The Gun Lake Tribe has announced donations totaling $500,000 to several local schools and Allegan County government to help deal with the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
The donations come from the Tribe’s Coronavirus Relief Fund in connection with the federal CARES Act. Donations will fund school safety mitigation efforts, and a county mobile vaccination unit.
“We are happy to provide our friends and neighbors with additional funding during these very difficult times,” said Tribal Chairman Bob Petersn. “The mobile vaccination unit will play an important role in getting our community back to normal, but in the meantime helping to keep our local schoolteachers and students safe is the next best thing.”
The Tribal Council recently decided to forego $500,000 of CARES Act money to instead distribute $25,000 each to 11 local school districts — Wayland, Hamilton, Hopkins, Martin, Saugatuck, Plainwell, Otsego, Saugatuck, Glenn, Allegan and the Allegan Area Educational Services Agency (AAESA).
Allegan County will receive $225,000 to purchase a mobile vaccination unit that will provide area residents with a COVID-19 vaccine once one is available to the general public.
Allegan County Administrator Robert Sarro said, “The donation of the Mobile Clinic serves as another example of the support the Gun Lake Tribe provides for the overall Allegan County community. The Mobile Clinic will be an instrumental tool to help bring various public health services closer to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic and long after,”
Schools can use relief funds to expand broadband capacity, hire new teachers, develop online curriculum, acquire computers and digital devices, and install ventilation and air filtration equipment.
AAESA Supt. William Brown said, “Allegan County school districts, like all districts nationwide, are being faced with unprecedented situations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The generosity of the Gun Lake Tribe will help ease the financial burden associated with remote learning, PPE, and sanitation procedures. We sincerely thank the Gun Lake Tribe for their unwavering support.”