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SAULT STE MARIE, MI - The Sault Tribe's Elder Dividend Program mailed checks to 2,020 elders Jan. 5. Each check totals $1,280.14 and was sent to tribal elders who turned 60 years of age by Dec. 31, 2000.

This year's Elder Dividend payment totals about $2.8 million and comes from a $19.7 million land settlement the federal government paid to the Tribe in 1997, which the tribal Board of Directors invested and earmarked to fund yearly Elder Dividend payments.

Chairman Bernard Bouschor said the program is an investment that tribal elders can rely on. "It's distributed about $7.9 million to tribal elders since 1998 and it will continue to generate funds for future generations," Bouschor said.

The program is one of several trust accounts the tribe created in the past five years to provide future funds to tribal services. Known as the Tribe's Self-Sufficiency Program, these trusts accounts annually generate millions of dollars to help elders pay for medical supplies, provide elder employment opportunities, help members with college expenses, and provide member funeral benefits.

For more information regarding the Elder Dividend Program call toll free, phone: 800-793-0660.