May 8, 2 0 0 8
Spilyay Tyrooo, Wgrro Springs, Oregon
Page 8
Govenor recognized for outstanding service
B y L e slie M itts
Spilyay Pymoo
One local woman has been
honored for her years of work
with victims o f crime.
Viola Govenor received thé
2008 Domestic Violence Citizen
Award from the Je fferso n
County Domestic Violence Task
Force.
Govenor is the co-recipient
o f the award for outstanding
service in the fight against do
mestic violence.
She began her career as a
community health representa
tive with I.H.S. and later at the
Senior Services P rogram .
Govenor also served as one of
the members o f the first Tribal
Community Police Team.
G ovenor later retired and
took a three-year break before
volunteering as a victim advo
cate with Victims of Crime Ser
vices (VOCS) and later began
working for VOCS full-time.
Also receiving the Domestic
Violence Citizen Award was
Bonnie Namenuk, a volunteer
fo r the Je ffe rso n C ounty
Victim’s Assistance Office.
Mark Matthews, VOCS di
rector, presented Govenor with
a plaque at the m ost recent
Jefferson County Domestic Vio
lence Task Force meeting.
He spoke of her past work
with VOCS and said one of the
areas she excels in is giving
Leslie Mitts/Spilyay
Cecil Govenor, Valerie Govenor and Leila Govenor (left to right) all showed their support for
their mother, Viola Govenor, along with her sister Amelia Tewee (at right).
Fellow advocate Tina Aguilar
said she has known Govenor
since she was a young girl and
often goes to her when she has
a problem.
“She makes me smile and she
makes me laugh, so that’s a good
thing,” Aguilar said. “Viola
seems to always be there for us.
I appreciate her very much.”
Govenor’s daughter, Valerie
Govenor, said her mother has
always been a compassionate
person.
“grandmotherly hugs” and con
necting with victims on an emo
tional level.
“She’s very good at giving the
emotional support and that’s an
intangible factor,” Matthews
said. “It’s the emotional support
that really helps our victims of
crime.”
Govenor works specifically
with local issues of elder abuse
and serves on the Elder Abuse
M ultidisciplinary
Team,
Matthews said.
“I commend her and I also
thank her for being my mother,”
Valerie Govenor said. “I really
thank her for her understand
ing and love.”
Govenor spoke o f her work
with VOCS over the years and,
said, “It has been rewarding.”
She didn’t learn that she was
receiving the award until a re
cent staff meeting, she said,
even though Aguilar had to take
her photo for the announcement
in the Jefferson County Domes
tic Violence Task Force’s annual
publication— Aguilar told her
she needed a photo for a “spe
cial project” and even went so
far, as to take photos o f all the
other employees in order to suc
cessfully keep it a secret, she
said.
“I was just minding my own
business, doing my work— I
didn’t know anybody was watch
ing me,” Govenor said with a
laugh after receiving the award.
“I was really surprised and
honored,” Govenor added.
Warm Springs VOCS serves
on the Jefferson County D o
m estic V iolence Task Force
along with various other agen
cies and representatives from
throughout the county. The
task force meets monthly to dis
cuss issues of concern and how
to help people.
The Domestic Violence Citi
zen Award for 2008 is presented
to people from Je fferso n
County who have demonstrated
excellent services in the fight
against domestic violence.
H o rse
r e g a lia
class at
m u se u m
The Museum at Warm
Springs and the Oregon
Arts Commission are co
sponsoring a horse regalia
class. Part one o f the class
will be, “Making the Mar
tingale piece o f horse re
galia.”
Instructors will be Chris
Scott and Sandra Scott-
MçGill. The classes will be
from 5-8 p.m. on Tüesday,
Wednesday and Thursday,
June 3, 4 and 5; and June
10, 11 and 12.
The classes will be con
ducted in the Museum at
Warm Springs Education
room.
For information and for
registration, please contact
the museum’s Education
program at 553-3331, ext.
407. O r come by the mu
seum.
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