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Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation gives nearly $400,000 to 37 charitable organizations in 7 SW Oregon counties. The Foundation has donated almost $3.2 million since it was founded less than 10 years ago.
by Stacy D. StumboCANYONVILLE -- It's an old philosophy, but one that rings true for a small band of American Indians who built a fortune out of nothing -- it's better to give than receive.
The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation awarded almost $400,000 to 37 charitable organizations in seven Oregon counties during a Wednesday presentation of grants at the Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino Resort.
The foundation is the charitable arm of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians organization, which celebrated 20 years of federal recognition in 2002.
"The vision and the sharing of this tribe, it's not new," said Sue Shaffer, who is chairwoman of the tribe and the foundation.
Having been raised in southern Oregon during the Depression, Shaffer said people had nothing to give but themselves. She added that, as it turned out, that was "the greatest gift."
The event also featured a special award named in honor of the late Buster Rondeau, a well-respected tribal elder.
The event marked the 10th round of charitable giving for the foundation, which was formed in 1997 following a tribal-state compact that allowed the Seven Feathers Casino to expand gaming operations in exchange for donations totaling 6 percent of net gaming revenues.
The amount distributed is determined by reports of net revenues generated by the tribe's accounting department. Based on News-Review calculations, the casino earned close to $16 million last year.
Wayne Shammel, the tribes's attorney, said he could neither confirm nor deny those figures. Because of the tribe's status as a sovereign nation, it is not required to report the amount of gambling or the gambling revenue generated by the casino.
The foundation has awarded 298 grants totaling close to $3.2 million since its inception. With Wednesday's awards, the total grants for 2002 come to roughly $950,000, an increase of about $177,000 over the tribe's contributions for 2001.
The foundation tries to choose programs that will benefit families, strengthen the community and promote the welfare of children in Douglas, Coos, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane and Deschutes counties.
The foundation gave awards of $20,000 to several Douglas County nonprofit groups, including Options Counseling Service to support students in southern county schools, the Reedsport Activity Park for construction of a skate park, the Family Development Center to provide services to southern Douglas County and the Umpqua Community Health Center for assistance to low-income families. The Oregon Parent Center received $20,000 to support Wolf Creek's Teen Center in Josephine County.
Norm Gershon of Roseburg, a former state legislator and former Gov. John Kitzhaber's appointment to the Cow Creek Foundation board, applauded recipients for their civic contributions.
"Thank you for the incredible work you all do," he said.
Grants were given to support programs that include emergency assistance with food and shelter, teaching hearing parents how to read books in sign language to their children and classes in money management.
The biannual Buster "Buss" Rondeau Award was presented to the Telequa Community Center in Tiller, which provides reading material for residents through an arrangement with the school district and the Douglas County Library.
The award is "dearest to the heart of the tribe," Shaffer said, because it is given in honor of Rondeau, who died three years ago.
Educated in Tiller, Rondeau was a millworker, primarily in the Sutherlin area.
Rondeau's wife, Polly, gave the award, and said her husband was "a bookaholic" who always felt at home in Tiller.
Shaffer said the Telequa center asked for only $1,000, but the foundation decided to award $2,500 because it was such a worthy cause. In addition to the money, Shaffer gave the center a complete set of Pioneer Days historic quarterlies to educate residents about the region's tribal past. She also gave a laminated explanation of sovereign rights, the Northwest Ordinance, the Constitution and the Donation Land Claim Act.
"The truth in Indian history has been suppressed in education," she said.
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