Black Oak Casino and Tuolumne Band of Me Wuk Indians Receive Award from Vietnam Veterans State Council

Media invited to attend award presentation on Wed, July 28th at noon at Black Oak Casino

Black Oak Casino and the Tuolumne Band of Me Wuk Indians are being recognized for their generous donations and support of the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). They are the top corporate sponsor of the VVA in the state of California, and the coveted 2010 Business Supporter of the Year Award will be presented to them by the VVA California State Council on Wednesday, July 28th at noon at Black Oak Casino. Media are invited to attend.

"Black Oak Casino and the Tuolumne Band of Me Wuk Indians help make each of our events successful," said Cher Brandt, president of VVA Chapter 391 of Sonora. "There has not been a fundraiser that when asked or a donation that they have not given generously, and that includes several fundraisers each year, and sometimes they weren’t even asked. The backbone to any chapter’s community support is its contributors."

Black Oak Casino has been active in supporting veterans including sponsoring the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans parade, which was the first and only parade of its kind in the U.S. The parade, which was held on March 28th in Sonora, attracted up to 7,000 spectators and more than 500 Vietnam-era veterans marched. In addition, the Casino has special nights for veterans, relies on VVA Chapter 391′s Color Guard for Veteran’s Day, and participates in the chapter’s annual golf tournament.

VVA Chapter 391 in Sonora is the largest VVA Chapter in California and has been awarded Chapter of the Year for two consecutive Biennial State Council conventions. They rank #6 out of 650 chapters in the U.S. and last year, raised more than $130,000 and supported the community with $128,000 in donations, Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets, and scholarships to graduating high school seniors.