| << Back 10/2/02 Cherokee Foundation gives away $2.1 million SMN The Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPFdn) announced Sept. 30 that $2.1 million in grants had been given away to groups in Western North Carolina to improve cultural preservation, expand economic development opportunities, protect environmental quality and to expand employment opportunities for both the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and its neighbors in seven WNC counties (Cherokee, Jackson, Haywood, Clay, Graham, Swain and Macon) who are partnering with the Cherokee to resolve regional problems. The 53 grants announced today are the first ever to be made by CPFdn, which was established in 2000 and is funded by EBCI gaming revenues from the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. “We are excited to be involved in projects that will have a positive impact on the region’s future,” said Susan Jenkins, executive director of CPFdn. “We are also motivated by the important role the Cherokee Preservation Foundation is playing to encourage our neighbors to work with the Cherokee people to resolve common problems. Many organizations have come to us with exciting ideas, and with the foundation’s financial support, those ideas will now begin to come to life.” Some of the grants include: Cultural Preservation Grants ° $20,000 for American Legion Post No. 143 to develop a master business plan for a new Cherokee Veterans Memorial Center. ° $6,204 to the EBCI’s Big Cove Free Labor Group to revitalize the group by adding younger members and purchasing and upgrading equipment. Free Labor Groups preserve the “Ani ga du gi” tradition of community service, in which, for example, the Cherokee dig graves, rebuild burned-out homes and cut wood for those in need. ° $19,971 to the Cherokee Central Schools for electronic equipment that will enable students to gather and store historical and cultural information for a virtual museum. ° $19,305 to the Cherokee Central Schools to explore different methods of teaching instruction and to train teachers to integrate Cherokee language and culture into classroom curricula. ° $300,000 to the Cherokee Historical Association for production lighting and other equipment that will enhance the Unto These Hills outdoor drama. ° $50,000 to the Cultural Resources Department of the EBCI to expand services to Graham (Snowbird Community) and Cherokee counties, and enhance the Junaluska Memorial Site and Museum. ° $19,994 to the EBCI Early Childhood Cherokee Language Program to help restore the Cherokee language through a pre-school Cherokee language immersion program. ° $6,000 to Highlands Biological Foundation to develop a Native American school curriculum for WNC that highlights the EBCI, and to install an exhibit of Native American artifacts in the Highlands Nature Center. ° $8,500 for the Macon County Master Garden Volunteer Association for supplies in support of demonstration gardens that highlight Cherokee native plants. ° $285,000 to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian to expand the museum’s education programs and its gift shop and exhibit area. ° $40,000 (combined) to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the Cherokee Historical Association for a joint marketing effort to increase visitors at both the museum and the Oconaluftee Indian Village. ° $20,000 to Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual cooperative to revitalize interest in learning the techniques of creating high-quality arts and crafts. ° $10,883 to the EBCI’s Painttown Community Free Labor Group to preserve the “Ani ga du gi” tradition. ° $10,000 to the Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center to upgrade and expand the museum’s Cherokee exhibits. ° $10,240 to the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore, Tenn., to support its annual Nancy Ward Cherokee Heritage Day educational event (the museum is on EBCI tribal land). ° $17,015 to Smoky Mountain Elementary School in Whittier to create a month-long educational experience for all students around Cherokee history, culture and language. ° $2,500 to the Stecoah Valley Arts, Crafts and Educational Center (SVC) to bring representatives of EBCI and SVC together to develop a shared vision for expanding cultural preservation programming. ° $12,000 to the Trail of Tears Association’s North Carolina Chapter for development of 18 outdoor interpretive exhibits in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon and Swain counties. ° $14,000 to Valleytown Cultural Arts and Historical Society to provide a Cherokee cultural celebration in the Andrews Elementary School. ° $20,000 to Voices in the Laurel to send children from WNC to the Pacific Rim Children’s Choice Festival in July 2003 to perform original music written in the Cherokee language. ° $8,655 to Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Studies Program to investigate how other tribes and universities have coordinated efforts to study, teach and train instructors in Native American languages. ° $4,975 to Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library to study the feasibility of a future EBCI historical resources project.
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