NOVEMBER 1, 2014
S MOKE S IGNALS
3
ATTENTION
If you are currently receiving or are in need of SNAP benefi ts, Social
Services provides an Oregon Department of Human Services case-
worker who comes to Grand Ronde twice monthly on Wednesdays. The
caseworker may assist with applications, updates, child care, etc. If you
are in need of services, call 503-879-2034 to schedule an appointment
or you can reach Michelle Carmona at 503-879-4523. n
Tribal Nations Conference set
The 2014 White House Tribal Nations Conference will be held Wednesday,
Dec. 3, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.
The conference will provide leaders of the 566 federally recognized Tribes the
opportunity to interact directly with President Barack Obama and members
of the White House Council on Native American Affairs.
Each federally recognized Tribe will be invited to send one representative to
the conference. Tribal Council member Cheryle A. Kennedy has represented
the Grand Ronde Tribe at previous conferences.
This will be the sixth White House Tribal Nations Conference for the Obama
administration. It continues to build upon the president’s commitment to
strengthen the government-to-government relationship with Indian Country
and improve the lives of Native Americans. n
Offi cial Tribal Facebook pages
• Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde:
www.facebook.com/CTGRgov
• Grand Ronde Tribal Council:
www.facebook.com/TheConfederatedTribesOfGrandRondeTribalCouncil
• Grand Ronde Higher Education:
www.facebook.com/grand.r.ed
• Grand Ronde Youth Education:
www.facebook.com/CTGRYouthEducation
• Spirit Mountain Community Fund:
www.facebook.com/SpiritMountainCommunityFund
• Grand Ronde Station:
www.facebook.com/GrandRondeStation
• Grand Ronde Royalty:
www.facebook.com/TheConfederatedTribesofGrandRondeRoyalty
• Spirit Mountain Stampede:
www.facebook.com/SpiritMountainStampede
• Veterans Special Event Board:
www.facebook.com/pages/Veterans-Board-of-the-Confederated-Tribes-of-
the-Grand-Ronde-Community
• Community Garden: www.facebook.com/GrandRondeCommunity-
Garden
Committee & Special Event
Board meeting days and times
Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times for
Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards:
• Ceremonial Hunt Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Groshong.
• Cultural Trust Board meets at 4 p.m. on the fi rst Tuesday of each month
at the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Perri McDaniel.
• Culture Committee meets at 1 p.m. the fi rst Wednesday of the month at
the Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center. Chair: Betty Bly.
• Education Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. on the fi rst Monday of the
month in the Adult Education Building. Chair: Tammy Cook.
• Elders’ Committee meets at 1 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month in
the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Gladys Hobbs.
• Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance
Building. Chair: Robert Schmid.
• Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of
the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: Harold
Lyon.
• Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Wednesday of the month
in the Health & Wellness Center. Chair: Patti Tom-Martin.
• Powwow Special Event Board meets TBA at the Community Center.
Chair: Dana Ainam.
• Rodeo Special Event Board meets at 6 p.m. the fi rst Thursday of the
month at the Rodeo Offi ce. Chair: Harold Lyon.
• Social Services Committee meets at 4 p.m. the second Monday of the
month in the Social Services conference room. Chair: Jenny Sanchez.
• Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month
at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: Bob Mercier.
• Veterans Special Event Board meets at 5 p.m. the fi rst Tuesday of the
month in the Community Center. Chair: Steve Bobb Sr.
To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator Dean
Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org.
Dear fellow Tribal members:
As we head into November, I would like to take a moment to update you
on some of the things we have been working on here in Grand Ronde. I’d
also like to encourage you to attend the Nov. 2 General Council meeting
where the preliminary budget for calendar year 2015 will be presented
to the membership.
In just 10 months, we have made tremendous progress on our new apart-
ment complex, a Tribal food bank and our Employment Services building.
In addition, we have been able to focus our attention on the budget in a
way that has allowed us to look for cost savings and improved effi ciencies.
Below are just a few of the things I wanted to provide an update on and I
hope you fi nd them informative.
CY2015 preliminary budget
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014, the preliminary budget was posted as
required by our Budget and Appropriations Ordinance. The preliminary
budget is a working document and several revisions will occur between the
posting of the preliminary budget and fi nal adoption of the 2015 budget.
Tribal Council has had several meetings on the budget and will continue
to discuss budget priorities and review the comments submitted by Tribal
members to the Finance Offi cer.
The CY2015 Budget Hearing will take place Sunday, Nov. 2, at 11 a.m.
in the Tribal Community Center. Feedback forms will be available for
Tribal members to leave comments and/or suggestions.
Employment Services building
Construction of the new Employment Services building is underway
and the building should be open by spring 2015. The building will house
our Human Resources departments, the 477 Program and the Tribal
Employment Rights Offi ce, making it a one-stop shop for Tribal members
seeking employment. Tribal Council is looking forward to working with
the departments to see how we can leverage our resources to improve em-
ployment opportunities for Tribal members in and around our community.
Tribal Food Bank
Staff is continuing to work with Marion-Polk Food Share on food bank
logistics and hiring for the new facility. The food bank should be open and
available to serve the community in December. Tribal Council continues
to work hand-in-hand with Tribal staff and the Grand Ronde Community
Resource Center, an independent 501 (c) (3), to ensure that the needs of
the community are met and to provide additional support.
Expanded services for local veterans
Tribal Council and the General Manager’s Offi ce are working with the
Grand Ronde Health and Wellness Center to pursue the expansion of
medical services to nonTribal veterans at our clinic.
The expansion would require a separate contract (Tribal Council has
already executed a contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs
allowing the Grand Ronde Health and Wellness Center to serve Tribal
veterans) with Veterans Affairs, which we’re looking to pursue.
The expansion of services would allow local veterans to receive medical
services here within the community and would lessen the amount of time
they spend traveling to VA-approved facilities for services that are already
being provided at our clinic. This would also bring in additional revenue.
Tribal Council has been busy with a variety of other projects and an-
nouncements, such as the approval of the Tribe’s Fish and Wildlife Plan,
launch of the new Chinuk Wawa language app, receipt of a $500,000 grant
for a new police station and the hiring of a new general manager at Spirit
Mountain Casino. Smoke Signals has been covering a variety of these
issues and announcements, so I encourage all Tribal members to read
Smoke Signals for more information on recent projects and announcements.
As always, it is an honor to serve you as your Tribal Council Chairman
and I look forward to fi nishing this year by celebrating all that we have
and all that we have accomplished as Grand Ronde Tribal members.
Sincerely,
Reynold L. Leno
Tribal Council Chairman
Fish distribution
set for Nov. 17-18
Tribal fi sh distribution will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and
Tuesday, Nov. 17-18, at the Natural Resources Department’s Fish Lab,
47010 S.W. Hebo Road. Tribal members must show photo identifi cation to
pick up their fi sh. Elders will have a line established to expediently fi ll their
requests. To ensure this, only Elders’ orders will be fi lled using the line.
If you are picking up for others, a signed release form will be required.
There will be no early or late pickups, and fi sh will not be mailed.
For more information, contact the Natural Resources Department at
503-879-2424. n