Page 25 - July 2016 • Southern California Gaming Guide

OS p e r a t i o n B i g s B e n e f i t C o n c e r t P a r t o f $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 S y c u a n C a s i n o G i f t
ycuan Casino is proud to present a charity concert bene tting Big Brothers Big Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, June 24th
Sisters’ Operation Bigs program as a part of its inaugural Summer of Sycuan
series. John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting is set to perform his solo acoustic set at the casino’s Live & Up Close theatre on Saturday, August 6th, to bene t the Big Brothers Big Sisters San Diego campaign as a part of an overall $50,000 gift from Sycuan.
at 10 a.m. at Sycuan.com. Club Sycuan members who purchase tickets at the Live & Up Close box o ce receive 20% o . Signing up for Club Sycuan is easy and free. For more information about the show or the Summer of Sycuan lineup, visit Sycuan.com.
For more than 100 years nationally and 55 locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 7 through 18, in communities across the country. e organization develops positive relationships that have a direct and lasting e ect on the lives of young people. For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, please visit sdbigs.org.
“We are so grateful for the generous support from our friends at Sycuan Casino. is bene t concert will allow Big Brothers Big Sisters to reach more children of military families where a one-to-one mentoring relationship will have a profound, positive impact on their lives and our entire community,” said S. Wayne Kay, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County’s Operation Bigs is a one-on-one mentoring program for military children. e program joins children with parents in the military to volunteer “Bigs” who are in the military, retired or civilian. Bigs and Littles typically meet once a week to read together, play sports, or provide overall mentoring experiences.
“O ering diverse entertainment experiences to our guests is always important, but when you tie in a charitable cause everyone wins,” said John Dinius, General Manager at Sycuan Casino.
“ e Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is especially meaningful to me. Having been able to take advantage of their services as a Little when I was a child then getting to give back as a Big in my adulthood, I’ve seen rst-hand how important their mission is. It’s great working for an organization like Sycuan who is so willing to provide to a great cause in a big way. We look forward to welcoming Mr. Ondrasik to our venue for an evening of music and giving back.”
San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Receives Prestigious
OPhilanthropic Award from Local Charity
n May 12th, friends and families came together to celebrate donors of the Family Service Association (FSA) of Redlands. FSA hosts the Donor Reception every year to celebrate donors who not only believe in the FSA mission, but also
take active and essential roles in helping the agency reach its goals. Executive Director Kyra Stewart presented the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians with FSA’s prestigious Alfred H. Smiley Philanthropic Award.
e relationship between FSA and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians dates back to 1891 when Albert Smiley, brother and philanthropic partner of the Family Service founder Alfred Smiley, and members of the board of the Indian Commissioners met with tribal leader Santos Manuel and aided in the establishment of the Santos Manuel Indian Reservation.
For the past several years, the Tribe has played a key role in funding the Housing Program at FSA. In
2015, they allocated part of their $150,000 grant to expand the FSA employment program, allowing for a case manager to work as an employment coach for approved clients. eir signi cant investment over the years has made them a key partner in the work of FSA of Redlands.
A special presentation lm, highlighting the experiences of a family whose lives were recently impacted by the services and programs of FSA powered by the investment of the San Manuel
Band of Mission Indians, showed how much of a community e ort is involved in the association’s work. From the rst point of contact between a Hope Team member from the San Bernardino County Sheri ’s Department and Family Service, the community worked together to help get a young family o the street and the single father get back to work.
Accepting the Smiley Award on behalf of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Tribal Citizen and Business Committee Member Melonie Calderon noted how touched she was to see how FSA makes a di erence.
For more information about Family Service Association of Redlands and how you can get involved,
visit the website at redlandsfamilyservice.org or call the agency at (909) 793-2673.
Sycuan Tribe Announces Memorial Signs and Reward for Unsolved
ATribal Member Murder
t La Mesa Police headquarters on June 21st, Sycuan Chairman Cody Martinez, Sycuan Councilman Xusha Brown, San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, and La Mesa Chief of Police Walt Vasquez announced the unveiling of freeway memorial signs for murder victim and Sycuan Tribal Member Xusha Brown, Jr., who was shot and killed while
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driving on Interstate 8 in La Mesa in May, 2013. e memorial 2’ x 3’ signs are to be placed on Interstate 8, within one mile of the murder.
e murder still remains unsolved. Sycuan re-announced their commitment to a $100,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of responsible party or parties.
July 2016 Tribes in the News