Smoke Signals 5
DECEMBER 15, 2006
Mew AssiisftairDft TTcrSlbaD Rep Odd Edngeone
Tribal member Courtney Rose brings health care programs to the Eugene office.
By Ron Karten
Tribal member Courtney Rose,
raised in Eugene, started par
ticipating in the Tribal Royalty
programs as soon as she could. "I
started Royalty when I was like,
10," she said.
She was an "honorary princess"
from 1989-92.
"I learned a lot from the queens
older than me. I learned that it
takes a lot of dedication. You really
have to step up and be a leader,
and not be afraid of talking to
people and stuff. You get to meet
a lot of really good people traveling
around."
Another Courtney, "Courtney
Galligher is a really good person
that I looked up to. She was there
every pow-wow. Very dedicated,
very outgoing and friendly. She set
me on a track that I could follow."
Rose was also a junior queen for
the Tribe, and the first ever Vets
Queen (97-98).
"That was a really big honor to
me.
In 2006, she graduated North
west Christian College with a
Bachelors' degree in Health Care
Administration.
She minored in medical ethics.
"It was awesome. I learned about
people's rights and their autonomy.
I learned that though we may think
we're making the best decision for
somebody, we're not. You have to
look inside. You can't let your emo
tions get ahead of your thinking."
Both her emotions and her think
ing brought her back to the Tribe
after college. She always knew she
would work for the Tribe because "I
was involved with it so much."
When she saw an opportunity
to take her education to work for
the Tribe, she jumped on it. Rose
started working for Tribe in July.
Rose is the Assistant Tribal Service
Representative in the Eugene Sat
ellite Office.
The job just became permanent
in December.
v j
Assistant Representative & Tribal
Member Courtney Rose
As an assisant rep, she said, "I
brought health care to this office."
She put together a diabetes and
wellness fair, and a flu shot clinic.
But she does a lot more, too.
"I do everything from helping
people with education, getting them
signed up for programs. I've helped
them get into housing. I started a
youth group. I brought some things
to the office that weren't here yet."
There are 10 kids in the youth
group, she said. They do "cul
ture stuff: pow-wows and various
events." They attended Artrain, for
example, a moving Native art ex
hibit that was here in the Portland
area last May (see Smoke Signals,
6106 issue).
Rose is married to University of
Oregon defensive tackle (99-01)
James Rose, now Director for the
Boys and Girls Club of Eugene.
They have two kids, a son, Kam
eron, 4, and a daughter, Mia, 3.
Rose enjoys going to pow-wows
and gatherings. "I like sports, well,
obviously, I married an athlete.
"Hopefully, in the future, we can
have mini-fairs and meetings about
whatever the health topic of the
month is.
"I'm just really glad to be in a
position where I can serve the
people."
From Paris tto Casablanca
Tribal member Spirit Pierce is going international.
An Education Story
By Ron Karten
If all goes as planned, by June or
July next year, 15-year-old Tribal
member Spirit Pierce will be travel
ing across Europe and the Middle
East as a People to People Student
Ambassador.
The trip will include a meeting
with Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero,
the Prime Minister of
Spain. "We're not going
to be seeing what other
people see," said Pierce.
"We're going behind the
scenes. We're going to
see how they make laws.
We'll be staying with a
host family and see what
their lives are like. And
we might be able to go to
school with their kids."
The trip will take them
to see the Mona Lisa,
the Eiffel Tower and the
Peace Arch in Paris, and
the high-priced shopping
areas of this most famous
city. The 20-day itinerary
includes Spain, Portugal,
Morocco, back to Spain,
Paris and then home.
Pierce, a 4.0 Creswell High
School freshman who intends to be
a kindergarten teacher, was chosen
anonymously by one of her middle
school teachers to participate in the
program. Pierce has been on her
school Honor Roll 11 times and the
Principal's List twice.
She received the school's Citizen
ship Award last year when she was
in eighth grade. She raised money
for the Eugene Water and Electric
Board's Energy Share program that
provides electricity to low-income
families in the area.
This traveling experience does
not come cheaply, however, and
Pierce is going to need her fund
raising skills to make it happen.
In fact, Pierce has to raise more
than $6,000, of which about $800
is already in the bank.
"What really helped me out," she
said, "was that the Tribal Council
gave me $250." Other contributions
may be made to Pierce through the
Tribal Eugene satellite office in
One recent fund raiser at a Lane
Community College pow-wow
brought Spirit to tears. Imag
ine everybody's worst nightmare.
You're prepared to speak before a
pow-wow crowd of thousands, your
speech is written and rehearsed,
and the moment comes and. ..the
speech is lost.
mmmmmmm iiii i i I limum i Llliwuin ij li mmmmmtm
A'r ... i Kr;Jr
i u M H
Tribal member Spirit Pierce, left, and her grandmother,
program. Spirit is raising money for the education of a
C J. Pierce talk about the People to People
lifetime. It will take her from Paris to Casablanca
care of Tribal member and Tribal
Services Representative Jon Darcy
Chantell. "I think it will be very educa
tional," said Tribal Elder C.J. Pierce,
Spirit's grandmother. Spirit lives
with C.J. and husband, Wayne, since
her mom, Tribal member Danni Jo
Pierce, passed on earlier this year.
"And she'll be able to use the trip for
either high school or college credit.
It's not just a pleasure trip."
And C.J. already has gotten in
volved in helping with fund raisers,
and along with Spirit's aunt, Jackie
(Pierce), she plans to do a lot of bak
ing in the months ahead to keep the
dollars coming in.
"Do you have it?" Spirit recalled
asking. "No, it's with so and so,"
came the reply. "I don't have it,"
said so and so, "I gave it to so and
so." And so it went down the line and
here it was time to give the speech
and nobody had it.
"Sometimes, I stutter," said Spir
it. "I was in tears I was so scared,"
she said.
"Jon (Darcy-Chantell) and Court
ney (Rose) were very strong behind
her," said C.J.
And Spirit stepped up, overcame
her terror, and raised $300 at the
event.
On a recent Saturday, the Pierces
were planning a bake sale at the
University of Oregon Longhouse.
Any leftovers will go on sale at the
satellite office.
At a January pow-wow at the Uni
versity of Oregon, more of Spirit's
Indian family is chipping in. For ex
ample, Courtney Rose's grandmother,
Tribal Elder Evelyn Seidel, will raffle
off a star quilt for the cause. Rose
has just been made a
permanent member
of the Eugene satellite
office staff. C.J. was
making a stained glass
window for the event.
And Spirit was mak
ing beaded earrings
to sell.
Among four stu
dents from Creswell
High School and a
fifth also from Eugene
who have been chosen
for the program, one
is Kristi Rimer, who
happens to be best
friends with Spirit.
Of course, she will miss
the family quarter horse,
Oh Gee, as in Oh Gee,
what have I done? that
C.J. purchased as "a savior horse."
"He was so thin," said C.J., "that
another couple of weeks and he
would be dead."
Spirit brushed out his hair every
day and "clumps of it would come
out," she said. "He had never been
brushed before." And then, there
were the ticks. And the food bills.
Hence the name.
And, when Spirit raises the dough,
she will also have to say a temporary
goodbye to the family dog, an Alas
kan Malamute named Moose.
"Once in awhile, he thinks he's a
lap dog," said C.J.
"I taught him that," said Spirit.
A natural born teacher. D