Smoke Signals 3
FEBRUARY 15, 2005
Tribal Council Meets With Membership In Portland
Review of Tribal programs is capped by sharing a specific Tribal plan that in the past, would not have been divulged.
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Leadership Tribal Council meets with Portland area Tribal members on Sunday, February 6 at the Embassy Suites Hotel at the Portland International Airport.
By Ron Karten
The February General Council meet
ing was held on Sunday, February 6,
at the Embassy Suites Hotel at the
Portland International Airport. Here
are the highlights:
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
Kennedy called the meeting to order.
Tribal Elder Val Grout offered the in
vocation. Tribal member and Director of Op
erations Chris Leno began the first of
four Tribal program summaries: Mem
ber Services. Tribal member and Edu
cation Division Manager Marion
Mercier summarized Education pro
grams. Health & Wellness Depart
ment Executive Director Michael
Watkins described Health and
Wellness Programs. And Social Ser
vices Department Manager Dave Ful-.
lerton described the Social Services
available to Tribal members.
With a full booklet of these services
being planned, a summary is pre
sented here.
Member Services include medical and
dental insurance, per capita and tim
ber distributions, Elders pension, SSI
and SSD, Medicare Part B reimburse
ment, tax preparation assistance, en
rollment services and burial assistance.
Education programs include the
early childhood programs for pre
school, Head Start and K-5; youth pro
grams include services within each
local school district as well as funding
available for sports and other extra
curricular activities; achievement rec
ognition and help with filling out forms
for scholarships or college admissions.
Adult programs include GED ser
vices, computer skills, money manage
ment, culture and food service classes.
Higher education services include
workshops and seminars and support
in other venues, with funding available
up to $800term or $l,600term for
graduate school. Up to $7,000 annually
is available for four-year degree pro
grams. Continuing education classes
for part-time and vocational programs
also are available. Currently, the Tribe
funds 68 active scholarship students.
Health and Wellness Center pro
grams include medical, dental, phar
macy, optometry, lab, radiology, blood
pressure screenings, urban Indian
Health Center in Portland (NARA
Clinic is at 15 N. Morris Street by
Emanuel Hospital), a health fair in
early summer in Portland.
Social Services programs include
Social Security Income (SSI) and So
cial Security Disability (SSD). A new
program marries advocacy with these
and Veterans benefits programs.
Tribal members will have the help of
the Social Services staff in preparing
the forms and following up.
it
Other programs include youth pre
vention, Indian Child Welfare (ICW)
services, domestic violence and voca
tional rehabilitation.
The department also offers income
based programs including Low Income
Energy Housing Assistance Program
(LIHEAP) providing main heating
source assistance (6 county service
area plus Clackamas). Firewood is
available for delivery even in the Port
land area.
Also offered is the 477 Employment
& Training Program (6 county service
area), an Emergency Assistance Pro
gram for rent, utility and special di
saster (all low income Tribal mem
bers). Council Chairwoman Cheryle
Kennedy reviewed for the Port
land audience the progress on
the lodge expansion. ;
"We're making excellent
progress," she said, and re
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the new section. " -
She said the Tribe had had ,V.,
"an excellent year at Spirit
Mountain Casino."
And in a change of prac
tice brought on by input
from the membership,
Kennedy announced
that the Tribe has
entered "prelimi-
nary negotia
tions" for a
well-known
property in
Portland (that
she named for
the member
ship). She
called it "a
good future
location," and
explained
why with a
most remark
able description: "a mitigation to the
minimalization of our revenue flow."
A number of Tribal members ex
pressed gratitude for the council con
fiding in the membership on this sen
sitive effort.
Drawings were held: Tribal Elder
Val Grout won $100. Tribal members
Deborah Scott, Jordon George and
Paul Cooney won $50.
Fifty dollar Safeway cards went to
Tribal Elder Janet Giddings, Tribal mem
ber April Snoddy and Richard Begon.
Tribal Elder Patsy Pullin won the
Health & Wellness Center's
Valentine's Day basket.
Tribal member and Portland State
University student Jade Unger
thanked the Tribe for his Trust Fund,
which he said has been "a big help."
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Social Services Manager Dave Fullerton
He also described his work at school,
which currently includes a race car he
is working with a group to design,
build and ultimately race.
"We want to use it as a tool to get
others interested in science and tech
nology," said Unger.
He also was seeking a motor home
to use or share to transport the team
to Detroit and back.
"The education programs are great,"
he said. "I don't know how I would
have got this far without them."
Tribal member Val Alexander asked
for a progress report on the Tribal
plankhouse that has been in process for
two years. In response, Tribal Engineer
Eric Scott said that Tribal member and
University of Oregon graduate student
Don Day is spearheading the
project. A building site has been
secured, said Scott, and "40 to
50 logs are on site and being pro
cessed." Anita Haas, not a Tribal
member, spoke on behalf of
her son, Tribal member Ed-
f ward Haas, a five-year-old
with autism who is him
self non-verbal. In
seeking "more as-
sistance for
members
with special
needs," Haas
said, "I'm not
sure which
direction to
go in. I feel
kind of out-of-the-loop
at
times."
Tribal
member
Diane Smith
had a similar
question for
her son, who
has been diag-
TV
nosed with an attention deficit disor
der who is in need now of individual
tutoring on a regular basis.
Tribal member Pearl Mekemson in
vited Portland-area Tribal members to
basket weaving classes held at the
Bailey House in Grand Ronde. Hous
ing is available, she said.
Tribal member Eric Fernando was
among many who thanked the Tribal
Council for coming to Portland and
asked about Indian events in the Port
land area.
Tribal member Shayla Rogers said
that a sweat lodge was really impor
tant to her.
Tribal member Mario Martinez said
that he had heard of many plans for
the Portland area but saw little follow-through.
Referring to a misconstrued tobacco
offering he and others made to the
Tribal Council, Martinez said, "When
we make a mistake," he said, "you are
quick to come down on us but when
we need something, it doesn't happen."
The Tribal Council never received
the offering, said Kennedy.
Tribal member Simone Jade asked
about a replacement for the legal ser
vices contract the Tribe used to have
for Tribal members. It has not been
renewed.
Tribal member Joseph Grammer
asked for more resources for Tribal mem
bers getting out of the penitentiary.
The question of revising enrollment
statutes came up again and again.
Tribal Elder Marilyn Portwood
called it, "The elephant in the room"
that nobody notices, and asked "is any
thing being done?"
Tribal member Monty Parazoo said
"When I was young in the 1950s, the
federal government told me that I
wasn't an Indian. I think that pales
in comparison to my own Tribe telling
me I'm not a member. We have got to
do something to fix this. It is a huge
wound in the soul of the Tribe."
Tribal member Judy Willingham
could not control the tears as she told
about one daughter that could go to
college because she is a Tribal mem
ber and the other couldn't because she
isn't. Willingham said that the prob
lem goes further than being denied
Tribal benefits. It means that she is
not even considered Indian under fed
eral or college admissions policies.
Tribal member Perry McDaniel said
that current enrollment rules have
turned down 210 potential members.
Tribal member Kiera Ching thanked
all who sponsored her in the St. Jude's
Math-a-thon.
Tribal member Mike Giffen noted
that the Tribe is "totally dependent on
gambling. I want assurances," he
said, "that the Tribe is working on di
versifying." Tribal member Kathleen Tom asked
about "the huge turnover in casino
management."
Kennedy said that most choose to
leave rather than being fired, and also
noted that the industry changes top
management for one reason or another
about every two-years.
Tribal Elder and Interim casino
Manager Mike Larsen said the casino
is working on customer service im
provements as well as expanding "our
footprint for gaming."
Almost 130 attended the meeting.
The next Tribal Council General
Meeting will be March 6 at 11 a.m. at
the Community Center in Grand
Ronde.