Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1999)
Smoke Signals 4 Mew Prevenltjon Coordihatoir loves working with tribal youth , ki' " q 1 I 1 VTr:!; " ' V-..--7 V" (Ol ' ' By Tracy Dugan Robert Schmid has goals for the future. And they all seem to focus on the Tribe's young people. First, when he worked as a counselor at Nanitch Sahallie Youth Treatment Center in Keizer, and now, as the Prevention Coordinator for the Tribe. Schmid, a tribal member himself, has a keen understanding of Native young people, which may explain why he has felt a life-long calling to work with Indian youth. Since starting his new position last July, he and the Prevention staff have been working to gether to create aware ness activities for tribal youth urging them to abstain from drugs and alcohol, and involve themselves in school, community, and tribal activities. "I have been corresponding with middle and high schools in Polk and Yamhill counties," said Schmid. "We are working with youth ages twelve to seventeen." Part of Schmid's job, which was funded through a State Incentive Grant (SIG), will be to work one-on-one with kids who are at risk for us ing drugs or alcohol, or who may be getting in trouble with the law. "My goal is to work with the Sanc tion Court here in Grand Ronde. If we can identify the kids who are at risk for criminal behavior, then we can work with them before they get into trouble," said Schmid. Which is exactly what Prevention is all about. Another of Schmid's ideas is to or ganize a coalition of parents to talk about what we all can do as a com munity to meet the needs of our youth. "I will be sending out a survey to tribal parents in the near future, asking them their opinions on ser vices the kids need," he said. "I want to know who would be interested in serving on this coalition, too." Schmid said ideally he would like to have parents, youth, members of Tribal Council, and local deputies participate. "Basically, I want to urge all adults to befriend our youth and get to know them," he said. "Our young people need guidance and help. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to and encourage them to par ticipate in their culture and school activities." Community Resources: program information & reminders The Tribe's Community Resources department would like to share the fol lowing information with you. CRD encourages you to remember the follow ing suggestions when applying for either the Emergency Assistance pro gram, or the Benevolence Fund. If you think that you will be needing assis tance from either of these programs, please call 1-800-242-8196 or 879-2034 to request applications before your situation becomes urgent. It takes time to process your requests, and then they must be taken to an approval staffing meeting for consideration. If your request is approved it takes time for pay ment to go through the tribal accounting system. These requests cannot be reasonably considered and met in a short time. Please also be sure to submit all required supporting documentation as defined in the application packet. If you do not do so, it will delay the delivery of services. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE Applicants for the Emergency Assistance program must be referred by In take Specialist, Alan Ham. To schedule an appointment for an intake please call 1-800-775-0095 (menu option 6) or (503) 879-2026. The following informational guidelines are for the Emergency Assistance program and the Benevolence Fund. If you have any questions please call CRD at the above identified telephone numbers. In the event a client is dissat isfied with a specific eligibility determination or payment distribution, the cli ent may contact the Community Resources department for the appeal process. BENEVOLENCE FUND The Benevolence Fund may be used to assist the client with unmet need in the following areas: 1 Shelter assistance when a tribal member is homeless or where eviction is demonstrated with landlord notification. Assistance in this category shall not exceed $350 for rent and $150 for deposit. 2 Utility assistance where an emergency can be demonstrated with a shut off notice. Assistance in this category shall not exceed $150. 3 Medical related costs, not covered under non-tribal and tribal medical programs, the absence of which could, in the opinion of medical profes sionals, put the client's health at risk. Payment made up to $150 with signed letter from the doctor. 4 Special Disaster Assistance, defined as an unexpected event, beyond the control of the tribal member, which has caused great damage and finan cial loss to the tribal household, may be provided. This fund is used to pro vide assistance to tribal members who are victims of natural events such as fire, flood and earthquake or where temporary injury has caused a sudden and unexpected loss in income to a tribal member's household. In all cases, it is the tribal member's responsibility to provide evidence that the incident caused great damage and financial loss to the tribal member's household. The Emergency Fund operates under authority of the emergency guide lines as described above. The fund is limited to enrolled members of the Tribe residing within the Six County Service Area and assistance is limited to the basic necessities that will provide for an eligible person's safety and well-being in urgent and emergent situations. The maximum is $600 per household during a calendar year. Proof of eviction and or utility turn-off notice must be provided before a determination of services is made. No handwritten eviction notices will be accepted. The landlord must in clude building number for verification of ownership. I I "Kathnjn Harrison ' 1 'Women of Achievement' award Continued from page 1 the Grand Ronde," said State Rep. Terry Thompson of Newport. "Kathryn is a dedicated person with a message of empowerment." Harrison has served on the Tribal Council since 1980. She was one of several tribal members to testify before Congress in 1983 to win restoration of federal recogni tion of the Tribe. She has repre sented the Tribe on a number of boards and commissions including the Legislative Commission on In dian Services and the Oregon His toric and Preservation Advisory Board. She has been a delegate to the National Congress of American Indians and the National Political Caucus. Harrison is a trustee of the Spirit Mountain Community Fund and the Native American Rights Fund. She is actively involved in a num ber of other social and political or ganizations. Harrison received the "White Crown Award" for 1999 from the American Indian Business Leaders. In 1995, the YWCA named Harri son as one of four Women of Achievement. Also in 1995, she re ceived a Distinguished Service Award from the League of Women Voters. In addition to the Commis sion for Women Kathryn wishes to thank Tribal Council, Spirit Moun tain Casino, the Warm Springs Tribe, her family, Bernice Jensen, Rubi Bigoni, and Val Grout. DOE awards five grants The Department of Energy (DOE) will fund five renewable energy projects worth nearly $230,000 to federal agencies to assist in purchasing renewable systems for schools, medical centers and other facilities in Native American communities. In addition, the Energy Department is awarding two grants totaling $50,000 to two tribal colleges for building energy efficiency research. Earlier this year President Clinton became the first sitting Chief Executive since President Franklin Roosevelt to visit Indian Country. At that time the President announced a series of initiatives to create opportunities and spark economic development on reservations across the United States. The Department of Energy selected five out of 14 applications for funding. r-Indian Health Services and the Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchor--Jage, Alaska, for a groundwater cooling system ($45,000). r jBureau of Indian Affairs and the Sherman Indian School in Riverside, California, to install photovoltaic array ($50,000). The project will serve as an educational resource for high school science classes. r-jBureau of Indian Affairs and the Truxton Canyon Agency to install three photovoltaic systems at federal facilities in Supai, Arizona, on the Havasupai Indian Reservation ($61,300). rnBIA and Seba Dalkai School in Seba Dalkai, Arizona, for a photovoltaic "system for a school t be completed in 2001 ($50,000). r-jBIA and the Fort Apache Agency to install five new wind turbines in Ari zona ($23,000): the Fort Apache Indian Reservation contains approximately 1.7 million acres of remote forest land in the White Mountains of Arizona. DOE also selected two tribal colleges, Dine College, Shiprock, New Mexico and Oglala Lokota Community College, Kyle, South Dakota to receive grants of $25,000 each.
