:: Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Brigette Gokee

Director

Red Cliff Elderly Services Program

(715) 779-3720

Walmart Foundation Grant to Meals On Wheels Association of America to Assist Elders in Red Cliff, WI

Grant received at critical time as economy threatens elder nutrition services in Red Cliff

3/16/10 Red Cliff, WI – The Red Cliff Elderly Nutrition Program¹ has been awarded $12,778 through a Walmart Foundation grant to the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA). The money will provide the program with much-needed kitchen equipment, which is critical to continue serving elders in our communities.

This financial support is desperately needed as many Meals On Wheels programs across the country are struggling to survive during this economic downturn. The “Walmart Foundation Impact Grant” is intended to help the Red Cliff Elderly Nutrition Program continue to meet the long term equipment needs of providing meals to community elders.

Last year, many Meals On Wheels programs were forced to change or reduce their services, but the Walmart Foundation stepped in to help restore those meals. This year, the Walmart Foundation is spending more than $2 million nationwide to make sure Meals On Wheels programs have the equipment they need to maintain their operations into the future.

“Seniors have been hit especially hard in this economy and we feel a responsibility to help,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. “We’re proud to support Meals on Wheels programs across the U.S. who work on the front lines of ending senior hunger.”

“Thanks to the Walmart Foundation Impact Grant, we will now have better equipment to keep nutrition services going and what a difference it will make”, said Brigette Gokee, Director of Red Cliff Elderly Program. “With a new stove, we will be able to save dollars by producing meals in less time due to the major improvement of equipment efficiency. Such cost savings will aid in maintaining current meal services to our elders during these difficult economic times. Acknowledgment is warranted to MOWAA as well—without this association’s involvement, Red Cliff wouldn’t have had access to this wonderful opportunity”.

“The Walmart Foundation has once again stepped up to the plate as a powerful partner in the fight to end senior hunger,” said Enid Borden, president and CEO of MOWAA. “They are our largest corporate partner to date and their support will make a tremendous impact in helping our programs sustain meal services well into the future. We can’t thank the Walmart Foundation enough for joining us in our national movement to end senior hunger in America by 2020.”

Late last year MOWAA released a groundbreaking study revealing six million seniors in America face the risk of hunger. The report, entitled, “Senior Hunger in the United States: Differences across States and Rural and Urban Areas” was sponsored by MOWAA and shows that the number of seniors facing the hunger risk jumped an astonishing 20 percent in just one year. The Walmart Impact Grant Program is intended to help combat the problem of senior hunger.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. Through its philanthropic programs and partnerships, the Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on creating opportunities in education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness. From February 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009, Walmart – and its domestic and international foundations – gave more than $423 million in cash and in-kind gifts globally. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.

¹The Red Cliff Elderly Nutrition Program provides home delivered and congregate meals to eligible participants in the service area of Red Cliff Indian Reservation and surrounding communities such as Town of Russell and City of Bayfield. Meals are offered Monday—Thursday, and served at noon at the Elderly Nutrition Center, 37645 New Housing Rd, Red Cliff. To learn more, visit http://redcliff-nsn.gov/resources/food.htm or call (715) 779-3720.

Citizen of the Month Program

May Citizen of the Month

Steven Boyd

Congratulation Steve from the Red Cliff Tribal Council

The objective of the Citizen of the Month Program is to publicly recognize those Red Cliff Tribal Member citizens who contribute to the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa community, assist someone in need, or in any way improve the quality of life in the Red Cliff community. The award will be presented by the Red Cliff Tribal Council at its regular monthly meeting.

Guidelines for nominations and selection of the Citizen of the Month include:

The nominee must live within the Red Cliff reservation and be an enrolled member.
Nominees for Citizen of the Month need not be well-known people in the community.
Nominations for all segments of the community are encouraged.
Elected officials are not eligible for nomination.
Nominees should have a reputation for honesty, integrity, and pride in our community.

The Citizen of the Month will be chosen from among all nominations by a select committee consisting of one Tribal Member Elder, one At-Large Tribal Council Member, and one Tribal staff member. All members will be appointed by the Tribal Chairperson and will serve for a period of three (3) months with the exception of the At-Large Tribal Council Member which will rotate amongst the At-Large Members every month, as annually scheduled by the Chairperson.

Directions for completing the nominating form:

Answer all questions on the form, a brief resume or comments may be included in the comments section at the end of the form.
Nominations must be received by the 15^th of the month to be considered for the following month's selection process.
Nominations will be kept on file for a period of six (6) months for future consideration.
The nomination form may be faxed to:

Hand delivered or mailed to:

Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Attention: Director of Tribal Operations
88385 Pike Road, Hwy 13
Bayfield, WI 54814