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FireLake Grand Spreads Christmas Cheer

TheChristmas tree was glowingwith holiday lights reflectedin the ornaments hung with care. Packages wrapped with lovewere placed under the tree and hidden away in secret stashes.

FireLakeGrandCasino had been collecting new toys for areachildren since Thanksgiving week. Hundreds of toys donatedby FireLake Grand employees and patrons benefitted thePottawatomie County Salvation Army’s Angel Tree campaign.

“We are delighted to have FireLake Grand Casino helpingonce again with the Angel Tree Campaign,” saidMajorMichaelBarnhouse of the Pottawatomie County Salvation Army.“Through donations we were able to give Christmas gifts tochildren who otherwise might not receive any.”

“FireLake Grand Casino and the Citizen PotawatomiNation consider giving back to the community a privilege,” saidBrad Peltier, Director of Marketing for FireLake GrandCasino. “Our staff and our customers joined together in thiseffort. We easily surpassed our goal of raising over 1,000 toysfor the children in our area thanks to the generosity of ouremployees and patrons.”

Pala Donates Holiday Toys and Cash toValley Oaks Foster Family Agency

Pala Casino Spa & Resort recently held a holiday toy drive.Team members donated 325 toys and over $400 to the ValleyOaks Foster Family Agency. Valley Oaks was able to provide itsfoster family children with toys and gifts on Christmas Day.

SMSC Donations of Automated ExternalDefibrillators Continues to Save Lives

Through the Mdewakanton LIFE Program, the ShakopeeMdewakanton Sioux Community donates Automated Exter-nal Defibrillators to tribes, schools, police and fire departments,and charitable organizations. First Nations Recovery Center,operated by Overcomers Outreach Ministry of Minneapolis,Minnesota, received one AED and a wall cabinet onDecember27, 2011.More than 733 AEDs have been donated through theprogram, with 16 lives successfully saved due to their use.

Middletown Rancheria Donates RecordDelivery to Spirit of the Season Food Project

A cooperative effort by both the employees and the customersofTwinPineCasino&Hotel inMiddletown has yielded a recorddelivery to the Spirit of the Seasons Food Project for the 2011holidays. Phyllis Kelsey, Spirit of the Season representativesaid, “We have always been able to count on Twin Pine Casino&Hotel patrons and employees for their generous donations toour seasonal food bank.We appreciate their continued support.”

TheMiddletown Rancheria, owners of Twin Pine Casino&Hotel, reported that almost 24,347 non-perishable food itemswere collected and delivered to the Spirit of the Seasons foodbank in the past few weeks. Over 150 families will benefit fromthis food drive and all remaining food will be distributed toCatholic Charities, SeniorCenters, Rural FoodProgram and theMethodist Church. Carl Rivera, Middletown Rancheria TribalChairman said, “This food drive by Twin Pine Casino &Hotelcustomers and employees is something we are proud to do,because it benefits so many deserving people and families. Weexpect to continue to serve and support the community in thisway as long as it is so desperately needed.”

Tribal Chairman Rivera stated that community service is an

L-R: Steve Degraffenreid,General Manager,FireLakeGrandCasino;Major Michael and Lori Barnhouse, Salvation Army; Brad Peltier,Director of Marketing & PR, FireLake Grand Casino.

L-R: Chris Hornyak, SMSC Firefighter Paramedic; Sheila Thayer,Executive Director of First Nations Recovery Center; Gordon Thayer,President of Board of Directors for Overcomers OutreachMinistry; IvaBunker, Overcomers Outreach Ministry Director; and SMSC TribalAdministrator Bill Rudnicki.

Team members at Pala Casino Spa & Resort display Christmas toysdonated to theValley Oaks Foster Family Agency.L-R: MikeGhilliotti,receiving clerk; Nicole Rivas,prepcook,Mama's Cucina Italiana;AnilaKurti, sous chef, Mama's; Carlos Lopez, line cook, Mama's; MannyMonroy, prep cook,Mama's; Jesus Gonzalez, engineer technician;Ryan Lovelace, engineer technician; Reyes Cruz, slot floor rep;Tranquilino Obledo, food server,Choices Buffet.

important component of the tribe’s business operations. “Westrive to contribute in many ways to many organizations andcharitable events throughout the year.We are fortunate to liveand work in a community of such generous people.”

IGT Supports the National Indian GamingAssociation’s Spirit of SovereigntyFoundation Christmas Drive

International Game Technology (IGT) recently donated$10,000 to the National Indian Gaming Association's Spiritof Sovereignty Foundation’s Christmas Drive. The annualChristmas Drive gives aid to tribal members in need at theholiday season by supplying Christmas presents, holidaysmeals, clothing and more. The Spirit of Sovereignty Founda-tion also currently awards scholarships through the AmericanIndian College Fund

IGT is proud to support the National Indian GamingAssociation's Spirit of Sovereignty Foundation’s ChristmasDrive," said Knute Knudson, Vice President for NativeAmerican Development. “This donation will help tribalcommunities during the holiday season with much neededservices and essential goods.”

IGT was recognized at the foundation's annual luncheonin Rapid City, SD on Dec. 16, 2011.

Osage Nation TANF Accepts Gifts FromOsage Casino “Adopt-a-Star” Program

OsageCasino employees sponsored 75 needy children as partof the “Adopt-a-Star” 2011 campaign this past holiday season.

“This campaign is a great way to give back to needyfamilies with the support of casino co-workers to team-up, adopta child and shop for that kid’s wish list,” said Osage CasinoHuman Resources Director Becky Johnson.

Employees selected a child’s name on a star hanging from aholiday tree at the central offices in Tulsa. A few weeks later,Osage Casino central employees loaded many bags, includingseven bicycles, into vehicles for Osage Nation employees todeliver. The recipients are families in the Osage NationTemporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

“It was overwhelming to see what the Osage Casinoemployees provided for our families both this year and last,”

said Angela Pratt, Director of the Osage Nation TANFprogram. “In both campaigns, we contacted each family to askabout the children’s wish lists and provided that informationon each Star. It was heartwarming to see some of the childrenget everything on their list. It is hard to express how much weappreciate the generosity of the Osage Casino employees. Onbehalf of the TANF office and our clients, we would like to sayThank you to the Osage Casino employees who participatedin the program.”

Gun Lake Tribe’s Second State and LocalRevenue Sharing Payments Exceed $7.8Million

The Gun Lake Tribe recently announced details of itssecond revenue sharing payments to the state and localgovernments. The tribe was joined by members of the localrevenue sharing board, which received $1,560,441, while theState received $6,241,766. The revenue sharing payments aredistributed semi-annually under terms of the tribal-statecompact. The figures are calculated on electronic gamingrevenues reported from April 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011.

“The substantial revenue figures are possible because of thededication of our teammembers and outstanding performanceof our management team,” said D.K. Sprague, Chairman of theGun Lake Tribe. “We thank them for helping the tribe makea contribution to improve the lives of our tribal citizens, andneighbors here in West Michigan.”

The tribe and the State of Michigan entered into a govern-ment-to-government contract, known as a tribal-state gamingcompact. Under the compact, the tribe agreed to share apercentage of electronic gaming revenues with the state andlocal governments. The local revenue share equals 2 percentof net win from electronic gaming devices, while the statepayment is calculated on a sliding scale between 8 and 12percent, depending on revenue.

The revenue shared with the State goes to economicdevelopment and job creation programs administered by theMichigan Economic Development Corporation. These

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L-R: LindsayVogelsberg,Rep.BobGenetski's Office on behalf of Stateof Michigan; Punkin Shananaquet, Tribal Council; D.K. Sprague;Tribal Chairman; Mark DeYoung, Chairman, Allegan County Boardof Commissioners; Norm Taylor, Superintendent Wayland UnionSchools; Phyllis Davis,Tribal Council; LindenAnderson,Local RevenueSharing Board. Photo courtesy Gun Lake Tribe

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payments are dependent on the continued preservation ofexclusive gaming rights within the tribe’s competitive marketarea, as defined by the compact, which includes the cities ofGrand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing, as well as the entirecounties of Kent, Kalamazoo and Ingham, among others.

The tribe will make state and local revenue sharing paymentstwo times per year. Gun Lake Casino opened in February 2011and now employsmore than 900 teammembers. TheGunLakeTribe has now shared a total of $10,376,560 with state and localgovernments.

Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa DonatesClothing to Local Charity

Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage willdonate $17,000 worth of clothing from its wardrobe depart-ment to Martha’s Village & Kitchen, a charity geared towardhelping the homeless get back on their feet.

The garments that will be donated are resort uniforms thatinclude male and female suits, blouses, shirts, ties, andworkpants in colors and styles that are either not used byAgua Caliente any longer or were discontinued by its vendors.Most items have never been worn.

Lorena Landeros, manager of Agua Caliente’s WardrobeDepartment spearheaded the clothing donation. She volunteersat Martha’s Village and says she’s seen firsthand what adifference these types of donations can make. “Martha’sVillage provides access to employment preparation and careerdevelopment to those who are struggling in our community.I believe that by donating these garments, we can giveMartha’s“customers” a professional appearance when they go out to jobinterviews, or when they are hired for a job. It’s truly priceless.”

Bob Maloney, assistant general manager at Agua CalienteCasino Resort Spa says the donation is a win-win. “I am soproud to have team members like Lorena who bring us greatideas. This is a terrific way to support our team members,the causes that are important to them, as well as our localcommunity. We’re so happy we can help.”

Viejas Casino Team Members and GuestsDonate Over 3,000 Toys for Local SalvationArmy

Viejas Casino teammembers and guests have donated morethan 3,000 toys for the Salvation Army serving eastern SanDiego and western Imperial Counties.

Viejas Casino announced the grand total of 3,231 toysdonated this holiday season by teammembers and guests at theannual Salvation Army Holiday Party and Auction, heldlast month at the DreamCatcher at Viejas Casino. As the totalnumber was announced, the curtain was raised on the stage,revealing the thousands of new toys, destined for needychildren and families in the two-county region.

Viejas Casino team members donated the toys during themonth ofNovember and Viejas CasinoGuests received $5 FreePlay Cash in exchange for new, unwrapped toys they donated.In addition, shoppers at the Viejas Outlets received discountsat Viejas Bowl and the Viejas Ice Rink in exchange for new,unwrapped toys.

Viejas Casino General Manager Chris Kelley said, “We areextremely proud of the tremendous support that we receivedfrom our teammembers and our casino guests. It demonstratesthe spirit of community that we all share, and our commitmentto helping those in need in SanDiego and Imperial Counties.”

Also at the annual Salvation Holiday Party and Auction,Viejas Casino presented Salvation ArmyCaptainTerryMasangowith a check for $25,000 raised at a recent Celebrity SlotTournament.

Gila River Casinos Helps Light the NightThe Light the Night walk is the primary fundraising

vehicle for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS). Heldannually around the country, the walk invites survivors, thosebattling blood cancers and the families of those who havebeen affected by these diseases to a unique night time charitywalk. Participants hoist lighted balloons as they navigate a milelong walk to help raise money to fund research and find a curefor blood cancers including; leukemia, lymphoma,myeloma andHodgkin’s disease. This year’s Phoenix walk was presented byGila River Casinos. The local casino and hotel operator has

L-R: Bob Therieau, Online Communications Manager, MV&K; BlairAmidei,CharitableGiving Team,MV&K; Bill DeMucci,Co-CEO,MV&K;Brian Hansberry, COO, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians;Lorena Landeros,WardrobeManager,Agua Caliente Casino ResortSpa; and Bob Maloney,Assistant General Manager, Agua CalienteCasino Resort Spa.

San Diego Salvation Army Captain Terry Masango (center,with tie)stands with Viejas Casino Team Members in front of over 3,000 toysraised in this year's Viejas Casino Holiday Toy Drive. All toys aredonated to the local Salvation Army.

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partnered with the agency for over five years and is dedicatedto helping eradicate these deadly diseases.

“We are proud to support LLS,” said Kenneth Manuel,President of the Board of Directors for Gila River Casinos.“These diseases affect people all over the country and thefunds we raise through the Light theNight walk provides hopefor a future without blood cancers.”

With a donation of $25,000 and a walk teammade up of over150 Gila River Casinos Team Members, their friends andfamilies, the operators of Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino,Lone Butte Casino and VeeQuiva Casino helpedmake this oneof the most successful events ever for the Desert MountainChapter of LLS.

Point Casino Raises $30,000 for AmericanDiabetes Association

The Point Casino has announced the final tally from itsannual fundraising drive. Over the past year, $30,000 has beenraised for the local chapter of the American Diabetes Associ-ation (ADA). Casino staff presented a check to representativesfrom the ADA in November.

The 2011 Point Casino fundraising campaign raised almosta third more than the previous year’s drive. Much of this can beattributed to the hard work and dedication of the casino’s staff.

“Our employees really rose to the occasion for this fundrais-ing event,” said Leo Culloo, General Manager of The PointCasino. “We don’t have a big staff – just 138 team members

– but they contributed over $12,000 of the total from their ownpockets. At every level, our teammembers proved they believein helping others, and it’s truly a pleasure to work with suchgenerous and caring people.”

The Point Casino team members contributed over $6,400from voluntary payroll deductions. There were also “DressDown Days” – for a $5 donation on Mondays and Fridays,stickers promoting the fundraising drive could be purchasedallowing jeans and a collared shirt to be worn at work.

Two annual events also made a significant impact to thebottom line. The Charity Golf Tournament, held in August atthe LakelandGolf Course in Allyn,Wash., raised over $13,000for the effort. Despite being a victim of Washington weather,the Charity Poker Run – a rally-formatmotorcycle and car eventthat incorporates a single-hand poker tournament – raisedover $1,000. Local businesses and casino vendors donatedprizes to both events.

St. Croix Casinos’ Gifts from the Heart ToyDrive Benefits Area Charities

Ever since 1993, the St. Croix Chippewa of Wisconsinhave helped to bring Christmas cheer to thousands of childrenthrough their Gifts from the Heart toy drive. During thisyear’s five-day drive, co-hosted by St. Croix CasinoTurtle Lake,St. Croix CasinoDanbury and St. Croix CasinoHertel Express,3,000 guests and casino employees donated toys.

Sharing the Christmas spirit through the Gifts from theHeart toy drive is a cooperative effort. Casino guests, whodonate the toys; the casinos, which give a slot play incentive toeach guest donating toys; and countless casino staff, who box anddeliver toys all work together to make the toy drive a success.

But the ultimate success of the casinos’ toy drive depends onthe most important people of all – the staff and volunteers atnorthwestern Wisconsin charities. Without their dedicatedservice, none of the toys collected in the Gifts from the Heartdrive would ever reach a child. AreaMooseClubs, LionsClubs,school organizations, civic clubs and charities mobilize tomakesure that every child in their community receives a toy or giftfor Christmas.

L-R: Michael Weeks, Food & Beverage Director, The Point Casino;Sarah Popelka, Director of Fundraising, ADA; Leo Culloo, GeneralManager, The Point Casino; and Paul A. Tobin, Director of CorporateDevelopment,ADA.

West CAP staff members in Glenwood City,WI, show off some of thetoys they received from theGifts from theHeart toydrive.Also picturedis St.Croix Casinos' deliverymanWayne Rogers (second from left).

L-R: Jim Brewer, Executive Director,Arizona Chapter of The Leukemia& Lymphoma Society; and Kenneth Manuel, President of the Boardof Directors,Gila River Casinos.

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“We’re privileged to be a part of such a worthwhilecommunity effort,” said LeRoy Buck, St. Croix CasinoTurtle Lake General Manager. “We hope that in some smallway we can lighten the load of all of the community volunteerswho work together to bring Christmas cheer to area families.”

St. Croix Casinos’ personnel delivered the donated toys to16 charities in Barron, Burnett, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croixand Washburn counties. Over the past 19 years, more than94,000 toys have been collected and distributed to charitiesin northwesternWisconsin through the Gifts from the Hearttoy drive.

Record-Breaking Hay Rides at JacksonRancheria

The tenth annual Holi-day Hay Rides at JacksonRancheria were record-breakers, giving over 9,500guests a stunning holidaymemory of 2.5million lightsin a true winter wonderland.

The free Hay Rides are amassive effort by of hundredsof Rancheria employees toprovide something magicalfor the community duringthe holidays.

The effort began with the crew that spends two monthsputting up the lights, and continued with everyone who helpedduring the rides, including the Fire Department (which sharestheir Firehouse with the rides), AV, electrical, Rez crew, food& beverage, grounds crew, transportation, tribal and casinosecurity, and all the volunteers who host the rides, directtraffic and numerous other duties.

During the eight days of rides this year, the food & bever-age crew served 720 gallons of hot cocoa, four gallons ofcoffee, eight cases of mini-marshmallows and over 9,000cookies. In addition, Santa in the Firehouse andMiwok Santain the middle of the ride handed out over 12,000 candy canes.

The Hay Rides are a gift to the community from theJackson Rancheria Band ofMiwuk Indians and are coordinatedby Ron Olivero, Director of Entertainment & Events, andVenissa Morse, Special Events Manager.

Rincon Tribe and Harrah’s Rincon CasinoResort Donate $32,000 in Coupons toSeven San Diego County Organizations

Seven local charitable organizations were able to provideturkey dinners to needy SanDiego County residents thanks tothe Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians and Harrah’s RinconCasino & Resort. Last month 1,600 coupons good for a freeButterball turkey ($20 value per coupon) were hand-deliveredby executives of Harrah’s Rincon to these organizations, justin time to be used for holiday turkey dinners.

“This donation was truly a blessing,” said Major DavidEbel of the Salvation Army’s Escondido Corps. “2011 wasanother tough economic year – needs were up while donationswere down. The gift from Harrah’s Rincon helped us providehot turkey dinners at our shelter and turkeys for ourChristmas baskets.”

“We are very excited about this generous gift,” stated DianeWoerner, Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager forFeeding America San Diego. “We lost one of our underwritersfor our Christmas basket program, so this donation couldn’thave come at a better time.”

“We were absolutely thrilled when Harrah’s Rincon calledto let us know they could provide turkey coupons for us,” saidMary Ann Tanner of Homefront San Diego. “These couponsprovided turkeys for military families who were in need of helpand wouldn’t otherwise have had a Christmas dinner.” Otherorganizations receiving turkey coupons wereMama’s Kitchen,the SanDiego RescueMission, Interfaith Community Servicesin Escondido, and Father Joe’s Villages.

“The holiday season is traditionally a time of giving, whenthose who have share with those in need,” stated Rincon TribalChairman Bo Mazzetti. “It wasn’t that long ago that membersof our tribe were receivingChristmas baskets – nowwe can shareour good fortune with other members of our community.”

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux CommunityProvides $260,000 in New Grants

Activities as diverse as programs for children, a conferenceto empower women, a food shelf, a website, and legal efforts toprotect tribal rights are supported by Shakopee MdewakantonSioux Community grants totaling $260,000 to six organiza-tions which largely serve Indian people.

“We felt it was important to support these organizationsbecause of the good work they are doing to help people,”said Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community ChairmanStanley R. Crooks.

A grant for $150,000 to the National Indian GamingAssociation (NIGA)ofWashington,D.C.,will fund aBoys&GirlsClubs initiative in Indian Country. A $25,000 grant to NativeAmerican Rights Fund of Boulder, Colorado, will fund contin-ued support for their legal efforts to protect the rights of tribesand American Indians. Nebraska Educational Telecommunica-tions Foundation forTelevision ofLincoln,Nebraska, (NETTV)received a grant for $25,000 to create the Standing Bear website.The Minneapolis American Indian Chamber of Commerce(MAICC) received a grant for $25,000 to support fund raisingefforts and programdevelopment.WomenEmpoweringWomenfor Indian Nations (WEWIN) received a grant for $20,000 forsponsorship of their annual conference. TheDivision of IndianWork inMinneapolis received $10,000 for their food shelf. TheNativeAmericanCommunityBoard (LakeAndes, SouthDakota)received a grant for $5,000 for the food shelf housed at theNative American Women’s Health and Education ResourceCenter on the Yankton Sioux Reservation. �