Page 25 - Southern California Gaming Guide • January 2020

Pala Casino Resort Spa Hosts Monthly Charity Slot Tournaments
ala Casino Resort Spa is hosting a series of monthly charity slot tournaments, where each tournament will benefit a deserving charity. All guest paid entry fees will be matched by Pala Casino. The tournaments fall under Pala’s community
outreach initiative, Pala Cares.
“Giving back to the community has always been important to the Pala Band of Mission
Indians,” said Pala spokesperson, Coley McAvoy. “Partnering with our guests to
help others in need is the essence of community and ties perfectly into Pala’s brand of ‘We’re all about you’.”
The first tournament was on October 17th, with $13,800 in proceeds benefitting Susan G Komen® San Diego. The slot tournament entry fee of $20 provided $25 in free play to each entrant. In addition, tournament players had the chance to win a share of $20,000 in Added Play prizes, including the top amount of $10,000 Added Play.
In December, the Pala Cares slot tournament was for the benefit of Toys for Tots. The next Pala Cares slot tournament on January 23rd will benefit the American Red Cross. To participate in any of Pala Casino’s upcoming events, or for more information, call the Pala Casino Special Events team at (760) 510-4555, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sycuan Casino Resort Presented $70,000 to 21 Charities in 2O019 Holiday Gift Giving Ceremony
n December 12th, Sycuan Casino Resort presented more than community. This year, we are honored to support more than 20 organizations $70,000 to 21 different charities during its 2019 Holiday Gift Giving with a variety of admirable causes.”
Ceremony. Each December, members of the Sycuan Tribal Council Charities involved include Alpha Project, Alzheimer’s Association San
and the Sycuan Executive Team individually select a charity to donate to on behalf of Sycuan. The Holiday Gift Giving Ceremony has been held at Sycuan more than ten times and has supported a variety of causes over the years ranging from social and health services to the arts and the environment.
“The Holiday Gift Giving Ceremony was founded in 2006, and is something we look forward to each year,” said Cody J. Martinez, Chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. “The event brings together many diverse organizations and change-makers that are making a major impact in the
Diego, Autism Speaks San Diego Walk, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, Challenge Center, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Choice Christian Center, David’s Harp Foundation, ElderHelp, Father Joe’s Villages/ St. Vincent De Paul, Food Empowerment Project, Gizmo’s Kitchen, Hannah’s House, Home Start, Inc., Just in Time Foster Youth, Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation, Rob Machado Foundation, Rock Church, Second Chance, Shelter to Soldier and Skinny Gene Project/J. Moss Foundation.
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Donate Fire Truck to
TCahuilla Band of Indians
he Cahuilla Band of Indians was in need of a truck for its growing fire department last fall, and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donated its own department’s used engine valued at $130,000 to them.
Members from the Cahuilla Band of Indians in Anza, visited the Chumash Reservation in Santa Ynez last September to pick up the vehicle that the Chumash Fire Department originally purchased in 2007 for $350,000. The Type 3 engine holds 500 gallons of water and has compiled 100,000 miles during the past 12 years of fighting fires throughout the U.S.
“We recently purchased a new Type 3 engine for our fire department, so when we learned about the Cahuilla’s need for a truck, we decided to offer them our used truck,” said Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.“The truck still performs well and holds significant value on the re-sale market, but helping another tribe advance its own fire department by donating a critical vehicle felt like the right thing to do.”
The Cahuilla Fire Department has battled fires in Riverside County, including the 2018 Cranston Fire that charred more than 13,000 acres, and, along with
Pictured L-R Pala Band of Mission Indians Tribal Chairman Robert Smith, Susan G. Komen San Diego President & CEO Shaina Gross and Board Chair Merrilee Neal, and Pala Casino Resort Spa CEO and CMO Fred A. Buro.
the Chumash Fire Department, it has an agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to respond to fires throughout the U.S.
“A donation like this, one that is primarily focused on the preservation of life, means so much to us right now, and in the time of emergency, it will mean the world to those it saves,” said Tribal Chairman Daniel Salgado for the Cahuilla Band of Indians.“Because we are in a rural area with a large land base, we are often the first ones on the scene. This engine will greatly elevate our emergency response capabilities in our community in hopes of suppressing a fire in that narrow margin of time after ignition before it becomes an uncontrollable wildfire.”
The Chumash Fire Department was established in 2006 as a hand crew and became an engine crew in 2007 with the purchase of the Type 3 truck. The department now has six full-time employees, up to 10 seasonal employees and two engines in its fleet. In 2017 alone, the Chumash Fire Department was ordered to more than 100 fires in 10 states, including assignments as far away as Florida.
JANUARY 2020 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE PAGE 25
Tribes in the News