Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Honors State Officials
On Dec. 11 the Minnesota Chippewa
Tribe Tribal Executive Committee honored State Sen. Jeff Hayden
(DFL-Minneapolis) and Rep. Susan Allen (DFL-Minneapolis) with the
Legislator of the Year award, for their dedication and outstanding
work during the 2013 Minnesota state legislative session.
Hayden and Allen were the chief
authors of two Minnesota Chippewa Tribe bills, both of which were
introduced and passed during the 2013 legislative session. Senate
File 250/House File 252, provided a legislative fix to clarify and
strengthen the current Indian Child Welfare language in state
statute. The second bill, SF 136/HF 174, was a property tax exemption
for a building that is owned by the MCT. In 2009, it acquired the
building at 1308 E. Franklin Ave. in Minneapolis to further their
mission and serve their urban population. The location provides
access to resources for the purpose for economic development, housing
and financial services to community members.
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is
comprised of the Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake,
Mille Lacs and White Earth Bands of Ojibwe and is a
federally-recognized tribal government that, through unified
leadership, promotes and protects the member bands while providing
quality services and technical assistance to the reservation
governments and tribal people.
SMSC Gives $176,500 in Holiday Donations
To support organizations and
programs that help people in need during the holiday season, the
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community donated $176,500 to 37 causes.
Holiday giving became an annual tradition for the SMSC, recognizing
that this can be an especially hard time of the year for people to
provide a special meal or presents for children.
The largest recipient, at $20,000,
was the CAP Agency, which serves residents in Scott and Dakota
counties. The CAP Agency provided more than 5,500 individuals with
gifts, food and assistance during the 2012 holiday season through the
Hope for the Holidays Adopt-a-Family gift and sponsorship project.
This year the need is expected to be even greater. The SMSC supports
the CAP Agency throughout the year through food drives and by
donating produce from its organic garden, Mdewakanton Wozupi.
Some of the other large local
recipients include Catholic Charities at $12,000 for holiday
activities at the Dorothy Day Center and St. Joseph’s Home for
Children of the Twin Cities; the Department of Indian Work in St.
Paul at $9,000 for food baskets and small gifts, and the Division of
Indian Work in Minneapolis at $8,000 for food baskets.
An additional $68,500 was divided
among a wide variety of organizations in the Twin Cities, such as
Little Earth Residents Association of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Compassion in Prior Lake, Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools, the
Salvation Army, Southwest Metro Educational Cooperative, Union Gospel
Mission, and Upper Midwest American Indian Center. Some of those
donations were matched by “Give to the Max Day” sponsors
and partners.
The SMSC also donated $5,000 in
grocery gift cards to low-income Native American families living in
Scott County. In addition to the financial contributions, SMSC
members and staff participate in a giving tree program, which
anonymously gives presents to Native American children in need who
live in Scott County. Bear Tracks, owned by Community member Lance
Crooks and located in the Dakota Mall, is also a Toys for Tots gift
drop-off location.
In areas outside the Twin Cities,
the SMSC made $54,000 in holiday donations to a variety of American
Indian causes, including tribal Boys and Girls Club chapters, toy
drives, youth organizations, and more.
