Diverse News 2008®

NEWS FEEDS
Chehalis Tribes Hold Successful Veterans Benefit
    ROCHESTER, Wash., May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chehalis Confederated
Tribes held a highly successful benefit dinner and theater performance for
returning combat veterans at the Lucky Eagle Casino Event Center May 17th,
tribal officials announced this week. The fundraising effort, appropriately
named "The Return To Honor Veterans Benefit," was created to provide much
needed support for the Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund and the
Freedoms Foundation's Return To Honor program. Hosted by television
personality Grant Goodeve, the event was attended by an enthusiastic crowd
of 250 and raised over $65,000.

    "We are pleased with the support and participation we received from the
community," said Chehalis Tribal Chairman David Burnett. "It was our belief
that people would welcome the opportunity to help charitable organizations
that serve our returning combat veterans, and that proved to be the case.
We are especially grateful to our key corporate sponsors, Pepsi, Wells
Fargo, Uhlmann I-5 Auto Group, Reichert's Distributing and the Olympian."

    The benefit featured moving speeches by Major Davina French, veteran of
the Iraq War and currently the Interagency Coordination Officer for the
North Dakota National Guard, Thomas K. Lee, combat veteran who served in
both Afghanistan and Iraq, and Major Daniel Dudek, Iraq War combat veteran
who served with the Stryker Combat Brigade team (4th Brigade, 2d Infantry
Division).

    Audience members included local dignitaries, Chehalis Tribal officials,
representatives of the beneficiary organizations, and family members of
soldiers currently serving in Iraq.

    The evening concluded with a riveting theater performance by Kenny
Carnes entitled "Pieces of War," in which he portrays 12 diverse characters
and how each is affected by war. Mr. Carnes repeated his performance at the
casino on May 18th before an audience made up largely of military personnel
who had received complimentary tickets.

    Event proceeds and donations will be sent to the Dragoon Raiders
Soldier and Family Fund, and to the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge in
support of their Return To Honor Program.

    The Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund is a local nonprofit
organization based in Dupont, Washington, just south of Fort Lewis. The
fund supports the soldiers and families of the Stryker Combat Brigade Team
known as the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, United States Army. The
organization provides goods and services to the families of soldiers killed
in action, soldiers wounded in action, the families of wounded soldiers
while the soldier recovers, and the families of deployed soldiers.

    The nonprofit Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge is dedicated to
upholding the values of freedom and Democracy. The Return to Honor program
is designed to help returning veterans cope with the effects of combat
stress and to ease their transition back to life in the United States.

    The Chehalis Tribes' Lucky Eagle Casino and Eagles Landing Hotel are
located at 12888 188th Avenue Southwest in Rochester, Washington.
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