TULSA, Okla. – Along with several community volunteers, Cherokee Nation Entertainment, Cherokee Nation Businesses and Cherokee Nation employees recently joined forces to complete the Eucha Community Center located near Lake Eucha in Delaware County.

The center will be used as a gathering place for community events and serve as a shelter for residents in need.

“It was a great opportunity to not only help a local community, but also many of our employees who make their home in or near the Eucha community. The center will provide a safe, large and convenient place for local residents to come together,” said David Stewart, CEO of CNE, which operates Cherokee Casinos and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.

The volunteers’ work included installing 25-foot tin ceiling panels, construction cleanup and electrical wiring from Kyle Long, CNE employee, licensed electrician.

“I was surprised CNE contacted me about coming to help out. I didn’t expect that, but we were real pleased with their help and the work we got done that day,” said Cullus Buck, Eucha resident and project lead for the Eucha Community Center.

Resident volunteers plan to open the community center within the next month.

In addition to Eucha Community Center, recent CNE contributions to local nonprofit and volunteer organizations include $20,000 to the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare angel tree as well as CNE employees adopting 700 angels individually, $1,000 to the Fort Gibson Fire Department for holiday food baskets and $10,000 to pet assistance programs and animal aid organizations.

This year, CNE has supported community nonprofit and municipal agencies with more than $1 million in donations.

CNE operates seven casinos located in Tulsa, West Siloam Springs, Tahlequah, Fort Gibson, Roland, Sallisaw and Claremore, and employs more than 3,600 people in northeastern Oklahoma.