Page 17 - March 2010 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Tribes in the News (Continued)
San Manuel Band Donates T$1.7 Million to Haiti Relief
he San Manuel Band of Mission Indians contributed $1.7 million to the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to assist with ongoing relief and recovery e orts in earthquake ravaged Haiti. Haiti is recovering from a 7.0-magnitude
earthquake that killed over 150,000 people and caused extensive damage to buildings on January 12th. e contribution will enable the organizations to continue to provide critical services as survivors recover in the aftermath. e gift was provided as a $1.5 million donation to the American Red Cross with an additional $200,000 given to Doctors Without Borders.
“At this time of unimaginable grief and destruction we are called to act to prevent the further loss of life and ease the su ering of survivors,” said San Manuel Chairman James Ramos. “We stand behind and support the American Red Cross and Doctors
Without Borders as they remain on hand with their volunteers to assist those who are impacted.”
San Manuel has a long history of supporting relief e orts following natural disasters in its home state of California, along the Gulf Coast and on reservations across the United States. In 2005, the Tribe donated $700,000 to help in the relief e orts for those a ected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, followed by a $1 million donation in 2007 to aid in wild re recovery in Southern California. Additionally, the Tribe has supported relief for Sudanese refugees by donating a total of $1 million to relief groups in war-torn Darfur.
“ e entrusted partnership with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is critical to the ability of the American Red Cross to provide help and hope for the people of Haiti during their time of need,” said Gail McGovern, American Red Cross President and CEO. “Because of the generosity of donors like the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, people in Haiti will receive more than immediate relief—they will receive support and training from the Red Cross that will help them recover and rebuild for years to come.”
TPala Donates $11,000 to Haiti Relief
eam members of Pala Casino Spa Resort together with the Pala Band of Mission Indians donated $11,000 to the American Red Cross for Haiti Relief to help the country and its citizens recover from the devastating earthquake and aftershocks.
Pala Casino team members and the Tribe participated in a Haiti Relief campaign at the casino during the last two weeks in January.
Pala Band of Mission Indians Chairman Robert Smith, Pala Casino Chief Executive O cer Bill Bembenek, members of the Pala management team and a number of Pala team members presented a check to Dr. Rick Hinrichs, the emergency operations director for the American Red Cross San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter. e donation will be utilized in the ongoing Haiti Relief e ort.
“ e idea for a campaign to raise money for Haiti originated with our team members. We didn’t just write one check. is is the result of individual donations. We are proud
today of our team e ort and I thank everyone who participated and made a contribution,” Bembenek said.
Augustine Band Donates $20,000 Ato Salvation Army Haiti Relief
ugustine Band of Cahuilla Indian’s Tribal Chairperson, MaryAnn Green announced that the Tribe has made a $20,000 donation to the Salvation Army. e donation is intended to assist the Salvation Army in its e orts to help the
embattled people of Haiti. Green stated “My heart goes out to the people of Haiti, who have su ered so much following the massive earthquake that struck their country. Our Tribe felt compelled to contribute to the e ort to help the Haitian people.”
Chairperson Green said she has been moved by the generosity of the American people and wanted to contribute to the Salvation Army because 100% of the money will go directly to assisting the Haitian people. e Augustine Chairperson encourages all Americans to give generously to the Salvation Army Haiti Relief E ort.
March 2010 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE Page 17