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Tribe donates $106,000 to YMCA, Arts Outreach

By Julian J. Ramos/Staff Writer

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YMCA Director Dan Powell, from left, Chumash Secretary-Treasurer Kenneth Kahn, Arts Outreach Executive Director Catherine Affolter, YMCA Campaign Chairman Dean Anders and Arts Outreach Coordinator Sandy Mullin pose Tuesday morning outside the Chumash Tribal Hall. //Raiza Canelon/Staff

A pair of Santa Ynez Valley organizations received a total of $106,000 Tuesday from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in a ceremony at the Tribal Hall on the Chumash Reservation in Santa Ynez.

The money was raised by the fifth annual Chumash Classic Golf Tournament, held in August at the River Course at the Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang.

In a short ceremony Tuesday morning, the Stuart C. Gildred Family YMCA and Arts Outreach of Los Olivos received $84,800 and $21,200, respectively, from Kenneth Kahn, secretary-treasurer of the tribe's Business Committee.

“The tribe has had a long-standing relationship with the Stuart C. Gildred YMCA and Arts Outreach. Our children, friends and families have participated in many of the programs that they offer,” Kahn said.

“We have supported both of these organizations through the Chumash Foundation in the past and are proud to continue our support with the proceeds from the fifth Annual Chumash Golf Classic. The success of this event would not have been possible without the involvement of many of our friends and business partners. We are grateful to all those who participated and made this years Chumash Classic a big success.”

YMCA Executive Director Dan Powell said the money will go toward a campaign to raise $4 million to build a teen activities center, a multipurpose gymnasium, an expanded “total health” center, a new spinning studio, two “comfort stations” for families with special needs, and a free-weight room for all ages. The facilities would be added onto the YMCA at the corner of Highway 246 and Refugio Road.

Arts Outreach Executive Director Catherine Affolter said the nonprofit community arts organization has been hit hard by declining donations from private donors and foundations. The Chumash donation, she said, will help the group bring art and music into local school districts that can't afford an art or music teacher.

“This money is going to benefit the larger community through arts outreach,” she said in an earlier interview.

The Chumash donation helps the YMCA in working toward meeting the needs of the Valley's teens, seniors and families, Powell said in an interview before the ceremony.

“It's a huge help to us,” Powell said of the donation. “The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash have been wonderful partners for years with us.”

So far, $2.5 million, or 62 percent, of the campaign's $4 million goal has been pledged, Powell said. The YMCA held a community barbecue and open house later in the day Tuesday to promote the fundraising effort to the public.

Founded in 1980 by five artists, Arts Outreach is now a collaboration of more than 45 professional artists and scores of community volunteers. Its mission is to provide standards-based art, music, dance and theater workshops for students in the area, along with providing a variety of programs for seniors and families.

Last year, Arts Outreach held 111 workshops in 11 Valley elementary schools for 3,000 students, Affolter said. Each session runs one hour a week for six weeks. Sessions are held in the fall, winter and spring. Schools pay a small fee for the program, she said.

Established in 1989, the Stuart C. Gildred Family YMCA serves more than 6,000 people throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and provides roughly $150,000 in financial assistance for people and families in need to participate in YMCA programs. It is a branch of the Channel Islands YMCA network.

Last week, the local Chumash tribe also donated $20,000 for a new high school on the Blackfeet Reservation in northwest Montana.

The donation, presented Friday, Oct. 2, by Chumash Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta to Blackfeet tribal chairman Willie A. Sharp Jr., will go toward the construction of gym bleachers for Browning High School, which opened in August after three years of construction.

“We are very appreciative of this very generous donation,” Sharp said. “As an educator in this district for over 30 years, I personally know how much a gift like this will benefit our children and serve the needs of the general student population.”

The school replaces one that was built in the 1950s and was designed for 300 students but had been serving about 600 in recent years in ninth through 12th grades.

When it is completed, the new gym will have two levels, and the Chumash donation will go toward building the upper-level bleachers. The gym will be able to hold 3,500 fans, up from 2,000 at the old school.

Staff Writer Raiza Canelon and The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

October 8, 2009