Page 31 - May 2011 • Southern California Gaming Guide

May 2011 Tribes in the News
Second Annual Agua Caliente Invitational Celebrity
TCharity Golf Tournament
he Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is holding its Second Annual Agua Caliente Invitational Celebrity Charity Golf Tournament on May 16th, at the Tribe’s beautiful and challenging Indian Canyons Golf Resort in Palm Springs.
is year’s recipients include the American Diabetes Association, Coachella Valley Autism Society, Coachella Valley Police Activities League, Guide Dogs of the Desert and Scars to Freedom. Fun, food and prizes will ll the day, as participating players will team up with national celebrities as they play a round of golf together.
MBarona Education Grant Promotes Reading
ore students at San Diego’s Longfellow Spanish Immersion School will have access to Spanish and English books required to complete their curriculum as a result of the $5,000 education grant awarded on April 1st, by the Barona Band of Mission Indians. Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) joined Principal Cynthia
Arce in accepting the grant that was presented to the school by Edwin “ orpe” Romero, Chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians.
e Barona Band of Mission Indians has been sharing resources through its Barona Education Grant Program since 2006, awarding over $1.3 million to more than 250 schools statewide. e Barona Education Grant Program, created and administered by Tribal Government, is the rst of its kind in California. e goal of the program is to create strong educational opportunities for the children of California by building upon the success of the Barona Indian Charter School, which operates under a continuous improvement model.
Schools throughout California can apply for educational grants from Barona to purchase much-needed supplies and materials that promote academic improvement. Each grant awarded by the Barona Education Grant Program is $5,000.
“Barona is very pleased to provide Longfellow Spanish Immersion School with resources to purchase new Spanish and English books,” said Chairman Romero.
“Learning a new language takes time and dedication, and we hope these new books help inspire the students to read and achieve great results in school.”
Part of the San Diego Uni ed School District, the Longfellow Spanish Immersion School is a K–8 magnet school where kindergarten through second grade is taught solely in Spanish, and English is formally introduced in
third grade. According to school o cials, Longfellow is especially in need of newly published Spanish ction and non- ction for middle school-aged children in grades 6–8, who need to continue to challenge and advance their Spanish reading skills.
“We are very grateful to Barona for helping us acquire the essential literature for our school library that will help further our students’ academic and cross cultural education, especially in the grades where it is most needed,” said Principal Arce.
San Manuel Tribe Honors Nonprofits & Donates Over $150,000 to
TEarthquake Relief
he San Manuel Band of Mission Indians held its third annual Forging Hope Luncheon in San Bernardino on March 29th, to honor nonpro ts and community organizations. In his opening remarks, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James C. Ramos announced the Tribe will provide $100,000 to the American Red
Cross Inland Empire Chapter and $50,000 to the International Medical Corps for the ongoing relief e orts following the earthquake and tsunami that recently devastated Japan.
e American Indian Graduate Center was recognized for its e orts to build, promote and honor self-sustaining American Indian and Alaska Native Communities through education and leadership. e organization provides a
variety of services including administrative scholarships, outreach and leadership development to American Indians enrolled in institutions of higher learning.
e National Indian Justice Center designs and conducts legal education, research and technical assistance programs to improve the quality of life and administration of justice throughout tribal communities.
Santa Claus Inc. was awarded for its more than 50 years of service to families of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Santa Claus Inc. provides new toys, new clothing and new books for more than 17,000 children in the two counties each Christmas.
e San Manuel Tribe has contributed some $50 million to charities since 2001. rough partnerships with charitable organizations and community groups, the San Manuel Tribe honors the ancestral Serrano value of sharing resources with others.
“ e people of Santos Manuel feel deep compassion for the people of Japan,” Ramos said. “While their loss is nearly impossible to measure in human terms, we are con dent that the nation of Japan and its people have the courage and resilience to get through this tragedy. We are pleased to join with the rest of the world in o ering our assistance and our prayers.”
e luncheon brought together nonpro t groups from the greater philanthropic community for an awards ceremony at which the Tribe’s Yawa’ Award was bestowed upon four charities that have made positive and meaningful impacts in the region and across the nation. Yawa’ is a word and concept in the Tribe’s native Serrano language that calls for one to act on his or her beliefs.
e Forging Hope Luncheon honors nonpro ts who have partnered with San Manuel to make a positive di erence in the lives of others. e event is an opportunity for nonpro ts
to receive well deserved recognition for their e orts during this time of great demand and need for their services.
e four recipient charities that embody the concept of Yawa’ were each presented with the Yawa’ Award for Excellence in the program areas of health, education, economic development and special projects and include: Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House (Health), National Indian Justice Center of Santa Rosa (Economic Development), American Indian Graduate Center of Albuquerque, N.M. (Education), and Santa Claus Inc. of San Bernardino (Special Projects).
e Ronald McDonald House of Loma Linda provides a “Home Away from Home” for families of critically ill and injured children receiving medical treatment at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and nearby medical facilities. San Manuel has partnered with Ronald McDonald House for well over a decade.
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And to kick o the event, Kathleen Madigan, winner of the American Comedy Award for “Best Female Comedian” will perform on Sunday, May 15th, at 7 p.m. at The Show, the state-of-the-art theater at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho
Mirage. For tickets and information, visit hotwatercasino.com. And for questions about the tournament, sponsorship, or making a donation, call the tournament director at 760-699-6800.