Smoke Signals 9
SEPTEMBER 1,2009
Employee recognition
Woman delivers child at Spirit Mountain Casino
' I r -i ' "''4"
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Patsy Pullin, Tribal member and the Tribe's 477 Employment &
Training and Vocational Rehabilitation supervisor, hugs Tribal
member and Director of Development Pete Wakeland during the
second quarter Employee Recognition Ice Cream Social in the Tribal
Community Center on Wednesday, Aug. 1 2. Pullin has worked for the
Tribe for 1 0 years.
USDA food distribution
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde's Social Services
Department has been meeting with the USDA program from
the Siletz Tribe.
In an attempt to provide better service and meet the specific
individual needs of Tribal members, our department is asking if
Tribal members have an interest in receiving USDA distribution
of food here at a local distribution center in Grand Ronde.
We would like to know if there are enough Tribal members to
measure the interest of delivery of USDA once each month.
Please contact our Social Services office if you feel you are eli
gible for the program and would utilize it here at Grand Ronde.
We will need your name and address to meet program guide
lines. Please contact Social Services at 503-879-2034 or 1-800-242-8196.
B
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
It was quiet at the main entrance
of Spirit Mountain Casino on Sun
day, Aug. 9.
Security officer Veronica Langlois
remembers, because at 9:45 a.m.,
when a tan Ford Explorer pulled up
with a baby about to be born, they
had the covered area pretty much
to themselves.
The family, not identified for pri
vacy considerations, included mom
in the passenger seat, husband driv
ing and 6-year-old son in the back
seat. They had been at the Oregon
coast. They were just on this side
of the forest corridor when mom's
water broke, and as soon as they
came back into cell phone range,
they called 911, Langlois said.
Emergency operators called Lan
glois with the news that the Explor
er was arriving with an expectant
mother onboard.
"They were hoping they could
make it to the hospital," said Lan
glois, a first responder who also took
the call at the casino's Dispatch
desk. .
"I got my supervisor, Neil Jacox,
to take over at Dispatch," Langlois
said, "and went down to the main
entrance to meet with the couple."
When they arrived, Langlois was
right there.
At the casino entrance, she said,
she worked as part of "a team effort"
to deliver the casino's first baby a
fresh faced boy.
"(The mother) didn't look like she
was in very much pain," Langlois
said, "but she said she was in pain,
so I asked her to lean her (car) seat
back.
"Everyone (in the car) looked a
little scared."
The young boy wanted to know
what was going on.
"I told him everything would be
OK, and not to worry," Langlois
said.
"I asked (the mother) if I could
examine her. She motioned that it
was OK, and when I first examined
her, no head was crowning.
"She gave a good push and I told
the Security officers (including
Johnny Morales, Monique Cas
tillo and Marty Niles, along with
Floor Security Supervisor Robert
Chaussee) to get a gurney for her.
I thought we'd have enough time,"
she said, but when she looked back,
the baby was coming.
"I told Monique to update Dis
patch that we would be delivering
a baby."
Two more pushes and the baby
arrived at 10:45 a.m., but not
breathing.
"I wiped him off and cleaned him
up. I rubbed his foot to stimulate
breathing. It seems like it took a
long time," she said, "but it wasn't
very long at all until he started
breathing.
"I placed him on the mother's
stomach and by then, West Valley
(Fire and Rescue) showed up and
took over."
They placed the baby on oxygen,
and because he was six weeks pre
mature, ultimately transported him
McMinnville and then to a Portland
hospital, where the family has re
portedly been doing fine.
"She's a trained first responder,"
said Tribal member Joann Mercier,
Security director for the casino, "and
she did an outstanding job."
Langlois, herself the mother of
two, said it is much easier to deliver
a baby as a first responder. B
QoaesftDOinis thfoti a wMe cramige tf snalbjjectis
FORUM continued
from front page
Mercier recruited Tribal member
Promise Rimer, 10, to pick the ques
tions from the Plexiglas spinner to
speed up the process a little.
Mak Mek Haws provided lunch
before the event. Manager Chris
tian Tinney, assistant manager
Marge Holmes, Tribal member and
kitchen supervisor Steve Holmes
and staff member Micayla Rock
served deli sandwiches, potato
salad, drinks and dessert.
Questions hit a wide range of
subjects.
One focused on how the candidate
would make budget decisions and
another asked for the candidate's
experience in making budget deci
sions. Questions asked about Tribal
efforts in regard to environmental,
economic, housing and enrollment
policies.
A number of questions centered on
Tribal Council prerogatives: Should
council members show up for work
more? Have more accountability?
Answer phone and e-mail requests
more regularly? Continue the cur
rent level of travel? Fly first class?
rtn
Photo by Ron Karten
Tribal member and Tribal Director of
Operations John Mercier served as
master of ceremonies and advised
the audience about the Importance
of Tribal Council to the Tribe's future.
Questions were asked about
better serving Tribal Elders and
youth, providing services to Grand
Ronde descendants and the election
process itself.
"It's good to see that we have such
a diversified variety of Tribal mem
bers that are ready to step up and
serve," said Tribal Elder Jolanda
Catabay.
"It's not a matter of (winning
or) losing (for incumbents). (Even
if they lose,) we want to see them
come back, not just disappear with
all the knowledge they've acquired.
It's more a matter of sharing and
teaching new members to represent
our Tribe."
"It was pretty informative," said
Tribal Elder and former Tribal
Council member Margaret Provost,
"but it could have been better with
more information."
"It was a beneficial sharing of
opinion and information," said
Tribal Elder Dan Stroebel, "but I
wish more members would have
attended."
"Good questions. Good respons
es," said community member Tony
Selwyn.
"I like the way it was presented,"
said Tribal Elder Laura Gleason.
"It answered some of the ques
tions about people that I wanted
to know," said Tribal member and
former Tribal Council member
Larry Brandon.
Tribal Elder and former Tribal
Council member Bob Haller recom
mended the timing of the forum be
changed to "right after nomina
tions." "Now," Haller said, "everybody's
already voted."
There are 18 Tribal members run
ning for three seats on Tribal Coun
cil, including incumbents Cheryle
A. Kennedy, Valorie Sheker and
Jack Giffen Jr.
Challengers are, in alphabetical
order, Michael Bolton, Alton But
ler, April Campbell, Shelley Han
son, Denise Harvey, Sanda Henny,
Stanley Jeffers, Leonard Logan II,
Harold Lyon, Deborah Marrington,
Toby McClary, Perri McDaniel,
Bobby Mercier, Brent Merrill and
Jackie Many Hides.
The forum was filmed by the
Tribe's Publications Department
and will be posted on the Tribal
member side of the Web site. To
see just who said what, tune in
to the Tribal Web site at www.
grandronde.org, go to "Video" and
"Log In."
Ballots for the 2009 Tribal Coun
cil election were mailed July 29.
Tribal Election Day is Saturday,
Sept. 12. D