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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2017)
Courtesy photos above and top right by Paul Navin Courtesy photos right and bottoom right by Angela Ramirez Students from Siletz Valley School take the Healing March over two different routes through neighborhoods in Siletz to encourage other students and community members to not use drugs.. Healing, continued from page 1 in order to help kids abstain if they find themselves in a situation where they might struggle to say no. The kids had discussions, asked questions and roll-played throughout the 11 weeks. We thought it would be nice to end the curriculum with a march. This gave kids the chance to provide a public service announcement to the community that abusing drugs is not OK and we want people to get the help they need to stop and heal. After finishing the curriculum in January, we have missed working with the kids each week. Going to the school the last month to work with them once again on mak- ing their posters has been inspiring. They came up with their own slogans and designs. The creativity of these kids is inspiring! B e the E nd of A ll the U ndesirable T houghts of Y ourself Drugs End All Dreams! Be A Heroine Don’t Do Heroin We Are The Future! The march began with a student assembly in the gym. Ron Butler Jr and Isaac Butler started the march with a song. The students, teachers and other school staff formed two groups and marched out into the rainy spring weather armed with their banners, posters, rain jackets and umbrellas. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office led each group and the Siletz Valley Fire Department brought up the end for safety. With the two groups splitting up the residential areas of Siletz, they were able to cover six miles in about two hours. In the Siletz area, drug and alcohol abuse affects everyone either directly or indi- rectly. The march ended with the two groups meeting at the Veterans Memorial at the Paul Washington Cemetery to take a moment of silence to remember those we have lost to addiction. Both of the pastors who attended, Luke Frechette from South Beach Church and Vance Lindstrom from Siletz Gospel Tabernacle, offered up prayers for the community as whole, those afflicted by the disease of addiction, their families and the professionals who work in the sheriff’s office, courts and treatment programs. Following the march, a dinner at the Tribal Community Center that was open to the public was prepared by Frank Aspira and his daughter, Roberta. Everyone loved his homemade potato salad! The march was about the Siletz community coming together to demonstrate a drug-free community is needed for everyone’s health. We were able to show that sup- port and services are available to anyone; Tribal and non-Tribal, who wants to live a sober lifestyle. As the service learning coordinator, I worked closely with Dee on making this march happen as a community service project for the youth at Siletz Valley School. We had many community partners who joined our team for this march. Deputy Bruster from the sheriff’s office has been attending the CEDARR meetings monthly and has wanted to host a community dinner for more than a year. This march was able to accomplish all of this with a remarkable turnout. Many thanks to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, CEDARR (Community Efforts Demonstrating the Ability to Rebuild and Restore), Siletz Neighborhood Watch, PADDA (Partnership Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse), Siletz Valley School, South Beach Church, Siletz Gospel Tabernacle and the Siletz Fire Department for joining our team! 10 • Siletz News • May 2017
