“Each year, the Nisqually Tribe donates a portion of its gaming revenues to local organizations, providing a strong foundation of support services for future generations of families and neighbors. This month, more than 200 area agencies and organizations will receive over $1.7 Million in vital operational funding from the 2020 Nisqually Indian Tribe Charitable and Local Government Program.

Grant recipients were recently announced by the Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation (MCEC), the economic development arm responsible for managing the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s business enterprises.

With a pandemic sweeping the nation, the world, and our state, never has this act of giving been more important than it is this year. Nonprofit organizations have seen a demand in service needs that have had to be balanced with dips in monetary donations.

“It’s been a tough year for us all,” said Nisqually Tribal Council Treasurer David Iyall. “We are so pleased that we were able to carry out our tradition of giving back to support the local community and helping these organizations with these funds that are so vital to their operations.”

In Washington state, one in eight residents live below the poverty line and one in 10 residents consistently struggle with hunger. There are over 500,000 veterans, hundreds of whom are homeless. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise over the Olympia region. While we’ve all had to focus on keeping our families safe and healthy amid a pandemic, these other issues remain. The Nisqually Indian Tribe Charitable and Local Government Program recognize the importance of the organizations dedicated to fighting these issues and making our beautiful corner of the world a better place to live.

Funds from the program will help to strengthen our community in many ways. Funding recipients include local police departments, schools, cultural foundations, land trusts, food pantries, and various 501(c)3 tax-exempt organizations dedicated to public safety, children’s services, community health, cultural preservation, veteran’s support, and environmental protection.

One scholarship recipient, Truly Motivated Transitional Living, offers affordable, fee-based clean, and sober housing to men and women in various stages of recovery. It will use the awarded funds to support its sponsorship fund, which helps residents who are unable to pay their program fees in this challenging time, as well as fill in critical funding gaps caused by the pandemic.

“As you know, our organization exists to serve our community and build a better tomorrow for all our citizens by providing effective residential recovery programs,” said Carmin Long, executive director of Truly Motivated Transitional Living. “We could not do it without partnerships with other community-minded organizations like Nisqually Tribe.”

About the Nisqually Indian Tribe

The Nisqually Indian Tribe is located along the Nisqually River in rural Thurston County, just east of Olympia, WA, and is made up of more than 830 enrolled members. The Tribe’s Charitable and Local Government Program has awarded local area agencies and organizations over $6 million over the past 3 years, demonstrating the tribe’s important role in helping to support the community. For More Information about the Nisqually Indian Tribe, visit www.nisqually-nsn.gov.

About the Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation

The Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation (MCEC) is a board lead organization responsible for managing the business affairs for the Tribe’s business enterprises, whose vision is to create a strong and sustainable economy for the Nisqually Indian Tribe. Business enterprises include Nisqually Construction Services, Nisqually Markets, Nisqually Post and Print, Medicine Creek Café, Nisqually Communication Services, and the Nisqually Red Wind Casino. For more information about the Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation (MCEC), visit www.mc-ec.org

About the Nisqually Red Wind Casino

The Nisqually Red Wind Casino has become the South Sound’s go-to spot for gaming, dining, and entertainment. Boasting an expansive 46,000 square foot gaming floor, the casino offers more than 1,670 slot machines, Keno, and a plethora of table games including Blackjack, Three Card Poker, Pai Gow, Roulette, and Craps with 10x odds. There are also multiple dining venues from fast-casual to fine dining, including the Medicine Creek Deli, Pealo’s Bar, and the multi-award-winning Squalli-Absch Grille.

The casino offers more than just exciting and state-of-the-industry gaming and dining – it offers community. The casino’s design, accents, and hospitality all seek to incorporate the local tribal presence. Built to resemble a traditional native longhouse, the Nisqually Red Wind Casino itself pays homage to its namesake. To learn more about Nisqually Red Wind Casino, visit www.redwindcasino.com.

A full list of 2020 funding recipients follows:

Lacey Police Department

City of Dupont Police Department

City of Yelm Police Department

Olympia Police Department

Thurston County Deputy Sheriffs Foundation

Thurston County Emergency Management

Washington State Patrol

Yelm & Rainier Fire Department SE Thurston Fire Authority

Lacey Fire District #3

Lacey Fire District #3

Atayal Inc

LaPush 1910 Indian Shaker Church

Leimomiwaianue Canoe Family

Lighthouse Fellowship Church

Panza DBA: Ouixote Communities

Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre

Leschi Learning Legacy

Northwest Indian College

Native Action Network

Nation Indian Head Start Directors Association

Northwest Tribal Emergency Management Council

PeaceKeeper Society

Penn Cove Water Festival Association

Potlatch Fund

Rise Above Native Youth Program

Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribal Police

UNEA Urban Native Education Foundation

Washington Indian Civil Rights Commission

Wa He Lut Indian School

ARK Institute of Learning

Central Washington University

Children’s Home Society of Washington

Napavine Junior/Senior Highschool

First in Training and Education

MENTOR Washington

Sound Learning

University of Washington

Emergency Food Bank (Network)

Mercy Housing Northwest

Northwest Harvest EMM

Nourish Pierce County

The Saint’s Pantry Food Bank

A Hero’s Promise

Special Olympics

Great Peninsula Conservancy

Cispus Learning Center

Long Live the Kings

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance

Thurston County League of Women Voters

Catholic Community Services of King County

First Baptist Church of Lakewood

Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest

It Takes a Village

Jubilee Women’s Center

Orting Senior Center Organization

Parents Against Sexual Abuse

Save our Water Tower

SPSC Partners for Transition Solutions

The DuPont Historical Society

American Cancer Society

Lifeline Connections

Turning Point Survivor Advocacy Center

Washington Healthcare Access Alliance

Willapa Harbor Helping Hands

AHAT Homecare

Pat Tilman Memorial

Amvets Service Foundation

Lupus Foundation of America PNW

Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation

Pacific County Friends of Fair Foundation

Pierce County AIDS Foundation

Centrum Foundation

Community Roots Housing Foundation

The Earth Circle Foundation

Asia Pacific Culture Center

Ballet Theatre of Washington

Deaf Spotlight

Environmental Science Center

Greentrike

Hill Top Artists in Residence

Historical Society of Seattle and King County

Lakewood Historical Society Museum

Pioneer Farm Museum

Taproot Theatre Company

Nisqually Police Department

NIT

City of Lakewood

Eastside Cooperative Pre School

Evergreen State College/Native Pathways Program

George Washington Bush Middle School Partners in Education

L.P. Brown Elementary PTO

Meadows Elementary

North Thurston Education Foundation

North Thurston Public Schools

River Ridge High School

Big Brother Big Sister of SW Washington

Boys and Girls Club Thurston County

Capital Clubhouse

Child Care Action Council of Thurston County

Hands on Children’s Museum

Heartstrides Therapeutic Horsemanship

Home First

Hoopstars Family

HWY 507 Young Life

Pacific Education Institute

Pizza Klatch

Rainy Day Ranch Therapeutic Riding Center

Wild Grief

South Sound Youth Athletics Football

South Sound YMCA

Stonewall Youth

Tabu Fastpitch Organization

Tenino Young At Heart Theater

USAV Team

West Academy

Yelm Dollars for Scholars

Yelm Tornado Youth Football and Cheer

Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team

Friends of Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Nisqually Land Trust

Nisqually Reach Nature Center

Nisqually River Foundation

Salmon Defense

South Sound Estuary Association

Bounty for Families

Build a Bus Home

Community Farm Land Trust (South of the Sound Community Farm)

Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason, & Thurston Counties

Garden Raised Bounty GRUB

Homeless Backpacks

Seeds for Growth

Sidewalk

South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity

Thurston County Food Bank

YMAM Faith Harvest Helpers

Morningside

NAMI Thurston/Mason

Pacific Mountain Workforce

Arbutus Folk School

Ballet Northwest

CIELO Project Radio Ranch

Creative Theatre Experience

Harlequin Productions

Lacey Museum City of Lacey

Olympia Film Collective

Olympia Family Theater

Olympia Film Society

Olympia Symphony Orchestra

Sound Studios Olympia

Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia

The Bridge Music Project

Washington Center for the Performing Arts

Conservation Connection

Raindancer Wild Bird Rescue

Rez Animal Resource

Wolf Haven International

Family Education and Support Services

Family Support Center of South Sound

POWER (Parents Organizing for Welfare & Econ Rights)

South Sound Parent to Parent

Gold Star Memorial Foundation

Olympia School District Education Foundation

Olympia Host Lions Club Foundation

Providence St. Peter Foundation/Cancer System

South Sound Reading Foundation

SPSCC Foundation

The Mayday Foundation

The Strophy Foundation

West Central Park Foundation

Gods Portion

Interfaith Works

Sacred Heart Emergency Outreach

Seven Angels Last Stop Services

Society of St. Vincent de Paul Yelm Conference

Enterprise for Equity

The Moore Wright Group

Thurston County Unit Washington Explorers Search & Rescue

City of Lacey on Behalf of Lacey MakerSpace

Friends of the Lacey Timberland Library

Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

Thurston County Volunteer Legal Service

Yelm Community Services

YWCA of Olympia

Lacey Firefighters Charity

Nisqually Valley Moose Lodge 1905

Nisqually Valley Moose Lodge 1905/WOTM 960

Northwest Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center

Senior Services for South Sound

Stars & Stripes QOV

Thurston County Council on Aging

Thurston County Veterans Services

Truly Motivated Transitional Living (TMTL)

True Responders in Lacey

Yelm Senior Center

Care Net Pregnancy Center Thurston County

Crime Stoppers of South Sound

Zonta Club of Olympia

Crazy Faith”

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