Smoke Signals 3
JULY 15,2006
Elders Foster Care Homes Ready
FOSTER CARE continued
from front page
I used to have knee aches, even way
back then. I ended up in bed with
her. She'd rub my knees." And later
on, Grout added, "She took care of our
mother for years, and never a word
of complaint."
Tribal Elder Dakota Whitecloud
looked at the facilities before the
dedication and came away thinking
that something was missing. "An
eagle feather was missing," she said.
She provided an eagle feather for
each resident and combined them
with prayer ties made by Tribal
Council member Westley West.
"The people I need to thank the
most are the Elders," she said.
Tribal Housing Authority Direc
tor Carina Kistler Ginter described
"the amazing hurdles" that had to
be overcome to bring this project to
life. She named the water treatment
plant and sewer treatment plant that
were built as two examples.
And she related a personal story
of the six months she spent trying
to find the right facility for her own
father. "It was horrible," she said,
Working Class Heroes Are Something To See
ACCIDENT continued
from front page
was his wife, Linda Randolph,
48, a Sheridan High School
graduate, who was hurt criti
cally in the accident. She also
wore a helmet, and though she
is reportedly free of brain dam
age and recovering, her injuries
are extensive and she remains
in intensive care.
The Hartley's 1999 GMC pick
up and the Harley Davidson
motorcycle burst into flames on
contact. The vehicles had been
thrown clear of the road when
witnesses pulled the Hartleys
from the burning GMC.
Hartley was not hurt and
her mother, taken to Willa
mette Valley Medical Center
in McMinnville, was injured
only slightly.
Spirit Mountain Casino Lead
Security Officer Charles Vin
son, on outside patrol at the
casino, heard the call about "a
major accident" and "a vehicle
in flames" come in from a bus
driver, and radioed Security
Dispatch to get permission to go
"off property to give assistance
in any way I could."
He received clearance and was
first among police and medical
services to reach the scene.
"I expedited to the scene of
the accident," said Vinson. "I
saw debris scattered. I blocked
traffic with my vehicle in the
center of the westbound lane.
Motorists were already starting
to block all incoming traffic."
He encouraged them to continue
holding the traffic back.
"I went over to see if I could
render assistance," said Vinson.
"I realized that two were dead
and one seriously injured. I ren
dered as much help as I could
pointing to facilities that "cost a lot "team" were many, and the fa
and served a little." cilities that have resulted should
v
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Tribal Elder Foster Home & Housing
"I had so many options and Tribal
members have so few," she said.
At least until now here in Grand
Ronde. "We've had a team that cared
until the paramedics arrived.
"There were regular citizens
everywhere and they were doing a
wonderful job. When the paramed
ics arrived, I just did what they
told me."
He immobilized the head and
neck of Linda Randolph and helped
put her on a back board.
"Shonn (Leno) said they were
right there," said Shonn's uncle,
Tribal Council member Reyn
Leno. "I really appreciate what
they did."
Meanwhile, he was also in touch
with Security Assistant Shift Su
pervisor Mitch Cheselka, and Se
curity Officer Roel Hernandez
who called for the Life Flight, as
requested by the paramedics.
Life Flight arrived "five to six
minutes after I made the call,"
said Hernandez, and "maybe 15
minutes" after the paramedics
requested the Life Flight, said
Vinson.
Among plans that were delayed
by the accident was Tribal Council
nominations scheduled for 11 a.m.
that morning.
"An amazing thing about it,"
said Casino General Manager and
Tribal member Randy Dugger, "all
the employees who were here, rec
ognized that people were trapped,
that fellow employees weren't going
to get to work to replace them, and
still they helped in any way they
could to make sure that the people
here were taken care of."
"I heard the crash," said a neigh
bor who asked not to be identified.
I got the cell phone, called 911, and
talked to them on the way out to
the highway.
"Then the Spirit Mountain se
curity guard (Vinson) came and
pulled in front of traffic and com
pletely stopped it. Traffic had been
trying to ease by. (Vinson) must
have made an immediate assess-
more than anything about providing
a home."
Awards for members of this
Director Carina Kistler Ginter (inset)
translate into the best possible
care for Tribal Elders here in
Grand Ronde.
For the three facilities, three
r - It -i .
Of " ( '
Heros Roel Hernandez, left, along with fellow heroes Charles Vinson
and Mitch Cheselka, right, join Tribal member and Casino Security Manager
Joann Mercier during an honor presentation for the security officers' fine
work in the face of tragedy.
ment and ran back to his truck
and picked out a first aid kit and a
blanket, and he assisted with the
lady who had been on the bike. He
was very good. He did not seem
authoritative, did not yell and
scream. He just did things and it
was obvious he knew what he was
doing so people just let him do what
he was doing."
'Two ambulances arrived, and one
took off with one victim and another
took off for the Life Flight (arriving
at the casino parking lot)."
"Another biker stopped to help,
and was' doing what he could, but
every so often he just stopped and
shook his head."
Some people came walking by to
try to reach their jobs at the casino
or other businesses in the area, and
the neighborwitness passed out
water in paper cups.
This witness said that police,
trying to protect the accident
scene, sent a number of these
local workers back through the
accident scene.
ribbons were cut simultaneously.
Cheryle Kennedy, Leon "Chips" Tom
and Tribal member Pete Wakeland
wielded the scissors.
This project, according to the
dedication program, consists of
three buildings of 5,200 square feet
each. The buildings are named
Black Bear Lodge, Cougar Lodge
and Elk Lodge, and will be oper
ated by the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde as facilities for Elder
foster housing. Each building has
five private sleeping rooms for the
residents with private bath, and
common areas for cooking, eating,
socializing and lounging.
The Elder Foster Housing has
been built as a joint project of the
Confederated Tribes and the Grand
Ronde Tribal Housing Authority,
with Tribal funds and grants from
the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development. The
Buildings were designed by LRS Ar
chitects, Inc. of Portland, and built
by Quade Commercial Construction
Corp of Lincoln City.
"I think these facilities are out
standing," said Tribal Elder and
Council member Wink Soderberg.
"This is truly a facility that our El
ders can move into with dignity and
comfort."
, ji r l
y
Commendations for the officers
came from Dugger as well as
from Casino Security Manager
and Tribal member Joann Mer
cier, said Brian Willis, Security
Shift Supervisor. In a tribute
to the casino's heroes, all nine
Tribal Council members were on
hand for the presentations.
The police investigation was
continuing as Smoke Signals
went to press, said Oregon State
Police Sergeant Brad Hessel,
with the possibility of criminal
charges being filed against Sha
ron Hartley, driver of the insti
gating vehicle.
"(Casino Security staffers Vin
son, Hernandez and Cheselka)
took initiative that may have
saved someone's life and did so
without any regard for their own
personal safety," said Dugger.
"I get all teary-eyed when I
think about it," he said. "I want
ed them to know personally that
I couldn't find the worlds to ex
press my appreciation."