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Courtesy photos by Chinook Winds Casino Resort staff
Chinook Winds staff (above), including Angela Calkins and her granddaughter
Taylor, Rich Vaughn, Monica Logan, Melinda Logan, Carole Clark, Heidi Cookson
and her son, and Teresa Simmons, as well as community volunteers, set up the
pinwheel garden.
Teresa Simmons (above left) is named co-winner of the Woman of the Year Award
at the Community Days Banquet. Ashlin DeMello (left) receives the Community
Spirit Award from Sar Richards, casino general manager.
Chinook Winds Casino Resort employees Heidi Cookson (1) and Lee Johnson (r)
with Tillie Miller from the Lincoln City Food Pantry (below) brave the rain to
volunteer at the Community Days Food Drive.
Chinook Winds partners with several groups during annual Community Days
Each year, Lincoln City holds Com
munity Days, a citywide event designed for
local residents. This celebration is planned
by a volunteer committee that includes
a representative from the casino and its
events are fundraisers for area nonprofits.
Such a wide range of events take
place during the nine days of Community
Days that there really is something for
everyone. The date changes from year to
year because the week is anchored by Eas
ter weekend, when the Kiwanis Club has
an Easter egg hunt for area children. The
events change from year to year as well.
Chinook Winds Casino Resort takes
part in many of the events throughout
the week, culminating with the Com
munity Days Awards Banquet on the
final Saturday (April 30 this year), held
at Chinook Winds. Each year, Chinook
Winds presents a Spirit Award to one indi
vidual who has exemplified community
spirit. This year’s Spirit Award winner is
Ashlin DeMello, who has set an amazing
example for today’s youth.
22* •
Siletz News
•
In 2006 when her cousin, Seth, was
killed in combat in Iraq, she became deter
mined to never waste the freedoms he died
to protect and made a promise to honor
Seth’s memory by making a difference in
the world. Since then, she has made the
world a better place.
In just the past year, DeMello con
tinued to deliver Meals on Wheels, vol
unteered Sundays at her church, became
a volunteer firefighter and first responder,
raised money for and then went to Haiti
for a month to help continue the relief
efforts, turned 18 and last but certainly not
least, graduated from high school.
Also honored at the Community Days
Banquet was Community Relations Man
ager Teresa Simmons, who was named
co-winner of the 2011 Woman of the
Year award.
She was nominated for her dedication
to service and nonprofit organizations
throughout the city. Also mentioned was
her steadfast commitment to community
in bringing the Siletz Tribe and Chinook
June 2011
Winds together with what is going on
around Lincoln City.
Simmons has been employed at Chi
nook Winds for more than 14 years.
Miss Oregon Stephenie Steers, spon
sored by the Lions Club, made appear
ances throughout the week. Chinook
Winds provided lodging for her stay in
Lincoln City.
She is shown on page 20 with a
Chinook Winds Relay For Life T-shirt
presented to her at a Kiwanis Club lun
cheon. Steers promised to wear it at the
opening lap of the Relay For Life event
in Seaside this summer.
Chinook Winds, in cooperation with
the Lincoln City Cultural Center and the
Children’s Trust Fund of Oregon, sponsored
a pinwheel garden at the Cultural Center
to heighten awareness of child abuse in
Oregon and promote its prevention.
Pinwheels shining brightly in the
sun and spinning in the wind were gently
and patiently placed in the ground on the
Cultural Center lawn by casino staff and
community volunteers on April 23 to
herald the opening of Community Days.
Later, they were removed and saved to
be placed around the perimeter of the
casino’s child care/arcade for people to
enjoy throughout the spring and summer.
Chinook Winds also provided logoed
mints tucked into Easter eggs at the
Kiwanis’ Easter egg hunt; staff volun
teered to be announcers during Radio
Days; a staff member and member of the
Kiwanis Club planned the putt putt golf
event for the Kiwanis Club; a Relay For
Life trivia fundraiser was held at Aces Bar
& Grill; staff worked at the annual food
drive at Kenny’s IGA and at the Kiwanis
breakfast; and Chinook Winds sponsored
two teams in the Mud Flats Golf Tourna
ment. These were just a few of the many
events that took place during the week
and those in which Chinook Winds had
direct involvement.
This is just one example of Chinook
Winds’ ongoing commitment to partner
ship in the community.