December 2, 1996 1 r - . . .
SMOKE SIGNALS " " " " '' O
Employee honored
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Vernon Kennedy, an employee of the
Human Services Division Wellness Com
ponent, was honored with a "Family Ser
vice" Award. Caroline Cruz from the Of
fice of Alcohol and Drug Programs for the
State commended Vernon for his work with
children and families in areas of education,
culture, recreation, and healthy life style
skills.
Talking circle;
Alateen for kids
Wellness is sponsoring these activities to
be held every Wednesday.
Alateen will be from 4 to 5 p.m. and is
offered to any child that is 12 years of age
or older. Transportation will be provided
from Grand Ronde Elementary School.
Talking Circle is held from 5 to 6 p.m.
at the Community Center. This is open to
any age child tribal or non-tribal and
will include drumming.
For more information on these activities
mentioned, please call Pearl at 879-2049 or
Vernon at 879-2027.
Tribe hires Employment Coordinator
U.S.D.A. DISTRIBUTION
- SALEM -
December 2: 3 to 7:30 p.m.
December 3: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
December 4: Noon to 8 p.m.
- SILETZ -
December 17, 18, and 19
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Housing awards improvement contracts
The Housing Department sent out bid requests to contractors for work on two different
home improvement projects in November.
The first job was a residence in
need of major rehabilitation to
plumbing, electrical heating,
widows and doors, cabinets, interior and
exterior paint, and sheetrock, as well as a
new roof. Eight contractors picked up bid
packets, and three submitted bids. They
were: Eagle Feather Construction
$3 1,175; Ken Schmid Construction, Inc.
$29,750; Yost Construction $29,250.
Yost Construction was awarded the job,
because they submitted the lowest bid.
.The second home rehabilitation job
was similar. The work includes
repair to the heating, plumbing, and
electrical systems, new doors and windows,
sheetrock, floor coverings, and a new roof.
Eight contractors picked up packets, and four
submitted proposals. They were: Yost Con
struction $26,545; M.J. West Construc
tion $33,000; Eagle Feather Construction
$34,900; Ken Schmid Construction, Inc.
$32,000. Again, Yost Construction sub
mitted the lowest bid and awarded the job.
By Tracy Dugan
The Tribe has established a
brand new position in the Hu
man Resources department
for the purpose of providing employ
ment services to tribal members who
wish to work for the Tribe, Casino or
elsewhere in the community.
The Tribal Employment Coordina
tor is Connie Holmes, and she will
be responsible for working with tribal
members and tribal employees in as
sessing their skills, interests and em
ployment needs, career counseling,
and working with other local agen
cies to provide employment opportu
nities to members.
"Some clients may have many skills, and
they just need job placement services," said
Connie. "But others may have certain bar
riers they have to overcome before they can
obtain employment."
Connie works closely with programs such
as Vocational Rehabilitation and the JOBS
Program in order to take a more holistic
approach to assisting tribal members.
She also receives referrals
from Spirit Mountain Casino
concerning tribal members
wishing to obtain employ
ment when ineligible to work
at the Casino.
Sometimes the clients need
only help with writing a re
sume and cover letter or help
with interview skills.
Connie said there are
many people out there who
haven't been through a formal
interview process in a long
time, and just need a refresher course.
"Hopefully in the spring we will have a
new computerized system where all clients
names and employment data can be
matched up to current job openings," said
Connie. She also wants to set up career
counseling, a Job Shadow, and an intern-
t ii ii i, i ii
Connie Holmes
ship program for people who want hands
on experience in the field they are inter
ested in.
"I also hope to work with Education to
set up some training programs." Connie is
interested in starting off with training pro
grams covering interpersonal skills, inter
viewing techniques, and conflict resolution.
Also a student at George Fox College in
Newberg, Connie is working toward a de
gree in Management and Organizational
Leadership.
If you are a tribal member in need of
employment services, please call Connie
at 1-800-422-0232, or (503) 879-2267.
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This year the Great American Smokeout was held all day at the Casino's
Banquet Room, which included participants from both the Casino and the
tribe's main offices. If you want to quit smoking, please call Linda Mann, the
Tribe's Dental Hygienist at 879-2012 or 1-800-422-0232.
HOLIDAY BAZAAR: Goodies, crafts, jewelry and clothes were among the items
sold at the Tribe's annual Christmas Bazaar last month.
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