Page 25 - August 2013 • Southern California Gaming Guide

August 2013 Tribes in the News
TSribal, Federal, State Leaders Survey Mountain Fire Area
tate and federal leaders joined tribal leaders from the Agua Caliente Band “We are so grateful for all the re ghting e orts by Cal Fire, Palm Springs Fire and the of Cahuilla Indians on Sunday, July 21st, to survey thousands of acres of manystriketeams,”ChairmanGrubbesaid.“Wearealsothankfulforthemanybusinesses
th
reservation land that burned the week of July 14 , as part of the Mountain who have donated so generously this week.”
As of July 22nd, the re burned about 27,245 acres, including more than 6,000 acres of reservation land. e re relief e ort included 3,347 personnel and is estimated to have cost about $18.4 million, according to the U.S. Forest Service. e blaze destroyed 23 structures, including seven homes. e cause of the re remains under investigation.
“I want to thank Chairman Grubbe, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Congressman Ruiz, and most importantly, all the re ghters and rst responders on the ground who have been ghting this re,” Perez said. “We are so grateful to see the extraordinary coordination that’s taking place among state, federal, tribal and municipal agencies.”
Santa Ynez Band Donates $150,000 to Search Dog Foundation
Fire, a wild re that started near the town of Idyllwild, close to the junction of Highway 243 and Highway 74.
Tribal Chairman Je L. Grubbe, and tribal members provided an overview and tour of the Tribe’s new Mobile Emergency Operations Center for Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and State Assembly Member V. Manuel Perez (D-Coachella). e tour also included a helicopter aerial survey of the reservation land burned in the re.
Tribal leaders and sta members were actively involved with the agencies and crews to minimize the impact of the re and to help protect Tahquitz and Indian Canyons, the Tribe’s culturally rich and historically important areas potentially a ected by the Mountain Fire.
earch Dog Foundation, which trains and said Vincent Armenta, Chairman for the Santa Ynez Teams in the entire country, and only six in California. deploys canine- re ghter teams to disaster Band of Chumash Indians. “ rough the Search Dog She designed a program based on partnering rescued sites to look for people buried alive beneath Foundation’s mission of teaming rescued dogs with dogs with re ghters and training them according to a
wreckage, received $150,000 from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation to help complete its National Training Center project in Santa Paula.
e Ojai-based Search Dog Foundation’s new facility will provide vital resources to local and national search teams to assure their readiness in times of need. e facility is under construction on 125 acres of historic ranch land in the foothills of Santa Paula, 50 minutes southwest of Santa Barbara.
With the donation, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians enables Search Dog Foundation to train and recruit more teams and increase the e ciency of its operations by moving them under one roof in the one- of-a-kind National Training Center.
“It’s an honor for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to be a part of such a monumental project,”
TBarona Band of Mission Indians Awards Grant to San Diego School
re ghters and training them for disaster search and rescue, many more lives will be saved. at’s a mission we’re proud to support.”
Slated for completion by late 2014, the National Training Center will feature an extremely challenging environment that simulates real disaster scenarios. A medical suite will provide comprehensive veterinary care, and keep the search canines healthy. It will also include well-equipped classrooms and a handlers’ lodge
for rst responders and their families, with a full- service kitchen, comfortable living room, and play areas for their children.
Search Dog Foundation was founded by Wilma Melville, a retired teacher, after her deployment to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. At that time, there were only 15 FEMA-Certi ed Canine Disaster Search
new, streamlined methodology.
“We are so grateful to the Santa Ynez Band of
Chumash Indians for the support of the Search Dog Foundation,” said Janet Reineck, Director of Development for Search Dog Foundation. “ ey have allowed us to create a team in Santa Ynez, Eric and Riley, who are now deployment ready to go anywhere in the community, in Santa Ynez, in California or anywhere in the nation.”
rough its Foundation, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $16 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation, as part of the Chumash’s long-standing tradition of giving. To nd out more about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, visit SantaYnezChumash.org.
he Zamorano Fine Arts Academy, a Title 1 K–5 Cli ord LaChappa, Chairman of the Barona Band of by a Tribal Government. e goal of the program is visual arts magnet school, received a $5,000 Barona Mission Indians. “After reviewing the application from to create strong educational opportunities for the Education Grant in July from the Barona Band of Zamorano Fine Arts Academy, it was clear that these children of California, building upon the success of the
Mission Indians. e school, located in the Paradise Hills area of San Diego, will use the funds to purchase six new laptop computers, six headphones, and educational materials.
Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who sponsored the grant application, Principal Caroline King, and dozens of schoolchildren were in attendance to receive the award, which was presented by Councilwoman Bonnie LaChappa of the Barona Band of Mission Indians.
“Making a di erence in the lives of students, especially at risk youth, is what this program is all about,” said
materials were truly needed to help students improve their reading and language skills. We are thrilled that Assemblywoman Weber and Principal King reached out to us, and are honored to support the school’s
mission.”
Since 2006, the Barona Band of Mission Indians has
awarded nearly $2 million to over 398 schools statewide to help bridge school budget gaps and share resources through its Barona Education Grant Program.
e Barona Education Grant Program is the rst of its kind in California created and administered
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. Applications can be downloaded at http://barona-nsn.gov/education.
AUGUST 2013
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
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