6 FEBRUARY 1,2009
Smoke Signals
Sunshine rises from nothing with help off Tribe
24-year-old Butler experiences life change through education, employment
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Sunshine Butler, 24, says she did
it for her kids.
"Coming from a life of poverty,
being raised around drugs and al
cohol all my life, and not knowing
any better," Sunshine says, "my
children caused me to stop. I want
to show them a better way of life,
our traditions, our culture, to be
successful."
Butler, a Siletz Tribal member who
counts half her family from Siletz and
half from Grand Ronde, kicked drugs
and alcohol, and, as her brother-in-law,
Bart Butler (Navajo), 41, says,
"She got on the Red Road."
Sunshine now takes care of her
elderly mother, Laverne Butler,
who lives with her, along with her
daughter, Freedom Butler (Siletz), 7;
her younger daughter, Talani Butler
(Siletz), 5; and her nephew, Eagle
Thunder Butler (Siletz), 12, who is
Bart's son.
She has the job of her dreams.
Her daughter, Talani, is also on
that road. She is not only learning
Chinuk Wawa at the Grand Ronde
Tribal preschool, but also is teaching
Sunshine the language.
"She teaches me different words,"
says Sunshine. "The dialects. She
teaches me how to say it right. She's
very perfect on that dialect."
But Sunshine's first job was get
ting clean.
In 2001, Sunshine dropped out
of Toledo High School in her senior
year. Many years passed during
which, Sunshine says, she didn't do
much.
"I've lived in poverty, struggled all
my life," Sunshine recalls. "I come
from a long line of alcoholism and
drugs. But I've overcome a lot of
obstacles in my life."
She did it "through prayer, through
ceremony, through my spirituality.
"I had to get clean and sober before
I decided what I wanted to with my
life. After that, everything started
falling into place."
Sunshine signed up for the Tribal
GED program in February 2008 and
in March earned her GED. In April,
2
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Tribal member Sunshine Butler tightens
bolts as she works on a new water main on McPherson Road in Grand Ronde
on Monday, Jan. 26. Butler works as a heavy equipment operator and laborer
for C&M Construction. She obtained her GED through Grand Ronde's GED
program, and then went on to get her heavy equipment operator's license.
she signed up for a heavy equip
ment operator's license at a school
in Eugene.
"It all just happened like that,"
she says.
When she cleaned up and came to
the Tribal Adult Education Division,
she admits being "scared to death"
about taking the GED test.
"It was Joanne (Carr, Tribal GED
Program coordinator). She was such
an inspiration. She kept saying, You
can do it. Put your mind to it. You've
got the smarts. You can do it.' "
'There are special moments with
students who come in the door where
everything becomes so clear," says
Carr, whose program serves the
entire Grand Ronde community.
"You can just see that it is now the
right time to move ahead, to get the
education or training, to take care of
yourself and your family, to use your
talent, and especially your determi
nation, to succeed. Sunshine Butler
is such a student.
"She had so much strength and
direction. Nothing was going to get
in the way of her goals. I only showed
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF GRAND RONDE TRIBAL COURT
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Tlie xuposc of (lie Peacemaker Plogiam is to jiiovide a noiKuhx-ivuial
way to rcsohr tlisfxitcs. Tlie. Peacemaker Program is intended to reflect the
Tribe's tradition of using rcscctcl members of die community to iieal
conflicts among its mcinlxrs.
Trained Pcaccmakcis facilitate die iratnnakint process to guide die parties
iu coming to a mutually agccalJc resolution to dieir conflict
For mote infomtation nljotit diis Program, j4ca.se contact die Trilxd Court
Profpani Sccialist at die addiess listed licknv.
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higether. All things connect.
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TRIBAL COt'RT PROGRAMS SPEC1AUST
9615 GRAND RONDE RD.
GRAND RONDE, OR 97 W
11 lONEi 50.1879623
FAX: 50.1879-22WJ
Jiilic.liocklHift'i QaiiliMilr.iig
her a door that could open for her in
education, and she took it."
"I went in there," says Sunshine,
"and she's just one of those people
who is like an inspiration. When
you talk to her, you want to succeed
because of her attitude. She's an
outgoing person. She's willing to be
there for you, one on one."
For the GED, "I focused on math
and writing," says Sunshine. "It was
pretty much, I just went in there,
took a couple of pre-tests. That's how
she knew I was ready.
"Joanne said, 'Go take the test
and just try.' I went in and ended
up passing."
Within the month, Sunshine head
ed to Eugene for the heavy equip
ment operator's class.
"I was trying to figure out what
I was going to do with my life. I
wasn't sure what I wanted to do, to
become," says Sunshine. "What's the
one thing I could do to make money?
Be successful? Raise my family?
"I remember when I was a little
girl, passing heavy equipment on the
highway, and my father came from
construction. When I was younger, I
would always smell that construction
on him. So I thought I would try it."
It turns out construction was in
her genes.
"I love it. It's awesome," she
says.
The six-week course included 260
hours of training.
"It was all men," she says. "There
were 26 men, I was the only woman.
But the instructors down there were
awesome. I was scared to death
my first week there, seeing these
huge machines, going through all
the math. And they were telling me
that not everybody can do this, even
though they want to, when they start
doing it. Well, for me, it came easy
to me. I loved it."
She finished as class valedictorian
and graduated with a 3.8 GPA.
She returned to Grand Ronde with
some confidence.
"I gave Denise Harvey (Tribal Men
torship and Workforce Development
coordinator) a call one day after I
got my GED and heavy equipment
operator's license," Sunshine says.
"I wondered if there were any con
struction projects through the Tribe
that I could get because I want to
give back to the people, work on my
ancestral lands. She said, There's a
project coming up out here,' and she
was going to see about getting me an
interview. Next thing you know, she
tells me I'm one of the two Native
people hired on."
C&M Construction hired her
and Tribal member Terry Houck,
a journeyman in the construction
trades, for the Grand Ronde Road
project. Sunshine came on as an
apprentice.
"I set up interviews for 15 people,"
says Harvey, whose Workforce De
velopment Program also helps the
entire community in many ways.
"She impressed the construction
company by her enthusiasm and
the time she took to educate herself.
She's a great worker. She gets along
great with the crew. She's not intimi
dated by that big equipment. She
gets in there and wants to learn."
Sunshine started working on the
project in August as an apprentice
equipment operator and laborer.
"I do front loader, backhoe," she
says.
She has been on the job for almost
six months and it lasts until the end
of this year.
"I get the experience also," she
says.
"Sunshine has a great work ethic,"
said C&M Project manager Steve
Smith. "She comes to work everyday
on time and works hard all day. She
never complains about the weather
or what she is asked to do. At the
end of the day, we usually have to
tell her to stop working."
After Sunshine got the job, Harvey
came into her office one day to see
a vase of flowers on her desk. The
note with the flowers said: "There's
not enough words to say how thank
ful I am for giving me the chance to
change my life. So, here's a little gift
to show my appreciation. Thanks so
much." It was signed, Sunshine.
"It's been up on my wall ever
since," Harvey says. "It's so nice to
see somebody who wants to make a
difference and change their life and
they do it because you gave them
that opportunity."
Christmas 2008 marked the first
time that Sunshine was able to buy
gifts for her family, says Harvey.
"I think she went out and bought
about 40. It's just been an amazing
life change. If we inspired her," says
Harvey, "now she's an inspiration to
others."
Ad created by George Valdef
Transportation to Grand Rondo
The Portland Satellite office has a transportation day to Grand
Ronde once a month for medical or dental appointments or enroll
ment cards. A minimum of three people must sign up. Call Lisa at
503-235-4230.
We will leave the Portland office nt 8 a.m.
Please call in advance for the scheduled monthly date.