| Sycuan Tribe Donates $500,000 to The San Diego Foundation “After-the-Fires Fund 2007” Additional donations targeted to local tribes hit by the fires El Cajon, CA (October 26, 2007) - The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation announced today that they have donated $500,000 to The San Diego Foundation After-the-Fires Fund 2007 to help San Diegans rebuild after the disastrous fires that struck San Diego County this week. The Tribe will also contribute to programs to assist other local Indian tribes in San Diego County that were impacted by the fires. “The Sycuan Tribal Council is pleased to be able to step forward to partner with The San Diego Foundation to assist in the efforts to rebuild our community and the lives shattered by these devastating fires,” said Daniel Tucker, Sycuan Tribal Chairman. “Our tribe has a long tradition of helping our neighbors and during this difficult time we felt that it was important to step forward to support the rebuilding efforts of residents who lost their homes and the community organizations that were damaged in the fires.” The donation to the After-the-Fires Fund 2007 will be used for making emergency grants to first responders and other nonprofit service organizations engaged in disaster response, recovery and rebuilding. The San Diego Foundation’s After-the-Fires Fund 2007 was established on Sunday, October 21st. The 2003 Fund was actively involved in rebuilding efforts following the Cedar Fires. The first stage of the After-the-Fires effort will be immediate response and recovery activities, primarily the provision of food, shelter, housing and healthcare needs. The second stage will provide grants to help rebuild the lives of fire victims, as well as restore the communities affected by the fires. According to Tucker, Sycuan will also be directing significant support to other Tribal communities in the region who were directly impacted by the fires. Several local tribes lost homes and community facilities to the fires and will need support in their rebuilding efforts. “The San Diego Community Foundation welcomes this support from Sycuan and we look forward to working with the Tribe to make significant contributions to support rebuilding efforts in the region,” said Bob Kelly, President and CEO of the San Diego Foundation. “San Diegans are coming together again after this disaster and with support from organizations like Sycuan we can help those impacted by the fires return to normal living as soon as possible.” Today’s donation is part of Sycuan’s tradition of helping San Diegans and others in times of need. In response to the Cedar Fires that devastated San Diego in 2003, Sycuan contributed a total of $1 million for a variety of community projects and direct assistance to fire victims. A major portion of the $1 million fund was dispersed directly to residents who lost their homes, and also provided grants to several community organizations to assist in rebuilding their facilities and programs after the fire. In 2005, the Sycuan Tribe also donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross to help victims in the southern United States hit by Hurricane Katrina. During the coming weeks, Sycuan will be working closely with The San Diego Foundation to identify needs that could be addressed by the After-the-Fires Fund to provide needed grants to social service agencies, school groups or public agencies in need of support for rebuilding efforts. To learn more about the After-the-Fires Fund visit www.sdfoundation.org. For more information about Sycuan visit www.sycuan.org.
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