Graduates!
Danielle Payne: Ask for help and it will be found
By Andy Taylor
Danielle Payne was ready for a career
shift in 2012 after working as a beautician
for six years then proprietor after opening
her own salon for an additional five years.
A newly single mother of four children,
she took a Work Experience (WEX) posi-
tion through the 477 Self-Sufficiency Pro-
gram (SSP) at Portland State University
in Native studies for six months.
Inspired to start going to college
again and work toward her degree in
accounting and business, Danielle asked
Tribal Education Specialist Katy Hol-
land for help. Utilizing the assistance of
the Education Department, Danielle was
able to start classes full time at Portland
Community College (PCC).
In April 2015, having attended PCC,
Danielle took another WEX position, this
time with the Bureau of Indian Affairs
until August 2015. She then moved to
Siletz, finishing her position in the Tribe’s
Accounting Department.
Moziah McCrae
Desert Edge High School
Congratulations, Moziah! The sky
is the limit! “We can only be what we
give ourselves the power to be.” We are so
proud of you!
Love, Mom, Dad and Dooka
Bianca Nicole Regalado
Chemeketa Community College
Congratulations on graduating medi-
cal school, class of 2018. We are so proud
of you!
Love, your family
General Council
Meeting
After this, Danielle took the vacant
temporary central office clerk job for
about eight months, a position that paved
a path to full-time permanent employment
with Chinook Winds Casino Resort’s Pro-
tégé Program, learning the business and
management skills she desired.
Photo by Andy Taylor
Danielle Payne
Today, Danielle works for the Siletz
Tribe as the Women’s TLC coordinator,
a transitional living home for women to
stay in while working toward living a
clean and sober future.
Ref lecting on having been in the
position of needing Tribal assistance and
now having the opportunity to give back
to the community and serving her Tribe,
Danielle said, “You just have to ask for the
help and it will be found. It doesn’t mat-
ter if you’ve hit rock bottom or struggle
with addiction. If you work hard you can
be successful with anything you put your
mind to.”
Participating in these programs gave
her the tools necessary to be a better
provider for her children, who range from
8-14 years old. It also brought her closer
to family and the community, putting her
only minutes from her mother, Pamela
Rilatos, and her siblings as well as her
nieces and nephews.
Danielle and her family spend their
free time together, cheering for their kids
in sports. She coaches her daughter’s vol-
leyball teams, attends pow-wows and many
other Tribal functions, works on building
her credit and has high hopes of buying
a house soon.
Thankful for the Higher Education
Department for building her confidence
and the SSP program, she said, “They
helped me get my foot in the door so
I could show myself as a dedicated
employee. They also helped me buy work-
appropriate clothes. I couldn’t have done
that on the income I had.”
The future holds excitement as Dani-
elle sets her sights on getting into a home
with her children and gears toward fin-
ishing her degree. She is grateful for the
hurdles she’s overcome and content with
her roll in life, saying, “I just hope I can
make a difference in the community and
help Tribal members obtain life skills to
be self-sufficient and successful.”
Isaac Butler
SVECA
Congratulations, Isaac Butler – Class
of 2018. What a great role model you are
to all the people around you!
You are an inspiration to us all!
Have a great time in college!
Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018 • 1 p.m.
Siletz Tribal Community Center
Siletz, Oregon
Call to Order
Invocation
Flag Salute
Roll Call
Approval of Agenda
Approval of Minutes
Here’s how you can donate to the
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(STAHS) painlessly and effortlessly.
It’s as easy as 1,2,3,4. Thank you for
supporting STAHS!
Programs – Dental
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Siletz News
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Use Amazon SMILE
to donate to STAHS
1. Go to Amazon.com.
2. In the Department drop down
box, type Amazon Smile.
3. See Amazon Smile – You shop.
Amazon Gives.
4. Follow the easy directions.
August 2018
Villegas graduates from Home Visiting Program
The Home Visiting Program is pleased to announce that Martha Villegas has
graduated from our program.
She entered the program in October 2015 when her youngest child, Barbara (far
left in photo above, joined by Issachar, Makya and Jarzira), was around 6 months
old and graduated April 2018.
Martha stuck with the Home Visiting program as she worked to become the
best parent she could be in the midst of life challenges. Those challenges included
being in drug rehab, working to get her children back, graduating from drug rehab
and moving with her family into the community.
“I think if you are a new mother, it would be a good resource,” said Martha.
Congratulations, Martha!