Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1981)
- AY b IW1----------------------------------------------------------------------- — ---------------------------------------- i_________ SP II VAV TYMOO ____________ SPILYAY TYMOO________________________________ g Warm Springs Community Center provides “Providing the Warm Springs community with opportunities to make worthwhile use of their leisure time” is the goal the Community Center has in mind in its operation and existence, according to assistant director Eva Montee. Whatever people do in their leisure time is considered recreation and might mean different things to different people. But it’s all there at the Community Center. From basketball for adults to the Cookie Monster Club for youngsters, the Community Center attempts to meet the needs of all community members—as diversified as they may be. This has been going on since 1964 when the C om m unity C enter building was completed. The necessity of the Community Center was realized when the number of youths attending the summer program initiated by Nelson Wallulatum at Peter’s Pasture outgrew the area. The program included recreation, employment and cultural activities for youth People began to discuss permanent housing for such activities, according to the Community, Center’s first director, Rudy Clements. The Community Center opened with a full program. It was especially successful, Rudy feels, because the programs utilized community people on a voluntary basis. There was not a lot of money for staff and programs. The excitement of a new Community Center wore off and vounteer help was hard to come by. A full staff was hired to administer programs necessary to meet the needs of the community. Today the Community Center employs fourteen people from adm inistration to grounds-keepers. The list includes: director Satch Miller; assistant director Eva Montee; activity coordinators Lyle Rhoan, Carol Allison, Vernon Suppah; aides Lucinda Green and Austin Greene; grounds-keeper Ron Govenor; assistant grounds-keeper and golf in s tr u c to r T om E stim o ; m a in te n a n c e su p e rv iso r W ilk in s “ P o p e y e ” H ellon; housekeeper Caroline Tohet; janitor Chris Sedillo and Lupe Duran; and a CETA employee working on the grounds, Byron Berry. The staff at the Community Center makes a concerted effort to get everyone involved in activities. Suggestions for new programs or activities are taken very seriously and discussed at staff meetings. Still, all the needs are not being met, Clements feels, he points out that the recreational needs assessment will be valuable in determining what direction the Community Center should head and on what in particular in should focus. Having been involved in the Community Center Rudy Clements says, “I think the Community Center has been an asset to the community and it would be more so if people would get involved in the planning and carrying out of programs on both a voluntary and professional basis.” The building itself should be devoted just to Community Center activities, Clements thinks. The Community Center now is competing with non-recreational programs. His feeling is that more money has to be put into the Center in the way of people rather tha Center in the way of people rather than equipment. Clements is also concerned with reversing the trend in family recreational practices. “Families have been conditioned to leave kids at the Community Center” rather than coming in and joining tnem in recreation. The Community Center exists for the whole community, not for just a few members. The staff is dedicated to making leisure time for community members the time to re-create one’s self through good, healthy activity. Ze lessons in Volleyball for fun has led to tournament games Built in 1964 the Community Center building provides housing for the recreational pursuits o f all Warm Springs community members. A fter school activities for youth at the Community Center include the game room where motor skills can be sharpened. Many activities are made available which bring children and adults closer together. Spilyay Tymoo photos by Marsha Shewczyk Little girls have the chance to begin a gymnastics career through the Community Center gymnastics program. Noon aerobics is offered as a way fo r tribal members and employees to keep the body flexible and in shape.
