NEW BUFFALO — Scholarships, summer school programs, library revitalizations and field trips are among the long list of programs that have been funded by The Pokagon Fund through the years in support of students in the communities it serves. But protecting the safety of students during the youthful rites of passage known as Prom Night and Grad Night became a prime focus of grants recently awarded by the Fund’s Board of Directors.

The Pokagon Fund has announced awards totaling $11,500 to programs at three area high schools that are designed to keep students in a safe environment during Prom Night and Grad Night 2015.

Grants were awarded to programs for students at the Hartford Public Schools and the Dowagiac Union High School by Andy Jackson and Micky Martin, the Pokagon Band Tribal Representatives on the Board of Directors of The Pokagon Fund. Hartford and Dowagiac are part of the communities surrounding the Band Trust land consolidation sites that benefit from The Pokagon Fund allocations that are distributed solely at the discretion of the two Tribal Representatives.

Dowagiac Celebration Graduation was awarded $4,000 for an alcohol and drug free all-night celebration of graduation day by Dowagiac Union High School seniors, which was modeled after the National Grad Night Network established by the United States Department of Transportation. According to that governmental agency, 5,202 teens are injured and 48 are killed in automobile accidents during a typical graduation weekend throughout the nation.

“These are frightening statistics, and the Pokagon Fund is doing its part in making the graduate’s special night safe for them and the community,” Jackson said.

The Dowagiac event is administered solely by parents of senior students according to Kelli Casey, the Vice President of Dowagiac Celebration Graduation 2015.

“It is highlighted by a mystery trip to an undisclosed location chosen by the parents and will be full of surprises,” Casey said. “We are thrilled to have The Pokagon Fund serve as a sponsor for this event and thank the fund for its assistance”.

The Pokagon Fund is a nonprofit private foundation located in New Buffalo. It is funded by revenue from The Four Winds Casino Resort. Grants are awarded to nonprofit and governmental organizations in Southwest Michigan, as well as Hartford, Dowagiac and South Bend. Since the organization’s inception in 2007, The Pokagon Fund has provided over $19.6 million in grant awards and scholarships to enhance the lives of the families in their service area.