2 JANUARY 1, 2003
Smoke Signals
Dear Editor,
I wanted to express my sincere thanks to all of my friends, family, neigh
bors, co-workers and Tribal staff who have all been so helpful since my
accident. Also thank you to the medical staff and surgeons that made my
operation a success. I have appreciated all of the cards, flowers, meals,
and prayers during my recovery. September 9, 2002, I was riding my
horse when he was spooked and decided that we were to part ways. I am
recovering from back surgery, which is a long, slow process. I am now
able to walk with a walker and I am attending physical therapy to gain
back my strength.
I am so thankful for all of the Tribal benefits that have helped keep my
mind at ease while recovering. I am also thankful to those individuals
who had the foresight of what Testoration to the Tribe and its members
would mean. Thank you to my co-workers at the Grand Ronde Clinic; the
CHS, Pharmacy and Wellness Departments for their quick response in
getting things ready for me to come home from the hospital. Thank you
to our Creator, God, for my life today and blessing me with so many won
derful friends and family who have been so helpful in my recovery and
keeping my spirits up.
Sincerely,
Jackie Provost
Roll 643
Dear Smoke Signals,
We want to thank the Tribal Council for the donation that enabled us to
put on the Restoration Pow-wow.
This event was to honor when our Tribe was restored and it is a very
important event to all of us. Thanks to the people that supported us,
including June Olson and her Cultural Resources Department.
A special thanks to Vernon Kennedy and the children who make us
know that we truly have a future.
Thanks to Bobby Mercier for helping us.
The Culture Committee,
Janet Phillips
Roll 4883
Secretary
) vL i.
Mi
Dear Smoke Signals and fellow Tribal members,
Our community has lost one of its visionaries
and leaders. Mitch Conley, the pioneer of Spirit
Mountain Development Corporation and The
Small Business Development Program in
Grand Ronde, passed away at his home in Cul
ver, Oregon on December 9.
Those of us who knew Mitch appreciated his
wisdom, experience, energy, enthusiasm and
spirit. Mitch had a way of bringing out the
best in each of us, as well as the Grand Ronde
community, and nurturing the potential that
he saw and believed in. Mitch saw the potential economic benefit of
gaming, before Indian gaming was in vogue.
Mitch loved the Grand Ronde Tribe and its people. The five years
he spent with our Tribe was filled with valuable lessons and strong
relationships, for not only Mitch, but for those of us who worked with
him as well. Mitch not only started a successful small business pro
gram, but also was the visionary creator of ONABEN, a Native Ameri
can Business Network. ONABEN offers business development assis
tance to Tribal members throughout the state, as well as to Tribes in
Washington and northern California. Many Native people in our
area have benefited from Mitch's wisdom and love of business and
enterprise.
On behalf of the Conley family, and myself, thank you to the Tribal
Council for providing a beautiful meal to commemorate Mitch's life
and contribution in Grand Ronde. Thank you too to Sheila Herber of
Countryside Catering for helping us make his celebration of life a
successful reunion of family and friends.
Those of us who knew Mitch will love and miss him for days to come.
For those of you who didn't, his spirit lives on in Grand Ronde and
smiles at our successes.
Sincerely,
Shelley Hanson
Roll 1779
MY I
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Mitch Conley's best friend talks at Conley's memorial service.
Dear Smoke Signals,
The family of Arvella Houck would like to thank everyone for the prayers,
flowers and all acts of kindness during her illness and passing. A special
thank you to Julie, her family and the helpers for preparing the meal
after the service.
To the Editor,
Solidarity is an indigenous characteristic that we need to,
in accord with our Native heritage, promote and practice. I
think most of our Tribal members would agree.
I have a proposal that many people may think is righteous
and Utopian. The proposal came to me while sitting in class
at the university listening to the plight of the indigenous populations
around the world, that simply aren't as lucky as we are. Many of these
Tribes live in foreign countries (i.e. Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, ect.) and
have names like Chiapanecas and are coffee producers living off or less
then 3 dollars a day! It occurred to me that we could do something to help
these people, something so easy it's a shame there isn't always somewhere
protecting these thousands of Native Americans. We can buy FAIR TRADE
coffee. If you haven't heard of it, please take five minutes to learn about
it at www.maketradefair.com
Having worked many years at the Tribal offices (Natural Resources), I
know that there is a lot of coffee that we drink. The brands that sell this
coffee are only slightly more expensive than major multinational concerns.
Why not show our support for these indigenous people and serve only
FAIR TRADE coffee at the offices, casino, ect.? Somehow the extra few
cents seems like a small price to pay.
Sincerely,
Bryan Mercier
Roll 1357
fit
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PUBLIC INFORMATION
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nity of Oregon, is published twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted
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