MAY 1, 2015
S MOKE S IGNALS
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Food Bank seeking volunteers
The Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkǚmfk haws – is run by
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hunger since 1987 because no one should be hungry.
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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.
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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
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• Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Wednesday of the
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• 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
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• Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month
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• 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
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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
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answer any questions you may have as new projects and initiatives come up.
Powwow Arbor
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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
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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
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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