Legends Casino Hotel gives more than $301,000 to local nonprofits, public safety agencies
DONALD W. MEYERS Yakima Herald-Republic Jun 16, 2021
Legends Casino Hotel gave more than $301,000 to nonprofit organizations in Yakima, Benton, Kittitas and Klickitat counties Wednesday as part of the casino’s annual grant program.
The Yakama Cares program focuses on nonprofit groups in the community, with grants ranging from $10,000 to $1,000 this year. Groups receiving grants included school districts, fire services and health organizations.
Legends’ Community Impact Fund Committee received 240 applications for this year’s distribution. This year, the committee focused on the effects of COVID-19 and wildfire threats, as well as community needs.
While more groups received grants this year compared to last year, the amount of money disbursed was less than the almost $380,000 given out in last year’s program.
The program’s funding is based on a percentage of a portion of the casino’s revenue, and Legends was closed for five months due to the pandemic.
In April, when Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, visited the Yakama Nation, Tribal Chairman Delano Saluskin said that Legends saw a 40% reduction in its annual revenue due to the pandemic.
Legends General Manager Letisha Peterson said the pandemic also highlighted the need for the program.
“Maintaining (the program) and making the contributions is important to the Yakama Nation, and the community,” Peterson said.
She said school districts and many nonprofits were hit hard by the pandemic, and she said the grant committee wanted to make sure to assist as many groups as possible.
The largest single recipients of grants were the American Red Cross and the Kittitas County Search and Rescue, which received $10,000 each. The Wapato School District will receive $8,554. Ellensburg Community Health’s Open Door Clinic and Naches Firefighters Association each received $7,000.
Lavon Miller, a nurse with the Wapato School District said the money will be used to purchase equipment to allow school staff to perform objective vision and hearing examinations for children who appear to have learning disabilities.
Grandview received 21 grants for its schools, totaling $32,447, while Toppenish School District received a total of $22,500. Naches Valley School District received a total of $7,600 for the district, its virtual academy and the high school.
Oralia Villarreal, a kindergarten teacher at Arthur H. Smith Elementary School in Grandview, said she was grateful for money to buy kindergarten-level reading books in Spanish for her students, something she said was hard to come by without help.
“I’m so excited,” Villarreal said. “I can order more books at the children’s grade level.”
PACE High School, an alternative high school in Wapato received two grants totaling $2,000.
Also receiving funds was the Yakima and Selah Neighbors Network, which was given a $5,000 grant. Mary Lou Rozdilsky, the group’s board president, said the money will be used to help expand its program of helping seniors remain active and in touch with the community while living in their own homes.
The Nile-Cliffdell Fire Department received $4,200 from the program.
The Yakama Cares program focuses on nonprofit groups in the community, with grants ranging from $10,000 to $1,000 this year. Groups receiving grants included school districts, fire services and health organizations.
Legends’ Community Impact Fund Committee received 240 applications for this year’s distribution. This year, the committee focused on the effects of COVID-19 and wildfire threats, as well as community needs.
While more groups received grants this year compared to last year, the amount of money disbursed was less than the almost $380,000 given out in last year’s program.
The program’s funding is based on a percentage of a portion of the casino’s revenue, and Legends was closed for five months due to the pandemic.
In April, when Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, visited the Yakama Nation, Tribal Chairman Delano Saluskin said that Legends saw a 40% reduction in its annual revenue due to the pandemic.
Legends General Manager Letisha Peterson said the pandemic also highlighted the need for the program.
“Maintaining (the program) and making the contributions is important to the Yakama Nation, and the community,” Peterson said.
She said school districts and many nonprofits were hit hard by the pandemic, and she said the grant committee wanted to make sure to assist as many groups as possible.
The largest single recipients of grants were the American Red Cross and the Kittitas County Search and Rescue, which received $10,000 each. The Wapato School District will receive $8,554. Ellensburg Community Health’s Open Door Clinic and Naches Firefighters Association each received $7,000.
Lavon Miller, a nurse with the Wapato School District said the money will be used to purchase equipment to allow school staff to perform objective vision and hearing examinations for children who appear to have learning disabilities.
Grandview received 21 grants for its schools, totaling $32,447, while Toppenish School District received a total of $22,500. Naches Valley School District received a total of $7,600 for the district, its virtual academy and the high school.
Oralia Villarreal, a kindergarten teacher at Arthur H. Smith Elementary School in Grandview, said she was grateful for money to buy kindergarten-level reading books in Spanish for her students, something she said was hard to come by without help.
“I’m so excited,” Villarreal said. “I can order more books at the children’s grade level.”
PACE High School, an alternative high school in Wapato received two grants totaling $2,000.
Also receiving funds was the Yakima and Selah Neighbors Network, which was given a $5,000 grant. Mary Lou Rozdilsky, the group’s board president, said the money will be used to help expand its program of helping seniors remain active and in touch with the community while living in their own homes.
The Nile-Cliffdell Fire Department received $4,200 from the program.