San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Designating Funds to Support
the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Boarders

SAN MANUEL INDIAN NATION (Highland, Calif.) – January 27, 2010 – The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians announced today, that they are contributing $1.7 million to the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to  assist with ongoing relief and recovery efforts in earthquake ravaged Haiti.

The contribution will enable these organizations to continue to provide critical services as survivors recover in the aftermath.  The gift will be provided as a $1.5 million donation to the American Red Cross with an additional $200,000 given to Doctors Without Borders.

“At this time of unimaginable grief and destruction we are called to act to prevent the further loss of life and ease the suffering of survivors,” said San Manuel Chairman James Ramos.  “We stand behind and support the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders as they remain on hand with their volunteers to assist those who are impacted.”

San Manuel has a long history of supporting relief efforts following natural disasters in its home state of California, along the gulf coast and on reservations across the United States.  In 2005 the tribe donated $700,000 to help in the relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, followed by a $1 million donation in 2007 to aid in wildfire recovery in southern California. Additionally, the tribe has supported relief for Sudanese refugees by donating a total of $1 million to relief groups in war-torn Darfur.

"The entrusted partnership with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is critical to the ability of the American Red Cross to provide help and hope for the people of Haiti during their time of need," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. "Becuase of the generosity of donors like the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, people in Haiti will recieve more than immediate relief - they will recieve, support and training from the Red Cross that will help them recover and rebuild for years to come."

As a concerned and responsive tribal community, San Manuel continues to evaluate and monitor the situation as it unfolds, offering continued community and staff support. Emergency service professionals from the San Manuel Fire Department are on active standby to be deployed to Haiti to assist in recovery and the youth of the reservation are holding fundraisers to provide additional contributions to the Haitian relief effort.  The tribe calls for the continued support for Haiti and implores individuals to also contribute to the ongoing humanitarian mission.

About the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
The San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians is a federally recognized American Indian tribe located near the city of Highland, Calif. The Serrano Indians are the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys and mountains who share a common language and culture. The San Manuel reservation was established in 1891 and recognized as sovereign nation with the right of self-government. Since time immemorial, the San Manuel tribal community has endured change and hardship. Amidst these challenges the tribe continued to maintain its unique form of governance. Like other governments it seeks to provide a better quality of life for its citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services and promoting social, economic and cultural development. Today San Manuel tribal government oversees many governmental units including the departments of fire, public safety, education and environment. Please visit www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov for more information.