Page 24 - Southern California Gaming Guide • September 2017

Pala Band of MissionPIndians Honors Native American War Veterans
ala Casino Spa & Resort and the Pala Band of Mission Indians have partnered with the American Indian Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Committee to educate the public about the military service of Native Americans to the United States of America and to
help support the funding of a national memorial to those veterans.
Celebrate Native American Traditions
at the 21st Annual Soboba Inter-Tribal
JPow Wow
oin the celebrations of Southern California Native American pow wows during September. All year round, thousands of Indians and visitors travel the pow wow circuit in Native American settings across the country. All pow wows are open to
thepublicandadmissionisfree.Bringchairsandprepareforthesunandheat.Andplease remember to ask permission before you take any photos of Tribal members in their regalia.
Temecula Dollars
for Scholars Awards Scholarships on Behalf of
APechanga Band
th
s reported by the Valley News on August 9 , teens and
families from Murrieta’s three high schools gathered in April at the Murrieta Mesa High School to receive funds for college. Temecula Dollars for Scholars, who administers the scholarships, gave dozens of scholarships on behalf of the Pechanga BandofLuiseñoIndianstoteensattendingVistaMurrieta,Murrieta
Mesa and Murrieta Valley High Schools. And a few weeks later, additional seniors graduating from Temecula Valley, Chaparral and Great Oak High Schools each received similar scholarships In all, more than $34,000 was divided among 87 graduating seniors as they prepared for the next steps of their learning careers.
Pechanga began its philanthropy to the area’s ninth through twelfth-graders in 1998. is year’s donation brought the distribution to over $4.6 million in support of education in the Temecula Valley.
“Our ancestors overcame challenges in the past through community and by supporting each other,” Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro said. “We are very proud and humbled to now be able to support the future generations of our community through education as they pursue the best opportunities for a successful life.”
To launch the Pala fund raising campaign, a half-size replica of “ e Gift,” the memorial to those veterans (picturedleft),willbedisplayedinthePalaCasinoSpa& Resort hotel lobby from September 1st to November 30th.
e replica is an exact copy of the 12-foot, bronze statue that will serve as the centerpiece of the memorial and has been on tour in California’s American Indian owned casinos and resorts since Veterans’ Day, November 11, 2016. e nal installation includes the monument surrounded by soaring bronze eagles on pedestals placed in a landscaped viewing area.
e monument, created by renowned sculptor A. omas Schomberg, will be the rst national memorial in a national veterans’ cemetery to honor over 200
years of patriotism by America’s original inhabitants. e memorial will be located at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, CA, which is often cited as the Arlington of the West because it is home to the Medal
of Honor Memorial, the Veterans Memorial and the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Memorial. e American Indian Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Committee hopes to raise $3 million to complete the installation at Riverside National Cemetery.
“ e Pala Band of Mission Indians and all our team members at Pala Casino are very proud to play a role in this history-making program. With our reputation for community service we know we can make a signi cant contribution to this long-awaited honor and recognition for Native Americans,” said Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. Donations to the memorial fund may be made via PayPal at aianveteransmemorial.com or by utilizing the pamphlet tear-out at the display at Pala Casino or by GoFundMe Campaign: gofundme.com/national- indian-veterans-memorial.
PAGE 24
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
SEPTEMBER 2017
e Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians presents the 21st Annual Soboba Inter- Tribal Pow Wow, Payomkawichum, from Friday, September 16th through Sunday, September 18th, at the Soboba Events Center on the grounds of Soboba Casino in San Jacinto. e family celebration is free, open to the public,withfreeparking.
Events include the Dance
Contest, Drum Contest and
Specials Contest. e Gourd Dance is on Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. e Grand Entry is on each day: Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Sunday at 1 p.m. Bird Singing &
Dancing is on the Saturday Evening Gathering from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information please call Soboba Casino at 1-888-772-7626.
September 2017 Tribes in the News