01/21/2007

GT Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians gives out close to $1M

The tribe allocates 2 percent of its slot machine gambling proceeds twice a year, based on an agreement with the state.

Last week the tribe said it would provide money to 57 of 103 local applicants, and said $999,829.32 was allocated for the current cycle.

Recipients and amounts given include:

• Addiction Treatment Services, $10,000 to update computer software for clinical and administrative users.
• Alba School, $15,000 to help the school district upgrade existing old and outdated technology equipment.
• American Red Cross of NW MI, $30,000 for delivery of all local services provided in Northwest Michigan, encompassing disaster relief, education, training, planning and response, health and safety education, armed forces and blood service.
• Beaver Island Community Development Corporation, $15,000 for Phase 1 construction of a six-unit supportive housing development for seniors and disabled adults.
• Beaver Island Fire Department; EMS; Health Center and Charlevoix County Sheriff's Dept., $20,000 to purchase communication equipment for the Beaver Island Fire Department, Beaver Island EMS, Beaver Island Rural Health Center and local law enforcement.
• Benzie County Parks & Recreation Commission, $10,000 for reconstruction of the launch facility on Lake Michigan Drive at Platte Bay.
• Benzie County Sheriff's Department, $10,000 to provide operational expenses to implement a School Resource Officer program in all schools within the Benzie Central School District.
• Benzie Housing Council, $7,650 to increase the organization's ability to respond to local housing crises.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan, $30,000 for financial support for 290 at-risk children in 10 elementary schools and communities through mentoring programs.
• Blair Library Committee, $5,000 to continue and enhance a "Branch Library Awareness Campaign.”
• Champion Tree Project International, $10,000 to conduct a community green infrastructure analysis and create a Champion Tree Planting Program Master Plan for the City of Traverse City.
• Charlevoix County, $10,000 to purchase a CAT-Scan machine at the Charlevoix Area Hospital.
• Charlevoix Senior Citizens Center, Inc., $15,000 to help support the Meals on Wheels program.
• Child & Family Services of Northwest Michigan, $15,000 for operational needs, including general operations, pregnancy counseling, foster care and behavioral health services.
• City of Frankfort, $12,150 for upgrades to the city-owned recreation center building; City of Frankfort on behalf of Post 221 American Legion, $8,500 for replacement of the flooring and roof of Post 221; and City of Frankfort Fire Department, $6,500 to purchase a 30kw generator for the fire station.
• City of Traverse City, $10,000 to conduct a study of the region's water supply and distribution systems and $44,450 for programming at Traverse City Senior Center.
• Colorado Challenge, $8,000 to provide scholarships for low-income or troubled teens to attend a week-long camp in Colorado.
• Elk Rapids Township Fire Department, $15,577 to purchase a water and ice rescue vehicle.
• Field of Dreams of Suttons Bay School, $10,000 for financing of the replacement of the track at Suttons Bay Public Schools stadium.
• Antrim County, $12,775 for the Government to Government Agreement.
• Benzie County, $21,900 for the Government to Government Agreement.
• Charlevoix County, $12,775 for the Government to Government Agreement.
• Leelanau County, $75,000 for the Government to Government Agreement.
• Grand Traverse County, $50,000 to build a completely accessible waterfront experience at Twin Lakes Park for disabled people; Grand Traverse County, $8,008.71 to create an "address” productivity tool that allows anyone using the Grand Traverse County GIS Website to interactively and accurately map the location of address records; Grand Traverse County for Conservation Resource Alliance, $30,000 to restore natural fish and wildlife habitats that have been degraded by human activity on inland river corridors throughout the tribe's six-county service area; Grand Traverse County Road Commission, $50,000 for a portion of a required 20 percent local match for a $250,000 Federal Safety Program Grant awarded by the state Department of Transportation.
• Grand Traverse Dyslexia Association, $5,000 for tuition assistance for at-risk individuals; strengthening local families' abilities to help themselves; addressing generational effects of dyslexia, and breaking the destructive cycle of school failure, difficulty with the law and involvement with substance abuse.
• Hayes Township, $10,000 for the Charlevoix Area Community Pool program.
• Land Information Access Association for Fresh Food Partnership, $20,000 to help fight hunger by increasing the availability of healthy fresh fruits and vegetables at the region's food pantries, shelters and community meals programs.
• Leelanau County Construction Code Office, $60,000 to purchase address signs for 2,000 homes in Leelanau County; Leelanau County Family Coordinating Council, $39,880 for the Strengthening Leelanau Families' programs: Family Support Team, Baby Pantry and Laundry Project; Leelanau County Planning & Community Development, $20,000 to digitize old maps into the computer mapping system.
• Michigan Land Use Institute, $15,000 for the Entrepreneurial Agriculture Project.
• Northwest Michigan 4C Council, $5,000 to continue the "Strengthening Families and Caregivers Project.”
• Planned Parenthood, Northern Michigan, $10,000 for the Motivation, Esteem and Respect in Teens program and the "How to Say No” program.
• Senior Companion Program, $10,000 to recruit, train and place volunteers to work with referral clients.
• Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library, $7,000 for building maintenance and improvements, computers and computer software upgrades, and collection updating and development.
• Suttons Bay K-8 School, $650 to provide professional development and instructional materials in the area of literacy.
• Suttons Bay Police Department, $30,000 to retain an officer in the community to cover afternoon and evening shifts.
• TBAISD, $15,000 for a program previously provided by Youth Friends.
• Traverse City Area Public Schools, $16,000 for the Gender Equity Project; TCAPS, $10,000 for the Homeless Student Program for students who currently need help with clothing, food, toiletries, emergency medical and dental needs, school supplies, transportation, graduation supplies and other emergency needs; TCAPS, $2,800 for the Safety City Program, a summer program that focuses on safety education for young children. Forty low-income children will be funded for the program; TCAPS, $2,779 for West Junior High Special Education Excel Class, the Excel academic support class so students can become strong, independent and productive citizens; TCAPS, $750 for the West Junior High Tribal Flags Project for seven tribal flags that will represent the ethnic heritage of incoming seventh grade students; TCAPS, $284.61 for Westwoods Elementary to purchase 30 copies of the book "Traders in Time” to be used to teach Michigan history.
• The Father Fred Foundation, $30,000 for the foundation's Winter Heating Fund and other programs for the needy.
• The Goodwill Inn, $30,000 for hot meals for homeless families and individuals served by the Goodwill Inn.
• Traverse City At-Risk Boxing, $10,000 for at-risk youth to learn amateur boxing.
• Traverse City Junior Golf Association, $26,400 to continue the in-school golf program that began during the 2005-06 school year.
• Village of Benzonia, $15,000 to purchase a generator to pump water during electrical outages to ensure water availability during fire and health emergencies.
• Whitewater Township, $10,000 to provide coordinated planning for the Williamsburg area to reflect developments along the M-72 corridor.
• Women's Resource Center for the Grand Traverse Area, $20,000 for the 2008 Extravaganza.