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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2015)
MAY 1, 2015 S MOKE S IGNALS 3 Food Bank seeking volunteers The Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkǚmfk haws – is run by 0DULRQ3RON)RRG6KDUHZKLFKKDVEHHQOHDGLQJWKHÀJKWWRHQG hunger since 1987 because no one should be hungry. ´,WWDNHVDFRPPXQLW\WRÀJKWORFDOKXQJHUµVD\V)RRG%DQN&R- ordinator Francene Ambrose. “Your gift of time and talent means so much to individuals, families and children who are struggling. We are looking for assistance putting food on the shelves and handing out food boxes on distribution days.” If you are interested in volunteering, contact Ambrose at 503-879- 3663 or at fambrose@marionpolkfoodshare.org. The Food Bank is at 9675 Grand Ronde Road. Q Food Bank provides food boxes If you receive SNAP, TANF, SSI or LIHEAP assistance, you au- tomatically qualify for assistance at the Grand Ronde Food Bank, 9675 Grand Ronde Road. Upcoming food box distributions are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, May 1; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, May 15; 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, May 29. No one will be turned away in need of a food box. +RPHERXQGSHRSOHRU(OGHUVXQDEOHWRSLFNXSDIRRGER[PD\ÀOO out an authorized representative form and that person can pick up a food box on your behalf. The authorization is good for one year. Call on non-distribution days to ensure someone is available to assist you. Contact Food Bank Coordinator Francene Ambrose at 503-879-3663 or at fambrose@marionpolkfoodshare.org. Q Official 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 • Veterans Special Event Board: www.facebook.com/pages/Veterans-Board-of-the-Confederated-Tribes-of- the-Grand-Ronde-Community • Community Garden: www.facebook.com/GrandRondeCommunityGarden 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 as needed at Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center. Chair: Perri McDaniel. • Culture Committee PHHWVDWSPWKH¿UVW:HGQHVGD\RIWKHPRQWK at Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center. Chair: Betty Bly. • Education CommitteePHHWVDWSPRQWKH¿UVW0RQGD\RIWKH month in the Adult Education building. Chair: Tammy Cook. • Elders Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month in the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Julie Duncan. • Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance Center. Chair: Robert Schmid. • Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday RIWKHPRQWKDWWKH1DWXUDO5HVRXUFHVEXLOGLQJRII+HER5RDG&KDLU +DUROG/\RQ • Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Wednesday of the PRQWKLQWKH+HDOWKDQG:HOOQHVV&HQWHU&KDLU3DWWL7RP0DUWLQ • Powwow Special Event Board meets TBA at the Community Center. Chair: Dana Ainam. • Social Services Committee meets at 3 p.m. the third Wednesday of WKHPRQWKLQWKH6RFLDO6HUYLFHVFRQIHUHQFHURRP&KDLU$ODQ+DP • Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month DWWKH1DWXUDO5HVRXUFHVEXLOGLQJRII+HER5RDG&KDLU%RE0HUFLHU • Veterans Special Event BoardPHHWVDWSPWKH¿UVW7XHVGD\RIWKH 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: In 2015, there are a number of great things taking place here at home WKDWQRWRQO\EHQHÀWRXU7ULEHEXWRXU7ULEDOPHPEHUV,WKRXJKW,ZRXOG take some time to update you on some of the things that have taken place over the past few months and I will continue to update you throughout the \HDU,KRSH\RXÀQGWKLVLQIRUPDWLRQKHOSIXODQGDVDOZD\V,DPZLOOLQJWR answer any questions you may have as new projects and initiatives come up. Powwow Arbor %HIRUHWKHÀUVWRIWKH\HDUDWHDPZDVSXWWRJHWKHUWKDWLQFOXGHGUHS- resentatives from several Tribal departments, Tribal Council, the Culture Committee, the Veterans Special Event Board and the Powwow Special Event Board to provide input on the scope and design of the arbor. After months of discussion, the team had a recommendation for Tribal Council that was approved in February. The arbor will be approximately 20,000 square feet, incorporate our Elders seating area and protect our Tribal members and their guests from the elements with a removable shade and cover. The project has provided employment for Tribal members through the TERO program and utilizes logs harvested from our Reservation. The arbor is scheduled to be completed in time for this year’s Veterans Summit and the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow in July. Spirit Mountain Casino Renovations As chairman of the Spirit Mountain Casino Board of Directors, I have had the privilege to participate on our Renovation Steering Committee, which will be working directly with Spirit Mountain Casino staff on all of our ren- ovation projects as they move forward. In February, Tribal Council passed a resolution authorizing the casino to proceed with expenditures for capital projects this year. As part of the capital expenditures, the casino will be repainting and repairing the exterior of the casino, completing a parking lot overlay and kitchen repairs, and purchasing new slot machines and chairs. Per Capita Distributions Last year, Tribal Council worked on and successfully budgeted for an increase in per capita distributions. This year, we budgeted a 3 percent in- crease in our per capita distributions; increasing the budgeted amount to 28 percent from 25 percent. In addition, Tribal Council recently made a decision to bring our per capita distributions in-house. Processing payments in-house will not only help us save money, but will help make our distributions more HIÀFLHQWDQGDOVRZLOOKHOSXVHQVXUHWKDWRXUPHPEHUVDUHUHFHLYLQJWKHLU payments in a timely fashion. Oregon State Senate Bill 548 On April 16, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 548. The bill authorizes Oregon counties to sell or donate real property to certain federally recognized Indian Tribes within the state. The Tribe has worked with Tillamook County and our state senators and representatives on this proposal and we hope to see it pass the Oregon House of Representatives before the end of session. If passed, the legislation will allow “any county governing body to grant an option to purchase, contract to sell, sell and convey, or donate any … real property owned by the county, including real property acquired pursuant to tax foreclosure proceedings, at such price and on such terms as the county governing body may deem to be best for the best interest of the county.” The change will allow Tribes to work directly with their local counties to purchase lands that had previously not been offered. Reservation Act Amendment On March 19, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) reintroduced the Grand Ronde Reservation Act Amendment on behalf of the Tribe. The amendment would allow the Tribe to take property it owns within the boundaries of our orig- inal 1857 Reservation directly into reservation status. This change would cut through years of bureaucratic red tape and would not only help save the Tribe time and money, but also would help make the process less cumbersome for the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Last year, the amendment came close to passage, but it ran out of time in the ÀQDOPRQWKRIWKHWK&RQJUHVV:HORRNIRUZDUGWRZRUNLQJRQSDVVDJH in the 114th Congress. I want to thank you for taking the time to read my update. I feel it’s im- portant to update you on some of the projects we’re working on here at home. As we move forward, my goal is to update you as often as time allows on the projects and initiatives before Tribal Council. As always, it is an honor to serve you. Sincerely, Reynold L. Leno Tribal Council Chairman Clothes Closet open Monday, Friday The Clothes Closet is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday and Fri- day on the Tribal campus near the Elders Activity Center at the end of Blacktail Drive. It accepts clothes, small appliances, small pieces of furniture, electronics and household goods that are clean and in good condition. It does not accept books, large TVs or large furniture, but there is a community board where people can post those items. Donations are accepted during regular business hours. For more information or emergency clothes, contact Lori Walk- er-Hernandez at 559-847-7565 or Daniele Powley at 971-241-6170. Q