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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2004)
Smoke Signals 3 JUNE 15, 2004 Community Meetings Focus On Enrollment And Communication Two hundred attend three meetings around Oregon. By Ron Karten More than 60 Tribal members staffers and guests, including at least six Tribal Council members, attended each of this year's commu nity meetings. In all, three meetings were held in May, one each at public facilities in Grand Ronde, Tualatin and Eu gene. Following this year's events, Planning & Grants Development members also emailed responses when their personal attendance was not possible. On an evaluation questionnaire about the meetings themselves, the sessions earned high praise for the food, beverages and meeting room space though some noted that time seemed too short for meaningful dis cussion and evaluation of the ideas put forward. iw-' 1 ' " y T 7 . . '"''" ' ... ... Community Tribal Council member Valorie Sheker-Robertson visits with Tribal members Rod and Betty Bly during a break at the Eugene meeting. Manager Kim Ray Rogers said that enrollment issues remained of top importance to members followed by increased health coverage for non member spouses and children. Long term health care for Elders and questions about how to improve communications with the Tribal Council for members living outside of the Grand Ronde area also were important to those in attendance. Other priorities, according to Rogers, include legal services for members, more Tribal member em ployment and a recreation center in Grand Ronde. Attendance has grown during all the years that the Tribe has spon sored this event, going up from 154 in 2002 and from 178 in 2003, said Rogers. One hundred ninety six attended this year's events. Tribal "I find it next to impossible to have the time to go around to each group's idea charts and read them all, never mind giving them any value of thought," wrote one at tendee. "Just not enough time at the end of meeting to do that." The meetings included a number of timely presentations, including one by the Tribe's new health in surer, United Medical Resources Inc. (UMR) and health care advi sor John A. Ellis, Director of Na tive American Practice for KPMG LLP. Terri White, Executive Assis tant for the Tribal Housing Author ity, described recent and coming projects by the Housing Authority, and Tribal Engineer Eric Scott de scribed recent and coming projects from the Tribe's Engineering and Community Development Depart- 7 V I - 1 " v ' , a. v y,1 ;1 Interested Lavina McKinney, an 8 1 year old Tribal Elder who lives in Port land, was at the Tualatin meeting to be brought up to speed on the Tribes progress during the past year. 1 ment. The design of each meeting had Tribal members di vided into four groups where they raised the issues of continuing impor tance. After creat ing the full list of issues, members voted for the issues most important to them. In addition, time was set aside for the groups to dis cuss specific topics of importance to each group includ ing the Tribe's new self-insurance plan, new satellite offices being leased in Portland and Eugene, and in Grand Ronde, community area planning. Pendleton blankets and other gifts were raffled at the end of each of the meetings. Winners of the blankets were Tribal members Sandy Stone, Stephenie Boteilho and Alicea Leon. To provide fur- G T ; J Our Leader Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryl Kennedy was at the Tualatin meeting to welcome Tribal members and answer any questions they had. ther input, or to learn what's be come of last year's priorities, con tact Kim Ray Rogers, Planning & Grants Development Manager, 503-879-2250; or kim.rogersgrandronde.org. . , i " V ' i . X' . ' ' " . t .... .mr ' I c s. I I ' " iT-"illii I I mi in ' I. .I We Listen In Eugene.Tribal member Tammy Stillman listens as her husband Jeff makes a point in the small group discussions that were part of the meetings. 'U,-'J : " I ( . -.-r.M , , , L . .. i 'it mi' Ulf4 The Man With The Plan Planning & Grants Development Manager Kim Rogers holds up an agenda for the community meeting. Rogers and other Tribal employees put on a presentation illustrating the Tribes projects and plans.
