12
S moke S ignals
NOVEMBER 1, 2014
Community resources
The Clothing Closet on the Tribal campus.
• 10 a.m. to noon Monday.
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.
Grand Ronde Food Bank, 9600 Hebo Road, Grand Ronde.
• Contact: 541-921-2881. n
Fee assistance
Enrolled Tribal members can request assistance with test fees (i.e. GRE,
SAT, LSAT, ACT) and admissions application fees. Contact Higher Educa-
tion for more information at 1-800-422-0232, ext. 2275. n
Elders Bazaars scheduled
Val Grout’s Reunion set for Nov. 29
A Reunion for Tribal Elder Val Grout will be held beginning at
noon Saturday, Nov. 29, in the Community Center.
The potluck is for all relatives and friends. Attendees will eat
around 1 p.m.
Bring good stories and pictures to share.
Grout served on Tribal Council for 14 years and still attends most
Tribal Council meetings.
For more information, call Sharon at 971-241-5800. n
Elders Bazaars will be held in November and December on the
Tribal campus and at Spirit Mountain Casino.
The schedule is Friday and Saturday, Nov. 7-8, at the Tribal gym;
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14-15 at Spirit Mountain Casino; and
Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13, at Spirit Mountain Casino.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
Tables cost $10 per day per table for the Tribal gym and $20 per
day per table at the casino.
To sign up for a table or tables, contact Elder Activity Assistant
Dan Ham at the Elders Activity Center at 503-879-2233. n
Mercier an advocate for Tribal members
MERCIER continued
from front page
Clinic’s Business Office manager.
She recently celebrated and was
honored for her three decades of
continual service to the Tribal
membership.
During the first six months, she
worked at the Tribal Cemetery
building as an intern through the
Siletz Work Experience Program,
which was funded by the Bureau
of Indian Affairs. Since, she has
spent the entirety of her career
in the Health Department, even
before the Health and Wellness
Clinic was built.
Jim Willis hired her for that in-
ternship.
She moved on to the main office
at the old Train Depot when the in-
ternship was over. She remembers a
one-room building without running
water and an outhouse in the back.
“We used to get water for our cof-
fee from a hose outside,” she recalls.
When the Tribe received its first
Indian Health Service money, she
was hired full-time by Cheryle A.
Kennedy, then the first director
of the Tribal Health Department.
Kennedy went on to serve as a Trib-
al Council member for many years.
Bonnie Mercier was Community
Health representative and Tresa
was health clerk. Together, they
moved into the Depot office.
She recalls that Jim St. Martin
was general manager, Don Hudson
was his assistant, Candy Robertson
was administrative assistant, Bar-
bara Mercier handled enrollment
and Russ Leno worked at the cem-
etery grounds, a position he held
for many years.
“It was a lot smaller then,” Tresa
recalls. “We did a hand-written
newspaper and hand-written la-
bels. Members of Tribal Council,
Dean Mercier for one, came by a
lot, and others dropped in from
time to time.”
General Manager’s Office Exec-
utive Assistant Barbara Mercier
worked and lived with Tresa in
those days.
“We were the youngest, so we
did everything that needed to be
done,” Barbara recalls. “She came
on slightly after me, and we were
rooming together. It was so small
back then. Six of us in one room.
One time, Les AuCoin, who was
in Congress, was coming, so we
painted the whole inside. And the
artwork. We were pretty happy to
be down there.
“We used to get into laughing
jags where we were out of control.
Sometimes just a look at each other.
When you know somebody well, you
can see what’s crossing their mind.
Kind of like laughing in church.”
Barbara, who worked for the
Tribe from 1983-85, left to pursue
her education and returned to Trib-
al employment in 1991.
Tresa remembers the first Resto-
ration Powwow in 1984.
“It was big,” she recalls. “We had
it at the Grand Ronde (school) gym.
We had dinner at St. Michael’s. We
all helped, staff and volunteers.
At that time, everybody involved
helped with powwows and dinners.”
For the event, “maybe 500 came.
The gym was packed. That was
really big for us then.”
Tresa says that everyone was ap-
preciative of all those who helped.
Big things were coming. Everybody
was talking about all of the things
the Tribe wanted to do. Upstairs at
the Depot, Tribal Council chambers
shared space with administration
and accounting.
“People were still becoming en-
rolled. Programs were starting.
We were still trying to absorb it
all,” Tresa recalls. “I remember
coming out to the post office and
voting. I was kind of young. I don’t
know that I was paying attention
to everything.”
Sometime around the summer of
1985, Tresa recalls, she lived down
the street from the Depot.
“The director of the Portland area
Indian Health Service and staff
were coming to do a site visit with
a couple of staff members. Cheryle
(Kennedy), Bonnie (Mercier) and
I planned a lunch for our guests.
I was 20 and the only thing I had
ever cooked was Ramen and grilled
cheese, so I had no idea how to
make anything, but there wasn’t
funding for catering or anything
like that at the time.
“We asked Cheryle’s brother,
John (Sonny) Allen, to help me cook
the food. I was so nervous cooking
for these important people, but we
… he made a wonderful turkey
dinner and everyone loved it. I’ve
been making delightful turkeys
ever since. That’s a goofy story that
always makes me happy to think
about.”
In 1992, when the Health De-
partment was located in one of
the modular buildings, Tresa was
upgraded to Support Services co-
ordinator for Contract Health. It
was the version then of the Health
Business Office. A few years after
the Tribe built the clinic building in
1997, her title changed to Business
Office manager.
She has had “a lot of relationships
over the years with a lot of Tribal
members, and always worked to
make sure they were taken care of.
I don’t think it has changed.”
It makes her “really happy being
able to hire Tribal members, and
help them gain skills and confi-
dence to move up in their career
paths. Some have chosen to go back
to school and some have taken the
opportunity to take classes while
they are working.”
“I feel like she is the biggest asset
the Tribe has working here,” says
Melody Baker, Senior Contract
Health specialist, who has worked
for the Tribe and with Tresa for
15 years. “She’s a matriarch so to
speak. She is a huge advocate for
Tribal members. Everything from
employment, education to self-im-
provement and also for our Tribal
patients here at the clinic.
“She’s not afraid to go toe to toe
for something she believes strongly
in; yet she is humble and has the
biggest heart of anyone I know.
Most probably have no idea of all
of the things she does for other
people because she doesn’t like to
be praised for being an amazing
human. She’s a great listener and
advice giver. She is so giving of
herself and her time.
“She’s 100 percent involved in
our culture and attends every ac-
tivity the Tribe does and has for
as long as I’ve known her. I could
seriously go on for days, but I re-
spect, appreciate, admire and look
up to her very much. We could use
more people like her in this world
… that’s for sure.
“But,” Baker adds, “she doesn’t
love it when people ‘gush’ about
her.”
“I feel like I was given a great
opportunity with the job training
program that was available to me,”
says Tresa, “and it’s important to
me to give the same opportunity to
other Tribal members.”
For the last year, Tresa has added
the Skookum Health Assistance
Program manager position to her
job duties.
“It’s a lot of extra work, but I have
good help,” she says. “All of my
team is really good. We coordinate
a lot with Contract Health Services.
We really need advocates for Trib-
al members and the services they
need. We do a lot of coordination
with plans, and with Tribal mem-
bers from everywhere. I feel like
we’re improving.”
Mercier’s parents are Bob and
Gayle Mercier. Her grandparents on
her father’s side are Joe (Sonny) and
Blandine Mercier, and on her moth-
er’s side, Orin and Velma Hamilton.
Her grandparents have passed on.
She has three children, all ac-
tive in Tribal affairs: Ali, 28, and
Keiffer, 25, who live in Grand
Ronde, and Zoey, 18, who is attend-
ing college in Hawaii.
“My family is all really involved,”
Tresa says.
Ali worked as an intern first.
Then, she was a teacher in the Chi-
nuk Wawa Immersion class.
As a child, Keiffer was involved
with the Education and Prevention
departments, and attended many
of the activities they provided. As
a high school intern, he worked in
the Tribal pre-school and later in
grounds keeping.
Zoey has been “really” involved
with the Canoe Family and also
worked in the pre-school as a high
school intern.
All three participated in Tribal
youth activities and when the Trib-
al pre-school opened, Zoey attended
there.
After all these years, Tresa says,
“I just couldn’t see myself working
anyplace else.”
Which means she’ll probably be
the Tribe’s first 40-year employee
as well. n