Legends Casino Hotel: More Than $1 Million Granted to Nonprofits

Through Yakama Cares and the Community Impact Fund, Legends Casino Hotel will distribute $1,063,645 to nonprofit organizations supporting our community today. The Yakama Cares program selected 144 nonprofits to share $525,872 while larger grants supporting law enforcement, healthcare, and our municipalities were awarded through the Community Impact Fund.

Yakama Cares, an annual event, donates funds to create positive impacts in the communities we serve, and it is funded through the Charitable Contribution fund. Non-profit organizations submit their applications annually between January 1 and March 31. The impacts of these grants will be felt throughout Central Washington including Yakima, Benton, Kittitas, and Klickitat counties. The committee for the Charitable Contribution fund received 274 applications to evaluate for the 2022 distribution. The applications undergo multiple rounds of cuts before the final selection. The committee bases part of their selection on the areas of need in the community.

The organizations receiving a distribution comprise many communities, and this year, grants awarded range from $1,000 to $30,000 per recipient. Grants include hospice care, fire department support, veteran service animals, materials to support education, support for food banks and more. Close to 50% of the funding supports fire departments and schools in our community.

The Community Impact Fund seeks to aid larger projects that benefit the community as a whole. This fund is administered by an independent committee including representatives of Toppenish or Wapato, Yakima, the state gaming commission, the Yakama gaming commission, and Yakama Tribal Council. For 2022, $527,773 has been designated in amounts from just over $18,000 for a drone to more than $132,000 for a fire truck. Recipients include fire and police departments for both the Cities of Toppenish and Wapato, Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, Yakima County Fire Protection District No.5, and Yakama Nation service providers such as White Swan Ambulance, Tribal School, Justice Services, and more.