S moke S ignals
OCTOBER 1, 2016
11
SMART seeking local volunteer readers
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
The Tribal Education Depart-
ment is teaming with the SMART
reading program in Grand Ronde
during the school year and is seek-
ing volunteers to help.
The SMART (Start Making Read-
ers Today) program is Oregon’s
largest volunteer reading program
reaching as many as 10,000 stu-
dents in 260 schools in 2015.
SMART has worked with more
than 180,000 students and 118,000
volunteers throughout Oregon
since its inception in 1992.
According to Program Manager
Michael Finlay, SMART volunteers
are currently working with students
in Grand Ronde and Willamina
schools and the program is actively
seeking more volunteer readers.
SMART volunteers read one-on-
one with preschoolers and students
up to third grade for two separate
sessions on Thursdays from 10 to
11 a.m. and 11 to 11:30 a.m. There
are two groups for volunteers who
can donate an hour and those that
can help for 30 minutes.
Tribal Early Childhood Educa-
tion Manager Angie Blackwell said
that participating students also
will receive two free books a month.
“Throughout the course of the
year they can build their own li-
brary,” said Blackwell. “It’s really
a positive relationship.”
Blackwell said the program isn’t
just about reading and helping
young students learn to read. She
said it’s also about bonding and
building relationships through
consistent contact.
“It’s weekly,” said Blackwell.
“You have the same adult reading
with the same children every single
week so being consistent is really
important. It really helps the kids
develop a relationship with that
person that is reading to them
and it just helps them to enjoy the
process of reading more. So, that’s
what is really important is kids
aren’t just learning to read, they
are learning to love reading.”
Tribal Education Department
Manager Leslie Riggs agrees with
Blackwell that children benefit from
relationships that are established
through the SMART program.
“There is a bonding time that
occurs and that portion of it is awe-
some,” said Riggs. “This is a win/
win. The SMART program is such
a great program.”
Finlay said the program plans to
serve all 70 students at Tribal Head
Start and also 20 students in Wil-
lamina. That’s where volunteers
come in, says Finlay.
“In order to do this we need more
volunteers,” said Finlay.
Blackwell said that the Tribe’s
charitable arm, Spirit Mountain
Community Fund, has been a big
supporter of the SMART program
over the years.
SMART, through the Oregon Chil-
dren’s Foundation, has received 15
grants from the Community Fund
totaling $767,500 over the years.
While the relationships that
are made through the one-on-one
reading portion of the interaction
are extremely important, Riggs
said the relationship between the
SMART program and the Tribe is
equally important and that it has
been “very strong” so far.
The relationship is such a strong
one that Riggs had no problem
securing permission from Tribal
General Manager David Fullerton
for staff members to spend this time
with students without having to
use their paid time off to volunteer.
“My thoughts were, ‘Why not?’”
said Fullerton. “What a better
opportunity to sit down with some
kids and I think it is something we
should be encouraging our staff to
be doing. I think supervisors should
support getting involved.”
Fullerton said getting involved
and participating in the community
is one of the best attributes about
working for the Tribe.
“Whether it’s going over and sit-
ting with the Elders or reading to
the kids – get involved,” said Fuller-
ton. “So for me, if I can remove all
the barriers to do that then I think
that is important. We have a great
opportunity to work here; we have
good jobs with good benefits so give
something back.”
To become a SMART reader visit
www.getsmartoregon.org or contact
Finlay at 503-391-8423.
Adult Members’ Trust and Minors’
Custodial & Rabbi Trust Funds
Investments in the Adult Members’ Trust Fund and the Minors’
Custodial and Rabbi Trust Funds are updated each business day.
If you are a trust participant and/or if you are the parent/guardian
of a minor member, you can access and review your balance and your
minor child’s balance by visiting www.401Save.com.
To log-in, the initial User ID is your (or your child’s) Social Security
number, and the initial Password is “00” followed by your (or your
child’s) membership number. Once logged in, you can customize your
User ID and password for security purposes.
If you have any trouble logging in to or using the system, contact
the 401Save Call Center at 1-888-700-0808 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
To find out more, attend a FREE Start Your Business class!
JOIN US at the Grand Ronde Adult Education Building
on the second Thursday of every month at 4PM
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR
LEARN MORE AT:
WWW.meritnw.org
Or call 503 548-7314
Seeking your donations for 4 organizations!
G RAND R ONDE H ELPING H ANDS
I SKAM M ƎK ʰM ƎK -H AWS , T HE C LOTHES C LOSET , E MPOWERMENT O UTREACH MINISTRIES , AND
A C AUSE FOR P AWS ARE WORKING TOGETHER
You’ve got it. We want it!
Saturday, Oct. 15
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Give to 4 organizations in one location!
Iskam MǝkʰMǝk-Haws is seeking items for holiday
B a ck t o S ch o o l
Yo u t h P ow wow
Please join us at the
Tribal Gymnasium
October 7, 2016
5:30 PM– 8:00 PM
Grand Entry at 5:30
Dinner at 6:45
boxes and donations for our auctions at the
Spookghetti Fest fundraiser.
The Clothes Closet is seeking new or gently used
Halloween costumes.
Empowerment Outreach is seeking camping equipment,
bedding, sleeping bags (broken zipper ok) for homeless
families.
All ages welcome !!
join in and dance !!
A Cause for Paws is seeking pet food, toys, and beds.
We will take books for our lending library.
Clean out your food pantry, we’ll figure out the
expiration dates!
If you are not sure, bring it or give us a call.
Iskam MǝkʰMǝk-Haws
9675 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR 97347
503-879-FOOD (3663)
Follow us on Facebook
For more information please contact: Brian Krehbiel at 503 -879-4639
Please be respectful by not displaying Gang affiliation or
bringing Drugs, Alcohol or weapons to this event.