NOTICES
STCCF Helps Fund Habitat for Humanity House
by Marika Pullani
The Silelz Tribal Charitable Con
tribution Fund awarded $10.583 to
Habitat lor Humanity of Lincoln
County in August. This money will go
toward the foundation, plumbing, and
electrical for its eighth house.
Partner families are required to put
in 500 hours of “sweat equity.” They
can do this by helping to build their
own house, building houses for oth
ers. or working in the Habitat office.
The average cost to build a Habi
tat house is $60,000. Thanks to Lin
coln County's Habitat for Humanity
and tribal charitable fund, another fam
ily is able to build a house.
Habitat for Humanity was founded
in 1976 in Americus, Georgia. Its
goal is to eliminate poverty housing.
Through donations of money, materi
als, and volunteer labor, it’s able to build
houses for families in need.
Currently, more than 2(X).(XX) houses
have been built around the world with
the assistance of the Habitat for Human
ity organization. More than 2, l(X) active
affiliates exist in 92 countries.
A committee chooses partner fami
lies by assessing the homeowners’
level of need, their willingness to be
come partners in the program, and their
ability to repay the loan.
Lincoln County’s Habitat for Hu
manity has been part of the commu
nity for the past I I years. Since 1995,
Left to right: Lee Furlong, Louise, and Gladys Hartsei from Habitat: Ashley Sheppard and Kelly Johnson
(Kathy's son and daughter-in-law); Chris Kirkpatrick, homeowner: Kathy Johnson (Chris' significant other):
Vance Johnson (Kathy's son); Kristina Ewing (tribal member, Vance's significant other, and Alisa’s mother);
Alisa Johnson (tribal member and daughter of Vance and Kristina): and Schatzi the dog.
Habitat for Humanity in Lincoln
County has completed seven houses
and it’s starting its eighth house with
the money from the tribe. This house
will be built in Lincoln City, as will the
organization's next two houses.
For more details on how you can help
Lincoln County's Habitat for Humanity,
visit www.newportnet.com/habitat.
Reach The Rez Successfully Completes First Year
SEATTLE, Wash. - In an unprec
edented nationwide campaign, the
Reach The Rez Project recently made
history by successfully completing its
inaugural music and speaking tour
through Indian Country.
Covering more than 54,000 miles
to meet with 211 communities, Reach
The Rez delivered messages of
strength and empowerment to thou
sands of American Indians. While the
effort is ultimately aimed at the better
ment of all communities and the en
richment of all people, Reach The Rez
programs are specifically designed to
effectively reach American Indian
people, particularly youth.
What once was termed “a highly
ambitious idea," the tour has become
a reality because of the vision of
award-winning American Indian rap
artist and actor. Litefoot, and title spon
sors. the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation,
the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Okla
homa. the Cherokee Nation of Okla
homa. and Daimler/Chrysler.
The 2006 tour began in February
and culminated with the year's final
show at Seattle's Indian Heritage High
School in October. Litefoot has com
mitted to touring North America's
underserved reservations over a five-
year period to help his consistent mes
12
•
Siletz News
•
sages of hope and prosperity take root
in Native communities.
“This movement is unlike any other
journey our people have witnessed,”
said Litefoot. “Look back at any of the
campaigns where Indian people have
traversed across these lands, from the
Trail of Tears to the flight of the Nez
Perce. Too often, these campaigns
forced our retreat or relocated us. This
is the first large-scale effort that has had
Natives traveling across the country for
something positive and healthy.
“The tide is turning. We are no
longer traveling such distances to flee
or relocate - we are covering this
ground to unite our people and make
us stronger, so our young people will
not merely survive but will live a life
of purpose.”
A member of the Cherokee Nation
of Oklahoma, Litefoot has invested his
musical career in performing concerts
for predominantly Native audiences
while simultaneously delivering inspir
ing speeches that show his experiences
as an artist, his understanding of
American Indian history, and his posi
tive vision for the future of Native people.
He developed the multi-faceted
Reach The Rez Project with the goal
of taking the program to every reser
vation in the United States and Canada.
In addition to the tour, the Reach The
January 2007
Rez Project includes a documentary film
of the tour, a weekly Reach The Rez
radio show, a Reach The Rez maga
zine, and the future launch of an inter
active Internet community called Glo
bal Lodge™.
Realizing that few people travel to
Indian reservations to learn about the
country's first residents, Litefoot and
company are proactively preparing a
documentary film that will instead take
the “rez” to the public.
Filmed on location throughout the
tour, the Reach The Rez documentary
has captured the faces and places of
contemporary Indian Country and will
be widely distributed to schools and
other organizations in the United States
and Canada upon completion.
With more than 760 hours of film
recorded, the documentary will cata
log the experiences, opinions, cultures,
and viewpoints of modern-day Native
people, with the mission of exposing
mainstream society to the challenges
of today’s American Indians.
With his commitment to remain
connected to the communities he vis
its, Litefoot continues to engage Na
tive audiences with the unique Reach
The Rez radio show. The show, which
first aired in December 2005, is broad
cast weekly through Native Voice One
(NV1) and American Indian Radio On
Satellite (AIROS), and is available via
Podcast and free download at
www.reachtherezradio.com .
Even before the wheels of the tour
bus rolled to a stop, plans were under
way for the tour’s 2007 leg.
“We’ve been blessed to have the
support of so many along the way and
we're fortunate to see Reach The Rez
brought to fruition,” said Litefoot, “and
we’re just gettin’ started.”
For additional information on future
Reach The Rez events and tour stops,
visit www.reachtherez.org.
The Reach The Rez Project is a pro
gram of the Association for American
Indian Development, a 501 (c)(3), non
profit organization.
Litefoot has appeared in movies
such as The Indian in the Cupboard,
Mortal Combat: Annihilation, and The
Song of Hiawatha, and TV spots on
CSI and Any Day Now.
Named Native American Music
Awards Artist of the Year for 2005,
Litefoot has recorded 1 1 albums on his
own label. Red Vinyl Records, and has
created Litefoot Music Group, a new
label featuring rising Native artists.
Litefoot and his wife, Carmen
Davis, co-own several clothing lines,
including Native Style™.