10
September 1, 1996
SMOKE SIGNALS
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Tribe, Casino provide funding to Willamina school district
On Tuesday, August 13, in the main en
trance of Spirit Mountain Casino, represen
tatives of the Grand Ronde Tribe presented
a check in the amount of $16,580 to the
Willamina School District to fund the an
nual salaries of two half-time instructors for
special education services.
Mark Mercier presented the donation to
Tom Schussman, Chairman of the Willamina
School Board and Michaelle Kimsey, Indian
EducationLife Skills Coordinator.
"The Willamina School District has to
stretch their budget much farther these
days," notes Art Anderson, Willamina
School District Superintendent. "Spirit
Mountain's donation will help us keep two
positions which provide an enormous ser
vice to students in our community."
School administrators estimate that the
Tribe's contribution will help provide life
skills services to four mentally challenged
students and special tutoring to 34 students.
One position which will be saved by the
contribution is a part-time life skills pro
gram, which focuses on preparing mentally
challenged middle school students to live
independendy, preparing the students for the
job market and helping them become con
tributing members of the community. "The
students learn about everyday skills such as
money management, shopping, meal plan
ning and preparation, basic homemaking
skills, appropriate social skills, and appro
priate reactions to various social institu
tions," notes Michaelle Kimsey.
The second position is a part-time tutor
who works with the Title IX (Indian Educa
tion) Program. The tutor works with stu
dents who need additional assistance with
regular school programs. The cultural com
ponent addresses the students' need for in
creased self-esteem and increased knowl
edge of their Indian heritage.
"The Grand Ronde Tribe and we at Spirit
Mountain Casino are proud to be able to
assist our local school district in enriching
the education and development of our
community's children," notes Bruce Tho
mas, President of Spirit Mountain. "That
these are students who have unique, special
needs makes our contribution to their edu
cation that much more fulfilling to us."
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FROM LEFT: Ed Larsen, Tribal Council; Kathryn Harrison, Tribal Council Vice
Chair; Art Anderson, Superintendent of Willamina School District; Mark Mer
cier, Tribal Council Chairman; Tom Schussman, School Board Chairman;
Michaelle Kimsey, Indian EducationLife Skills Coordinator; Dan Knutson, School
Board Vice-Chair; Kathy Sumner, Grand Ronde Elementary Principal; and School
Board members Jack Bailey, Deanne Werth, and Sally Shenk.
Casino Spotlight: Shelley Hanson
Another tribal member has been
hired by the Casino. Formally of the
Tribe's Small Business Develop
ment Division, Shelley Hanson be
gan working for the Casino last
month.
A recent graduate of Willamette
University's School of Business,
Shelley now has her Master's degree
and is on her way to a promising
career. Her new position as Devel
opment Specialist will allow her to
receive valuable experience in her
field.
"I will work part time in corpo
rate finance," said Shelley, "and part
time in development." She's al
ready been assigned some special projects working on the Casino's 1997 budget
which must be approved by Tribal Council and Spirit Mountain Board of Directors. She is
also reviewing bids for the Casino's insurance package, and working with David Harjo on
the hotel and RV park projects.
"I wanted a position which would allow me to have a broad overview of the Casino,"
Shelley said. "There are opportunities for advancement in management, too."
Shelley said that her supervisor, Terry Contreras, wants her to spend time in the cashier
cages, learning the process of handling money, the gaming laws, and how they might be
able to improve their procedures.
Coincidcntally, Shelley's first day of work marked her tenth anniversary of working for
the Tribe, where she began in the accounting department, and then worked for five years as
a Business Development Specialist. But she won't be putting her years with the Tribe
completely behind her. She will be teaching ONABEN classes in Grand Ronde this fall,
something she enjoys doing.
In spite of all her commitments, Shelley doesn't seem to be worried about taking on too
much. While she was in school, she managed to purchase her first home, work for the
Tribe, and keep up with her daughter Kayla's school and tribal activities. Needless to say,
Shelley is not a person to sit on the sidelines of life. Another reason why the Casino is
lucky to have her.
Bob Watson: Elders'
Continued from page 3
In addition to his duties as Chairman of
the Gaming Commission, Bob is settling
comfortably into his role as Chair of the
Housing Authority. The Housing Author
ity has been given the task of assessing the
housing needs of tribal members, and de
termining what types of housing will be con
structed in Grand Ronde and other areas.
"Last month the Tribal Council approved
our Housing Plan," he said. "Council's al
ready beginning to build the Manufactured
Home Park, but the operation of it will be
turned over to the Housing Authority."
housing tops the list
The Tribe recently received a HUD grant
to build fifteen rental units for Elders.
"We're currently looking at ways to
stretch that money," he said. "We are re
viewing different housing designs like du
plexes and four-plcxes so that we might be
able to build more than fifteen units." Bob
said hopefully the complex will be located
near the tribal offices, within walking dis
tance for the Elders who need tribal services.
"Housing has been a concern for a long
time," said Bob. "It's a high priority for
Tribal Council."
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