Zev Safier

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians served as a priority sponsor of the 2nd Annual 5K at the Runway, held at the Ontario International Airport. The event was held February 4 and celebrated the USO’s 83rd birthday. The 5K provides an opportunity for participants to get a rare glimpse at an airfield during the three-lap course. It also raises awareness of, and funds for, the USO at the Ontario airport. This new Tribe sponsorship of the event intends to reinforce a healthy and resilient military community. The Ontario USO is the third-largest in the country, processing thousands of service members each year traveling in and out of Southern California's numerous military bases.

SMBMI Sponsors Highland Y Run For the fourth consecutive year, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians served as a Platinum sponsor of the YMCA of the East Valley’s Highland Y Run, the longest-running 5K activity in the city of Highland. San Manuel and Yaamava' team members were among the 449 runners. The event was held on January 28 to fundraise for financial assistance services at the YMCA. The proceeds aim to make it more affordable for youth and families to have access to group exercise, camps and sports programs, wellness center, basketball gym and aquatics center. Through this sponsorship, the Tribe hopes to engage youth and families in positive activities that can result in a healthier and resilient community.

On January 12, Crafton Hills College held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of their new Public Safety Training Center, made possible with the help of a $1.8 million grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The training center will provide simulation experiences that firefighters would encounter in real-world situations, including fire-burn props for bedroom and kitchen simulations, additional room for rope rescue and ladder drill training and a live fire training facility. This donation was rooted in the Tribe's pillars supporting education and empowerment to advance opportunities and safety in their local communities. Area residents and alumni joined San Bernardino County Community College District Chancellor Diana Rodriguez, Crafton Hills college president Kevin Horan, San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe and the SBCCD Board of Trustees to celebrate the center’s opening. The ceremony included comments from Michael Smith, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Vice President of Emergency Services who also serves as a Director of the Crafton College Foundation.

A December 8 ribbon-cutting marked the official opening of the Mojave Desert Discovery Garden, a former parking lot at the Mojave Desert Land Trust headquarters in Joshua Tree transformed into a public garden showcasing the diversity of the desert’s native plants and ecosystems. It features native plants important to ethnobotany, key pollinator species and endangered species. In 2020, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians awarded the California Desert Land Conservancy a $12,000 grant to support the garden’s educational signage project. These panels provide visitors with information about each plant’s name; traditional knowledge of the plant’s medicinal, edible and other uses; and sustainable landscaping practices and natural resource conservation. Each sign also includes a “What Can You Do?” section with actionable steps to protect and preserve Native plants. The organization worked with San Manuel’s Cultural Resources Management team for the Serrano language inclusion in the panels, as well as the land acknowledgment.