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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2021)
8 OCTOBER 1, 2021 Smoke Signals ‘I’m excited to represent the Tribe’ PAGEANT continued from front page after a family lost their 18-year- old daughter, Victoria, to an opioid overdose. They believe that by Victoria’s death, thousands will be saved through their foundation that supports ways to reduce drug exper- imentation, addiction and overdose. “That really struck a chord with me,” Frederick says. “I didn’t re- alize it was that big of an aspect in the event and that there was so much community outreach. That’s when I decided to think about doing this. I wanted to get back to work- ing with youth.” As a teen and young adult grow- ing up in Grand Ronde, she worked for the Tribe’s Youth Education De- partment and the Native Wellness Institute as a facilitator, educating other youth about healthy alterna- tives to using drugs and alcohol. “It really was such a passion of mine, I thought that was the di- rection my life would go, but plans Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez Tribal member Brittny Linton Frederick was recently named Mrs. Washington County and will be competing in the Mrs. Oregon America pageant in the summer of 2022. changed,” Frederick says. “I got pregnant and had a daughter and didn’t want to be away too much at the time. That’s why I felt this LIHEAP program open in service area The Tribal Social Service’s LIHEAP – Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program – is open to eligible Tribal members in the six-county service area and Clackamas County. This is a first-come, first-served program and income criteria applies. LI- HEAP is federally funded through the Department of Health and Human Services and is designed to help low-income households with home heating costs. For more information, contact Social Services at 503-879-2034. (pageant) was a good opportunity. Community outreach is the biggest part of the pageant and it really inspired me.” Frederick decided to apply for Mrs. Washington County, the first step to becoming Mrs. Ore- gon America. She was accepted in August and recently participated in her first community outreach charity event at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course. The statewide pageant will be held in July 2022, and involves a panel interview, then a dance, fitness, evening gown and onstage TRIBAL VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE Ramona Quenelle, Tribal Veterans Service Officer, (TVSO)US Navy Veteran (IT2 SW) Phone: 503-879-1484 | CTGRTribalVSO@grandronde.org CTGR Social Services Department, Attn: Tribal Veterans Service Officer 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 VETERANS CRISIS LINE, CALL 1-800-273-8255 AND PRESS 1 OR TEXT 838255 VETERANS CORNER, September 2021: SAVE THE DATE CALENDAR: Check out our Facebook page: @CTGRTVSO Sept. 2021 (Date/Time TBD-tentative) Paint with a Vet event (only 22 spots available) E-mail CTGRTVSO to register. E-mail CTGRTribalVSO@grandronde.org to sign up for important email updates, register for events and/or training links! Oct. 2021 (Date/Time TBD) Native Wellness Behavioral Health Training #4 UPCOMING EVENTS: August to December 2021 Coffee & Chat with the TVSO The original plan was to take you out to coffee and meet with you face to face. Due to the pandemic, that isn’t possible and I do not want to risk anyone’s health and safety. Because I still want to connect with you, I will be reaching out to you via phone call to speak with you about your benefits or other related veteran topics. In return for your time the TVSO will send you a gift card as a token of appreciation. The Tribal Veterans Service Officer will call all Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Veterans to review Veteran Benefits the Veteran might be eligible for. Reviewing and applying for benefits can mean more money in your pocket and/or more benefits that you qualify to use. In some cases, spouses can also benefit in case of the Veterans passing. Let’s chat! (Via Zoom) Cultural Class #2 – Cattail Cordage Video link, supplies, and instructions will be sent upon request. September 22, 2021 at 10 a.m. (email TVSO for link to register) Mindfulness Behavioral Health Training #3 Nov. 12, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. Veterans Day Dinner question portion. Mrs. America was established in 1976 to honor married women throughout the United States. Each of the contestants represents one of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and participants range in age from their 20s to their 50s. Participants earn the right to par- ticipate in the national event by winning their state competition. “I’m really looking forward to the community outreach piece,” Frederick says. “I’m excited to get out there and talk to people, and do some of my own events as well. My goal is reduce drug exposure to kids and teens, and encourage other activities.” She says she is nervous about participating in the pageant itself. “I’m a farm girl and grew up wearing jeans and boots, not make- up and gowns,” Frederick says. “But I know it will all be OK. The other women are very supportive and it’s like a sisterhood. We’re already getting really close. I’m excited to represent the Tribe in this way, too.” Frederick’s Tribal roots come from her father, Dennis Linton, grandfather Thomas Linton and great-grandmother Geraldine “Toots” Mercier. “The reason I decided to do this is because of the experiences I had growing up and what the Tribe means to me,” Frederick says. “I’m very proud to be Grand Ronde.” Dec. 2021 (Date/Time TBD) Veterans End of the Year Event ANNOUNCEMENTS: SOUTHWEST ASIA THEATER OF OPERATIONS? The Department of Veterans Affairs will begin processing disability claims August 2, 2021 for asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis on a presumptive basis based on presumed particulate matter exposures during military service in Southwest Asia and certain other areas – if these conditions manifested within 10 years of a qualifying period of military service. Contact the Tribal Veterans Service Office to determine if your dates of service and location of service fall within the qualifying dates. you were on land, air or sea, you may be entitled to compensation from the VA. Blue Water Navy: Agent Orange Presumptive Exposure in the Republic of Vietnam. 1. Are you a Vietnam veteran (includes military, naval, or air service) who served in the Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975? 2. Did you serve aboard a vessel operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia? 3. Do you have one or more of the Agent Orange presumptive conditions listed below: IHD, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, respiratory cancers, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, soft tissue sarcomas, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, hyper thyroidism, etc. Contact the Tribal Veterans Service Office for more information. IRAQ or AFGHANISTAN? Did you serve in Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield, New Dawn, Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom? The Open Burn Pit Registry allows eligible veterans and service members to document environmental exposures, such as smoke from burn pits, oil-well fires, or pollution during deployment, as well as record health concerns, through an online questionnaire. VIETNAM VETERANS - AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE? The list of conditions presumed to be caused by Agent Orange exposure has recently expanded. Whether www.grandronde.org/services/social-services/veterans-services | www.benefits.va.gov/vso | www.facebook.com/CTGRTVSO Ad by Samuel Briggs III
