SEPTEMBER 15, 2001
Smoke Signals 3
Elders Agree: "We're Safe, We're Happy"
Late summer marks first anniversary of the Elder's housing development.
ByPetaTinda
For the past 30 years Dorothy
Lawe didn't feel at home. She lived
in apartments, which she says were
loud, and the stairs were hard for her
to climb. Now she lives in the Grand
Ronde Tribal Elder's Housing Devel
opment, which recently celebrated its
one-year anniversary.
"After my husband passed in 1960,
I had a hard time finding a place
that really felt like home. Now this
place feels like home. I just love my
new house," said Lawe.
The complex, which now houses 31
Tribal Elders, is a state of the art liv
ing facility specialized for the needs
of the Elders.
"We're pretty happy with it," said
Linda Layden, Executive Director of
the Tribal Housing Authority.
Layden has been involved with the
Elder's housing development from
the start.
"We have two units that are fully
wheelchair accessible and all the rest
are built so the they are very easily
adaptable for wheelchairs," said
Layden. "All the doors in the com
plex are wide enough for wheelchairs
and all of the halls have enough
turning radius. Also, there are no
steps anywhere in the complex,
which makes it safer."
The complex is made up of 38 two
bedroom units, all with carports.
Each apartment is approximately
900 square feet, with vaulted living
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Not Alone Tribal Elder Dorothy Lawe is just one of the many Elders who celebrated
the first anniversary of the Elder's housing development In their new surroundings. Lawe,
standing in her garden, said she and the other Elders feel secure and like being close
enough to each other that they can visit often with friends and family.
room ceilings and covered porches.
Fully equipped with refrigerator,
washer, dryer, gas range, gas heat-"
ing, air conditioning and a dish
washer, the units are all handi
capped accessible with bathtub grab
bars. Any accommodations for physi
cal disabilities are made when
needed. The Senior Services pro
gram provides group transportation.
"We also did a perimeter walking
path, with shallow grades so it wouldn't
be too steep. The tenants are really
enjoying using that path," Layden said.
"We still have vacancies and we would
encourage people to contact us if
they're interested. I feel very satisfied
with the whole project."
That feeling of satisfaction seems
to describe how most of the Elders
feel about the complex.
"I absolutely love it here," said Lawe.
"It's nice and peaceful; quiet. One of
the girls from the Tribal Wellness
Center comes down and makes house
calls. They (housing staff) take care
of our yards if we want, or don't if we
want plants or a garden. I like hav
ing a little space for flowers; just love
that. The location is wonderful be
cause it's right by the clinic and the
administration building. And, if we
need to see a doctor, wellness will
transport us."
But it's the little things that make
the difference, Lawe and other El
ders said. Things like the electricity
outlets positioned high up on the wall,
to make them easier to reach.
"A lot of us can't reach normal
plug-ins; we get dizzy bending over
for them," said Lawe. "Also the doors
have handles, not knobs. That
makes it easier to get in and out. Our
mail is delivered, too. That's nice."
Many of the Elders appreciate the
safety that comes with complex life.
That includes Tribal Elder Grace
Englehardt, who has lived in the
complex for about a year;
"It's easier for me I used to live
alone but now I can't see and it's
not good to be alone... I feel safer
here, not so far away from every
thing," said Englehardt said. "It's
quiet and peaceful, that's the main
thing. Nobody hollerin' or botherin'
and they keep things nice. I really
like how we're treated here."
Even though it's only been open
for a year, the Tribal Elder's hous
ing development has given many El
ders a sense of security.
"It's definitely made my life
easier," Lawe said. "I feel better about
the future, more secure."
Tribe Sends Sabre-Tools to Help
Continued from front page
American Airlines flight 11
(Boeing 767) destined for Los Ange
les from Boston crashes into the north
tower of the World Trade Center in
lower Manhattan shortly before 8:45
am EST.
United Airlines flight 175
(Boeing 767) destined for Los Ange
les from Boston crashes into the south
tower of the World Trade Center at
9:03 am EST.
American Airlines flight 77
(Boeing 757) destined for Los Ange
les from Washington, D.C. crashes
into the Pentagon just outside of
Washington, D.C. in northern Vir
ginia at 9:43 am EST.
United Airlines flight 93 (Boeing
757) destined for San Francisco from
Newark, N. J. crashes in Shanksville,
PA., near Pittsburgh.
Shortly after 10:00 am the south
tower of the word trade center col
lapses about an hour after being hit
by the second aircraft.
The north tower collapses at
10:30 am EST.
The Tribe's own Sabre-Tool will be
helping out in the effort to save lives
in New York and Washington, D.C.
The Tribe's Spirit Mountain Devel
opment Corporation (SMDC), the
business arm of the Tribe, has begun
gathering Sabre-Tool units to send
to the east coast to aid in rescue ef
forts there.
The Sabre-Tool is a "Jaws of Life"
type device used to cut through cars
in accidents. The Sabre-Tool is a hand
held device that can cut and also sepa-
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Things Have
Changed Now
This picture of the
World Trade
Center's Twin
Towers in New York
City was taken
earlier this
summer. Now, the
towers no longer
exist and many
lives were lost in
the aftermath of
the attacks.
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A Sabre-Tool in Action The Tribe, through its Spirit Mountain Development
Corporation, manufactures a device known as the Sabre-Tool that is a smaller, hand-held "Jaws of
Life"-type device that can either be used to lift collapsed debris or cut through twisted or compressed
metal. Units are being sent to the east coast to help in rescues.
She's Safe, but Missing Home Grand Ronde
Tribal member Veronica Gaston, the daughter of
Tribal Elder Donna Casey, lives minutes away from
the Pentagon and witnessed the aftermath of
the attack first hand. The intrepid Gaston said
what she saw in the streets of the nation's capital
was "chaotic."
rate twisted and compressed metal.
Michael Rasmussen, of PhilMar
International Incorporated said he
wasn't expecting this type of request.
"We got a call from Champion Res
cue Tool Company and they are
rounding up rescue tools on the west
coast," said Rasmussen. "They are
going to take as many tools as we can
put together. Our packaging com
pany showed up today with boxes
and packing material. We are fin
ishing as many tools as we can put
together for either a truck or an air
transport to head to Washington
D.C. or New York."
"We are prepared to get them there
anyway we can," said Gene Hill,
Chief Executive Officer of SMDC.
He said they have 15 tools going
out in the next couple of days.
"We should have about 65 to 75
tools we will be able to ship over
there," said Rasmussen.
Tribal member Veronica Gaston got
to see things up close and personal.
Gaston lives near the Pentagon
the site of one of the terrorist attacks.
Gaston lives in Bethesda, Maryland,
only about 10 minutes away from the
Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
"Everything is almost closed
around here," said Gaston. "They
talked about putting a curfew in ef
fect at dusk."
Gaston said everybody in the town
is "frantic."
All schools around the immediate
area were shut down.
"Everyone is scrambling to get
home," said Gaston. "I went to the
grocery store and it was packed. It
was very chaotic. There were no
shopping carts left. People were buy
ing water, pasta and fresh meat."
Gaston said Secret Service Agents
were walking around all the monu
ments in Washington, D.C.
"It looked like a war zone," said
Gaston. "Secret Service was walk
ing around with machine guns."
Gaston said she was stunned and
shocked about the whole day, "I wish
I was living back in Oregon."
"Today we've had a national trag
edy," said President Bush in the na
tional media.