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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2019)
4 OCTOBER 1, 2019 Food Bank provides boxes, seeks help The Grand Ronde Food Bank – iskam mfkhmfk haws – is operated by Marion-Polk Food Share, which has been leading the fight to end hunger since 1987 because no one should be hungry. Recipients of SNAP, TANF, SSI or LIHEAP assistance automatically qualify for assistance at the Grand Ronde Food Bank, 9675 Grand Ronde Road. No one will be turned away in need of a food box. “We believe that everyone deserves to have enough to eat,” Food Bank Coordinator Francene Ambrose says. “You are welcome to get a food box at each of our regular weekly distributions. No one will be turned away in need of a food box.” Upcoming food box distribution dates will be: • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5; • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11; • 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 16; • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25. The Food Bank will be closed Monday, Oct. 14, in observance of In- digenous Peoples’ Day. People must check in 15 minutes before closing to receive a food box. If you need immediate assistance, call 211 or visit 211info.org. Those who are unable to pick up a food box can fill out an authorized representative form and that person can pick up a food box on your behalf. The authorization is good for one year. In addition, the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center’s Community Health Team will be setting up the mobile clinic at the pantry on the first Friday of every month. The Food Bank continues to seek volunteers to help with repacking food, putting food on the shelves, handing out food boxes, end-of-month inventory and picking up food donations at area stores. Call to ensure someone is available to assist. People also can sign up for a monthly e-mail for the Food Bank calendar and events, as well as follow the Food Bank on Facebook. The Food Bank is an equal opportunity provider. Call Ambrose at 503-879-3663 or contact her at fambrose@marion- polkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer. n 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 Hunting Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Gro- shong. • Culture Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Grand Ronde Food Bank/iskam mfkhmfk haws, 9675 Grand Ronde Road. Chair: Francene Ambrose. • Editorial Board meets monthly at the Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center conference room, 8720 Grand Ronde Road. Next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11. The public is welcome to attend. Chair: Siobhan Taylor. Contact: Editorial.Board@grandronde. org. • Education Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the 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: Penny DeLoe. • Enrollment Board meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance Center. Chair: Debi Anderson. • Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: Tyson Mercier. • Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Tuesday of the month in the Molalla Room of the Health & Wellness Center. Chair: Bernadine Shriver. • Housing Board meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of the month in the Housing Department conference room. Chair: Kristy Criss-Lawson. • Powwow Special Event Board meets monthly at noon at the Com- munity Center. Dates vary. Contact Dana Ainam at 503-879-2037. Chair: Dana Ainam. • TERO Commission meets at 10 a.m. the first Monday of the month in the Employment Services building. Chair: Russell Wilkinson. • Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Interim Chair: Jon R. George. • Veterans Special Event Board meets at 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month in the old Elders Craft House. Chair: Raymond Petite. To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator Dean Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org. Smoke Signals Flynn to receive Medal of Valor Award Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department James “J.J.” Flynn will receive the Oregon Peace Officers Association Medal of Valor at the association’s awards banquet that will be held on Friday, Nov. 15, at Spirit Mountain Casino. Flynn is receiving the award for his involvement in a hostage situation that occurred on May 20 in Sheridan. The awards banquet will be held follow- ing the association’s annual training conference. Flynn helped Yamhill County deputies who were engaged in an armed standoff with a subject who was allegedly using methamphetamine and behav- James “J.J.” Flynn ing in an extremely hostile manner. Flynn found a wheelchair in the home’s hallway and entered the room where the subject was located and lifted an elderly victim from a bed into the wheelchair and out of danger. After the victim was evacuated, Flynn remained on the scene for several hours to help police establish a secure perimeter around the home and stayed until the SWAT team from Oregon State Police arrived. Flynn is a 2010 Willamina High School graduate who has worked for the Tribal Police Department since 2018. n 2014 – The Grand Ronde Tribe made a rare find at Rattle- snake Butte Wildlife Refuge. A small, fe- male western rat- tlesnake, the only indigenous rattle- File photo snake found in Ore- 2014 gon, showed her face after Tribal Fish and Wildlife Department employees placed tin sheets out to attract the snakes. Although there was a history of western rattlesnakes in the area, it had been so long since a sight- ing of the Northern Pacific subspecies was documented that many thought it had gone extinct in western Oregon. 2009 – Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy was re-elected 6-3 by Tribal Council to the Tribal chair position for the eighth time. Kennedy first served as Tribal chairwoman starting in September 2001 and continued in that role continuously except for a one-year break between September 2006 and September 2007 when Tribal Council member Chris Mercier was elected to the office. Kennedy was the second-longest serving Tribal chair in Grand Ronde history. Tribal Elder Mark Mercier served as Tribal chair for 11 years. 2004 – The Tribe celebrated its grand opening of the new Portland office, which drew a crowd of approximately 150. The new office meant Portland-area Tribal members had access to employment programs, educational opportunities and cultural activities close to home. “This office will serve as a gateway to any Tribal services needed,” said Tribal member and Vocational Rehabilitation Spe- cialist Jon A. George. 1999 – Robert Martin (Assiniboine/Sioux) was hired as the Tribe’s new Executive Officer. He previously worked for the Wampanoag and Ponca Tribes, as well as in the computer and electronics field. “I’m a people person basically,” he said. “I believe all people want to do the right thing and need to be challenged properly to succeed.” Martin had been working on a temporary three-month contract before being hired full time. 1994 – Construction began on the Tribe’s gaming facility on High- way 18. The $21 million facility was set for a grand opening in August 1995. The project was financed through an $18.5 million loan from John Hancock Insurance Co. “Ours is the only Indian gaming project that has managed to obtain financing through a major commercial lender,” Spirit Mountain Development Corp. Director Bruce Thomas said. “Other Indian gaming projects have been financed through gaming companies that manage and operate the centers. We will be operating our own facility. It shows that a major financial lender has great confidence in our Tribe.” 1989 – Tribal member Felicia Torres Lewis, 11, won the West- ern Equitation Grand Championship with her horse, Shadow, at the 1989 Jackson County Fair in Medford. It was her first year of competition. She also received a blue ribbon for showmanship and a blue ribbon for trail riding. Lewis was the great-granddaughter of the late Wilson Bobb Sr. Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in- crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
