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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.