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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.
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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-
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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.
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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-
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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.
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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.
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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.