Page 21 - Southern California Gaming Guide • January 2017

CMhumash Foundation Donates Funds for Local Music Students
usic students at Santa Ynez Valley Music Boosters’ Instrument Replacement Project “ e Santa Ynez Music Boosters is grateful to the Union High School will soon have new that provides new and updated instruments for Chumash Foundation for their generous donation instruments to play due to a donation students in the high school’s Music Department, a towards our instrument replacement project,” said
from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. e Santa Ynez Daily News reported in mid December that Veronica Sandoval, Administrator for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation had presented a $7,500 check to Francisca Escobar, President of the Santa Ynez Music Boosters, at the high school’s December 7th Winter Concert. e donation was in support of the
Tribal spokesperson said.
“Santa Ynez Valley Music Boosters is an integral
part of our community,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Not only does this program provide students access to music education, they participate in numerous performances throughout the valley.”
Francisca Escobar. “ is grant allows us to update aging instruments and equipment that enhances the quality of music education in the valley. Music is an essential element of a balanced educational experience and provides sensory and intellectual skills that motivate and excite young minds, which is required for academic success.”
MHorongo Tribe Helps Grant Holiday Wishes for 3,500 Children
oliday dreams came true for 3,500 low-income children from across Inland Southern California in mid-December as they took part in the annual Christmas Cheer All Year shopping spree, sponsored by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.
roughout the morning, smiling children from across the Inland area emerged from Toys R Us clutching toys from the new Star Wars: Rogue One movie, or other popular Disney lms. Others carried Legos, Avengers action gures, Barbie dolls, Nerf toys, skateboards, stu ed animals, footballs, and games.
“ e Morongo Band of Mission Indians is excited to be teaming up with Christmas Cheer All Year to brighten the holidays for thousands of local children in need,” Morongo Tribal Chairman Robert Martin said.“For some of the children here today, this will be the only present they will receive this holiday. It’s wonderful to see the joy on their faces as they shop for the toy of
their dreams.”
As title sponsor for the popular holiday event,
Morongo donated $100,000 in cash and services to the nonpro t Christmas Cheer All Year organization, which conducted the shopping
spree at the Toys R Us in Ontario. Children from across the Inland Empire, including 600 from San Gorgonio Pass, were selected by local charities and nonpro t groups to take part in the event.
Since 2010, Morongo has donated more than $650,000 to the annual shopping sprees organized by Rick Lozano, founder of Christmas Cheer All Year and a longtime Fox 11 News journalist. To date, the program has reached over 20,000 children.
“I can’t say enough about Morongo’s generosity and commitment to children and families in need. Year after year, the tribe helps us make sure that local kids who are in the greatest need get to enjoy
the holiday season,” Lozano said.
As in past years, hundreds of children in
protective care with the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) took part in the shopping spree program. Without Morongo’s help, these children would have gone without a present, county o cials said.
Morongo Tribal Chairman Robert Martin (left) with some of the hundreds of children who took part in the shopping spree in Ontario.
Six hundred children from the San Gorgonio Pass and Coachella Valley took part in the shopping spree, including dozens from the James A. Venable Community Center in Cabazon.
e Morongo Band of Mission Indians has a long tradition of giving. e Tribe contributes more than $1 million annually to support communities and nonpro ts across the Inland Empire and Southern California.
San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Awards $1 Million Grant
Tto Children’s Fund
he San Manuel Band of Mission Indians awarded a $1 million grant to the Children’s Fund to increase services at its Children’s Assessment Center
th in San Bernardino, the nonpro t group announced on December 12 .
According to Children’s Fund, the grant is the largest it has received in its 30-year history. e grant will be awarded over three years.
e Children’s Assessment Center treats children up to age 18 and developmentally delayed young adults in San Bernardino County who are suspected victims of abuse, according to a news release. e grant from San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will fund a new pediatric fellow each year, for three years, and other medical personnel.
In a press release, Dr. Amy Young, Medical Director at the Children’s Assessment Center said “ ere are only about 300 child abuse doctors in
the entire country, therefore, the best way to secure more medical sta at the (Children’s Assessment Center) is to o er forensic pediatric fellowships, essentially growing and retaining local expertise.”
By securing and training three new pediatric fellows, the center will move toward long-term stability and the capacity to treat over 3,000 children each year, according to Sabrina Nakhjavanpour, Treasurer of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, who recently toured the center.
“In addition, the grant provides funds to train existing sta as well as research and develop programs to improve systems for child abuse victims,” Nakhjavanpour said in the release.“We are pleased to support this worthwhile e ort.”
JANUARY 2017 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
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January 2017 Tribes in the News (Continued)