4 JULY 1,2008
Smoke Signals
Tribal youth do well in
fire safety poster contest
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Four Tribal children won three second places and one third place in the
AMERIND Risk Management Corp.'s 2008 regional contest of the 2008
National Fire and Home Safety Poster Contest.
The contest is designed for children in kindergarten through eighth
grades and the posters had to illustrate a fire safety theme.
In the kindergarten through third-grade category, Promise Rimer took
second place and Tahoma Johnson finished third.
In the fourth- through sixth-grade competition, Cecely Welin took
second. Amanda Grijalva took second in the seventh- and eighth-grade
category.
"Unfortunately, we did not win a first place, so we will not have a Grand
Ronde entry in the national contest," said Grand Ronde Tribal Housing
Authority Director Carina Ginter. "But our kids sure did a great job and
are to be commended."
First place in all three categories went to entrants from Spokane.
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1 Tahoma Johnson, 2 Promise Rimer
3 Amanda Grijalva, 4 Cecely Welin
Contacts for Recovery House services
For those who might want to look into Recovery House services for
themselves, friend or family, contact Joe Martineau at 503-879-1690 or
Chris Holliday at 503-879-1452.
RECOVERY continued from
front page
held at the Tribal Community Cen
ter on the last Thursday of every
month and at the Tribe's Recovery
House, a local home where men in
recovery can live for a time to learn
the practices of success and avoid
the daily traps of addiction.
For Tribal member William, 37,
one of three currently living in the
Recovery House, it's a matter of get
ting away from old influences.
"Me and all my brothers and sis
ters, aunts and uncles, and cousins
have had problems (with substance
abuse)," he said. "It has been going
on since my childhood, and it's still
going on. They want me to come
home, but it's not a good place for
me now."
Serving community members from
14 through the ages of Elders, the
group has grown quickly. "It's been
growing, from the first meetings
when we had six to eight," Martin
eau said.
The larger groups make the pro
gram "more of a fellowship," Mar
tineau said.
"It calls for people to stay closer
to their commitment to recovery,"
Martineau said. "Over the past
two years, a lot have been coming
consistently, making it a real good
fellowship."
The group welcomes all, whether
with an addiction or without. "You
might not be addicted to anything,"
Martineau said, "but family mem
bers might be."
Martineau said that Tribal and
community members not otherwise
involved in the program, including
Laura Gleason and Charlie, Kenny
and Rex Haller, attend regularly.
They were on hand for the two-year
celebration, with Rex strumming
and singing a gospel song, "Angels
With No Haloes," for the group.
Tribal members Travis Stewart
and Bobby Mercier also get involved
as support, Martineau said, particu
larly with the sweat lodge located
behind the Recovery House.
Pursuing the idea that the larger
the community of support, the bet
ter, Martineau also has drawn in
local recovery groups, including
Alcoholics and Narcotics Anony
mous. He is working to bring in the
local Gamblers Anonymous group
as well.
"Tribal Council members have
come to our recovery meetings and
been supportive," Martineau said.
'The cooks at the Community Center
have donated their time.
"The unique part of what we try
to do is include history and culture
into the recovery program."
A sweat lodge and cultural teach
ings around activities like carving
help with the recovery part, he
said.
"Residents really like that carv
ing. We sit and carve, and differ
ent community members come in
and talk about (carving) styles and
where they come from and things
unique to the Tribe here.
"And we encourage the guys to get
involved outside of our meetings.
They help with all of the event s here
at the Tribe, with cleanup and all
sorts of things."
Similar to traditional AA meet
ings, Tribal community recovery
meetings include members sharing
their stories of recovery. "They say
how they're doing and how they've
found recovery in their lives," Mar
tineau said.
Elders also are invited to speak to
the group about their experiences.
The group is generous in honoring
success. "We've given out a pin for
more than 30 years in recovery and
a one-day pin," Martineau said.
The Tribal Recovery House has
treated more than 20 people in the
last 18 months. Half or more are
still in recovery, still attending
meetings.
The recovery picture is making
strides across Indian Country.
"It's so good to see similarities (in
recovery programs) across Indian
Country, and to see such pride in
what Grand Ronde is as a Tribe,"
Martineau said.
After a community dinner, the
two-year celebration hosted a spe
cial guest from the Grand Ronde
campus to tell his story of addiction
and recovery.
"You don't have to wait for mir
acles from God," Martineau said.
"Just look back in your life and try
to explain why you're still here."
And then it was time to give out
awards for staying sober.
In his 18 years in the recovery
business, Martineau described one
vital lesson: "Once a person gets up
in their community and publicly ac
knowledges their addiction, recovery
is much easier."
Meanwhile, back at the Recovery
House, William is alone for the time
being while his roommates take care
of personal business, but their ab
sence does not stop him from singing
their praises.
"My roommates are very nice
guys," he said. "They're courteous
and helpful. We all want to make
this place work."
The place is spotless inside, even
a little spare of decoration, and Wil
liam emphasized how everybody
works to keep the place clean and
neat, and how the next project for
the week is to trim the lawn.
I Ie talks of his stepfather - also a
man in recovery as his hero.
"He turned his life around and,
since, he has been strong and sup
portive," William said. "He's com
pletely and totally a different person.
He helped me to want to maintain
my recovery. He took me to meet
ings and listened when I had a
problem."
William dreams of being n writer,
a result of his daily journaling, or
maybe a drug and alcohol coun
selor because he works so well with
people, but he sees his next steps
as moving into Tribal housing and
getting back one of his old jobs at
the casino.
"I left on good terms," he said, "to
improve my life."
Last week, William was on the
front porch with a broom, taking
care of business. He is not giving
up.
"I went to treatment four times,"
Martineau said, "so I encourage
people to never give up."
Smoke Signals new reprint policy
See a photo you like in Smoke Signals?
Want a copy, or several copies?
Want to see if a photo that was taken but not printed in Smoke Signals
because of space limitations might be something you'd like hanging on
your living room wall?
If so, Smoke Signals has adopted a new photo reprint policy approved
by Tribal Council regarding photos taken by its staff.
Tribal members can now order either 8-by-10 or 5-by-7 inch copies of
photos taken by Smoke Signals staff membra regardless of if they were
published in the newspaper. Charge is $1 for each print ordered.
Reprint orders must be pre-paid with a check made out to Smoke
Signals. A photo reprint order form is available in the Publications
Office of the Tribe's Governance Building in Grand Ronde, or can be
mailed upon request.
All photos contained in Smoke Signals' current archive are available
for purchase, but people interested in going through the archive must
make an appointment to review photos for possible purchase. No rush
orders will be permitted and requestors must allow 30 days for delivery.
Requestors must be Tribal members.
In addition, reprint requestors must agree that the reprint is for
personal use only, and not for use in an ad, or for commercial or promo
tional purHses. Smoke Signals reserves the right to decline a reprint
request.
To request a reprint order form, write to Smoke Signals at 9615
(rand Itonde Road. Grand Ronde, OR 97317, or call the Publications
Secretary at 603-879-1453 or 800-422 0232.