Spílygy Tyrooo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Mgrch 26, 2009
Pgge 3
Children’s Protective Services employee profiles
Life’s calling to work with children, families
Talofa to the people o f
my community. My name is
Elizabeth Blanche Hisatake.
I am 37 years old, and I’m
writing this is an introduc
tion o f who I am and what I
do here at Children’s Protec
tive Services.
My m o th e r is M ary
Tohet. My father is H arry
Hisatake Jr. aka “Pineapple.”
My m aternal grandm other
was atwai Caroline Katchia
T o h et, an d my m a te rn a l
g ra n d fa th e r w as atw ai
Harvey Tohet.
I am unable to recall my
paternal grandparents, since
they lived in American Sa
moa. I am an enrolled mem
ber o f this tribe (in addition
to being Samoan and Japa
nese) and I say that proudly,
because this is the commu
nity I grew up in and the
people I know.
I initially started working
w ith C hildren’s P rotective
Services (CPS) when I was
16 or 17 years old. A t the
tim e th e CPS cen te r was
known as the “group home.”
I becam e in terested in
working with CPS and the
children because I am a sur
vivor o f sexual, mental, and
emotional abuse. This is the
major reason why I chose to
work in this field and with
the children in my commu
nity.
The other reason I chose
this field is due to the ex
ample my grams (Caroline)
shared and showed by open
ing her heart and hom e to
other children who needed
stability, consistency, and a
nurturing and loving hom e
and family.
A t the time I was growing
up I became very jealous o f
those other kids, because she
was my grams and I didn’t
want to share or have another
kid steal her love from me. Re
flecting as an adult, I realize my
gram’s had a big Jieart and was
always willing to open her heart
to other kids-,- b ut that didn’t
take away the love she felt and
showed me.
I w orked at CPS for nine
years, and w hen I was 25, I
moved to W oodburn because I
was following my heart. I lived
in W oodburn for a total o f nine
years, and during this time I
gave birth to my one and only
child (by choice I have only one
child) Mascena Caroline Nava.
She’s a fourth-grader in Mrs.
M oore’s room here at W arm
Springs Elementary.
During the nine years I lived
in Woodburn, I worked at the
W o o d b u rn S chool D istric t,
M arion C o u n ty Services to
Children and Families aka DHS
now, and the Portland Area O f
fice for the Siletz Tribe.
I would come home when I
was able to and a majority o f
th at time was to help to my
“kuks” aka Richard Tohet, for
any medicine singing and gath
ering, as he is a medicine singer.
I knew in my heart it was
time to come back hom e and
work with the children o f my
community. There was an em
ployment opportunity with CPS.
I applied for the “service co
ordinator” position and had
a telephone interview with
Becky Main and C harlene
Stacona-White.
It was very natural to re
apply with CPS for the va
cancy th at was available. I
was extended the o ffer o f
em p lo y m en t and w ith o u t
hesitation. I accepted and
m oved back hom e. I have
been back since March 2006.
T h e calling in my lifetime
has always been in the social
services field, working with
children and families. I am
very fortunate to be back at
CPS and currently working
as a CPS Specialist, aka case
worker. The horrific trauma
I survived during my child
hood has strengthened me so
I can work with my kiddos,
as I ’m able to understand,
recognize and relate to the
gamut o f emotions they are
feeling. I am able to help them
understand the emotions they
are feeling are valid.
I will continue to be pas
sio n ate and ad v o cate fo r
child abuse prevention.
Everyday there are m il
lio n s o f c h ild re n b ein g
abused in the world and we
have the pow er to make a
difference. I want to encour
age the members o f my com
munity to become proactive
and advocate for our chil
dren, w ho m ig h t be your
daughter, son, brother, sister,
co u sin , niece, nep h ew or
grandchild.
Rem em ber it only takes
one person to make a differ
ence, to inspire other people
to care and w ant to make a
difference for our children.
F a’afetai (Samoan thank
you).
Elizabeth Hisatake
Poitra promoted to CPS secretary
My n am e is W ilo n a
Poitra. My m other is Peggy
Williams. My father is Lester
Poitra. I used to have five
brothers but the Creator had
made one o f them my Elder,
so now I have four brothers:
Willard, Spencer, Jo sh and
Woods. I have one daugh
ter, Jackie P oitra. I have
many nieces and a few neph
ews. .
I am an enrolled W arm
Springs Tribal member.
I have lived here all o f my
life, except for the two years
I w en t away to b o ard in g
school in A nadarko, O kla
homa.
I graduated from Madras
High School, earning my high
school diploma.
I have also earned a Medi
cal A ssistan t D iplom a from
Tongue Point Job Corp Center
in Astoria.
I have W orked for Indian
H e a lth S ervices • in W arm
Springs and Siletz, and have also
worked at the Early Childhood
Education Center, Bright Wood
Corp., and various other jobs.
I sta rte d w o rk in g at
C hildren’s P rotective Ser
vices on April 16, 2008.
I started out as a limited
d u ratio n o ffice assistan t,
which was mainly filing. Af
ter a few months, I was hired
on as the full-time reception-
dst, and as o f recent January
o f this year I was prom oted
to being Secretary III for
CPS.
My duties include, but are
not limited to, answering the
phone, taking messages and
doing o th er duties as as
signed.
I am now scheduling the
Perm anency P lanning Re
view Team meetings, payroll,
filing and much more secre
tarial duties.
Many duties for transitional caseworker
H ello m em b ers o f th e
C o n fe d e ra te d T rib es o f
W arm Springs. I hope this
reaches you in good spirit...
My n am e is R o b e rta
T ufti. My In d ian nam e is
Koos Koos and I am enrolled
trib a l m e m b e r o f W arm
Springs.
My parents are the late
O scar Fabian Tufti (Warm
S prings) - an d th e late
G erald in e G o v en o r T u fti
(N evada). T hey b o th had
strong faith in the Full G os
pel Church.
I have four children and
four grand children.
In 2004 I have applied
for the Children’s Protective
Services Assistant position. I
worked with families for two
years. In 2006 I then trans
ferred to a Transitional Case
worker position, and I like
what I do.
Sò òrice thè parent(s) receive
te m p o ra ry c u sto d y o f th e
children) the transitional case
worker will m onitor the case for
up to six months.
A transitional caseworker per
form s case m anagem ent ser-
vices for families who have
been reunified with their chil
dren.
I also assist, guide, imple
m ent m onitor and supervise
the case at the time the chil
dren have been placed with
the family, and continue to
provide case m anagem ent
services for 90 days after the
case has been terminated as
wards o f the Tribal Court.
The court initiates and makes
referrals to com m unity re
sources as appropriate. I sub
m it m o n th ly re p o rts and
documentations in a timely
m anner to designated agen
cies. ’
I also assist in other areas
where staff shortage exists.
G o d b less you and
yours...
CPS employee profiles continue on page 6.
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