for high school students from western North Carolina. The Jones-Bowman Adult Leadership Program, which enables tribal members who are college undergraduates to develop their leadership capabilities by participating in individual leadership learning programs. The Right Path, a culture-based leadership development program for adult members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Economic development and job creation Tourism is a principal driver of economic development on the Qualla Boundary, the homeland of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and significant funding from the Foundation has strengthened the Tribe's principal cultural attractions, including the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc., the Oconaluftee Indian Village, and the Unto These Hills an outdoor theater. Two grantees of the Foundation, the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce and the Sequoyah Fund, have been strong forces that are changing the course of local business development. The Sequoyah Fund, for example, has made low-cost loans available to merchants in the Cherokee business district for new roofs and building facades that complement the Tribe's new Riverbend development and enhance the visual appeal of Cherokee's downtown. Other Sequoyah Fund loans and support services are helping new and experienced entrepreneurs to start and expand businesses. Environmental preservation For many hundreds of years, it has been important to the Cherokee people that they be good stewards of the land. Through a community-wide planning effort begun by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation known as Generation Qualla, many new green initiatives are underway, including work to make tribal buildings more energy efficient, development of a green building standard, a significant increase in local recycling, streamlining of the site review process for all construction on the Qualla Boundary, and engagement of Cherokee communities in environmental improvement projects. References Further reading “Ancient Footpaths of a Lost Era," Smoky Mountain News, October 20, 2010 “WNC Schools Hooked up with Fiber,” Smoky Mountain News, July 10, 2010 “Eastern Cherokees Reclaim Tradition of Caring," Indianz.com, June 4, 2010 “Efforts Underway to Revitalize Downtown Cherokee, NC,” Indian Country Today, September 19, 2008 External links Cherokee Preservation Foundation Official Website of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Native Americans in Philanthropy Native American organizations Cherokee culture Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Foundations based in the United States Rural community development Organizations established in 2000