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Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino donates for Pawhuska chamber’s gala, remainder of contribution for skate park

The Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino has donated $2,500 to the Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce for its annual fundraiser gala and auction scheduled next month and also donated the remainder of its $11,000 contribution for the Pawhuska skate park project.

Mike McCartney, the chamber’s executive director, accepted the contributions from the MDEC on Feb. 4. He said the donation for the gala “helps our budget tremendously,” which will be held at 6 p.m. March 26 at the Elks Lodge.

This year’s chamber gala and dinner is themed “Diamond in the Rough” and will feature a silent and live auction with items up for grabs including art work, dishware and trips.

Reservations are required to attend this event. For more information and gala reservations, call the Chamber of Commerce at (918) 287-1208. Individual tickets are $35 and a table for eight people is $500.

Contributions for the Pawhuska skate park still being accepted

Also on Feb. 4, the MDEC donated $6,000 toward the Pawhuska skate park which was recently completed. The $6,000 is the remainder of the casino’s $11,000 contribution with $5,000 donated before construction started last fall.

McCartney sits on the Make it Happen in Pawhuska committee which is in charge of the skate park’s fundraising. He said donations are still being accepted for the skate park with just under $25,000 needed to finish paying for the construction.

The Make it Happen in Pawhuska committee was awarded a $25,000 grant last spring by the Tony Hawk Foundation to help build the skatepark. The nonprofit was established in 2002 by its professional skater namesake to promote and provide funding for high-quality skate parks in low-income areas nationwide, according to its Web site.

The foundation also reviewed and approved the skatepark design. The Pawhuska project is one of 22 projects selected in 2009 by Hawk’s foundation for grant funding out of 72 applicants.

For more information on the Make It Happen in Pawhuska committee, contact Mike McCartney at (918) 287-1208 or co-chairperson Cindy Helmer at Pawhuska’s First National Bank.


By

Benny Polacca


Original Publish Date: 2010-02-11 00:00:00

Author

  • Benny Polacca

    Title: Senior Reporter

    Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

    Instagram: @bpolacca

    Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

    Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

    Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

    Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

    Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

Avatar photo
Benny Polaccahttps://osagenews.org

Title: Senior Reporter

Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

Instagram: @bpolacca

Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

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