AGUA CALIENTE BAND OF CAHUILLA INDIANS TO DONATE $250,000 TO CHARITABLE EFFORTS IN NEW YORK CITY, WASHINGTON DC AND COACHELLA VALLEY 

(PALM SPRINGS, CA – September 20,2001)  The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians announced today it will donate $250,000 to the help the families of the firefighters, police officers and emergency response personnel who perished in the Pentagon and World Trade Center disasters.   The funds will be distributed to various community and non-profit organizations.

            “The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians feel committed to the heroes of our country and our neighborhoods,” said Richard M. Milanovich, Chairman of the Agua Caliente Tribal Council.  “These donations give back to the people and families who have suffered through this great tragedy.  This is our way.”

            The donations to various organizations include:  the New York City police and fire departments; The “Marine Corps Law Enforcement Organization Fund,” Washington, DC; the American Red Cross; the Salvation Army; the relief fund for American and United Airlines pilot and flight attendants and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Twin Tower Relief Fund. The Tribal Council plans to establish a separate fund with United Way of the Desert for the surviving Coachella Valley families of the New York and Washington DC disasters.