
On November 8th the Southern California Gas Company (scgc) honored the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians for its
energy conservation e orts for generating up to 80 percent of its own electric power at the Spa Resort Casino for the last year. e casino’s cogeneration system keeps most of the 130,000 square-foot casino o the local power grid.
e system is a 2,000 sq. ft. self-contained power plant located on site at the casino, and consists of four natural gas-operated cogeneration units. It was the
rst of its kind in use by a Tribe as a primary electric source for a casino in California. Cogeneration is a process that uses waste energy to produce electricity. Water that is used to cool the four huge engines is recycled into the building’s air conditioning system. e state of-the-art cogeneration power plant meets the world’s most stringent air quality standards.
At last year’s opening of the new casino, the Tribe said they made the investment in the cogeneration plant for three purposes: e property would experience dramatic energy cost savings, scgc would
experience reduced load requirements in the region, and, most important, the environment would bene t because the clean-running engines produce extremely low emissions and reduce demand for electricity generation from other sources.
Part of the Southern California Gas Company’s honor included a $423,178 check to the Tribe, paid through a self-generation program implemented in 2001. rough one-time cash incentives, the program encourages big businesses, like casinos, to explore alternative energy sources.
Exhibit at Barona Museum Shares
Members of the Barona Band of Mission Indians are sharing their stories, photographs and items from the 2003 wild res in a year-long exhibit at the Barona Cultural Center and Museum.
Barona was among the rst communities struck by the Cedar Fire a year ago. e Lakeside-area tribe lost 39 structures, including 28 homes, a school building and a day-care center. While the devastation was severe, fortunately no one from
the Tribe was seriously injured.
Stories of 2003 Wildfires
“After the Cedar Fire struck the Barona Indian Reservation, like thousands of families throughout San Diego, the Barona Tribe immediately began the painful process of assessing the damage and salvaging what remained of our homes and possessions,” said Cli ord LaChappa, Chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians. “ is exhibit is an important remembrance of our resilience and perseverance.” e Barona Museum is open Tuesday–Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. (closed Mondays). Call 619-443-7003 ext. 2
DECEMBER 2004 Page 9
Southern California Tribes in the News