Pala Tribe donates $50,000 to reading program

PALA – The Pala Band of Mission Indians announced last week it will donate $50,000 to the San Diego Reach Out and Read program. The funds will be used to support Reach Out and Read’s education and literacy efforts in the region including at four Native American clinics that the program operates.

Reach Out and Read was established in 2006 and is a program of the San Diego Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The program distributes over 100,000 books each year to 65,000 children in the San Diego area.

“The Pala Band of Mission Indians is proud to support such a worthy cause,” said Robert H. Smith, chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. “Getting books in the hands of children and their families at an early age is key to their future success. This contribution will help ensure children in our region are prepared to be future leaders.”

The donation will be made over a five-year period in annual $10,000 payments.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe whose reservation is located along the Palomar Mountain range approximately 30 miles northeast of San Diego. The majority of the over 900 tribal members live on the 12,000-acre reservation, established for Cupeño and Luiseño Indians, who consider themselves to be one proud people – Pala.