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APRIL 1, 2024
Blackwell spoke to members who
logged on, answered questions
FB LIVE continued
from front page
Family Resources LLC.
“I am so happy to be here and
I welcome this opportunity to re-
introduce myself to the member-
ship,” Blackwell said. “Many of
you already know me and some of
you will remember me from other
capacities that I’ve served within
the Tribe. For those of you who may
not know me, I’m a member of the
Grand Ronde Tribe and I come from
the Riggs and Norwest families…
My mother is Candy Robertson and
she served on Tribal Council for
the first 10 years post-Restoration,
so she contributed to some of that
work as far as restoring us to fed-
eral recognition.”
Blackwell shared that after mov-
ing to Grand Ronde as a child, she
and her sisters would make copies
of the original Smoke Signals news-
letter and help with distribution,
along with washing dishes after
potluck meetings at St. Michael’s
Church and other activities to help
with the Restoration effort in the
late 1970s and early 1980s.
“Even as children, we were en-
gaged in this effort,” she said. “I
remember lots of meetings with
Sen. (Mark) Hatfield and Rep. (Les)
AuCoin and Elizabeth Furse. I re-
ally value those memories.”
Attending the Facebook Live
event were Kennedy and Tribal
Council members Jon A. George and
Denise Harvey, with Communica-
tions Director Sara Thompson field-
ing questions asked on Facebook.
Blackwell said that she didn’t al-
ways aspire to be a general manag-
er and when it was suggested years
ago, she didn’t take it seriously
because at the time she was a high
school dropout with a young child.
“But I worked really hard all of
those years and with the Tribe’s
support and my family’s support, I
was able to get my education, earn
a degree and be able to work here
contributing to the Tribe,” she said.
“I’m really grateful for this oppor-
tunity to be in the role as general
manager.”
After Blackwell spoke to the 110
Tribal members who logged on to
Facebook to attend, she answered
five questions from the audience.
“As a council person, I think we’re
all honored to have somebody with
such a rich historical background
and foundation of not only being
a resident here in our community
but also who has been working on
our different programs and services
within the Tribe,” Harvey said. “I’ve
never gotten to work directly with
Angie but I have definitely worked
with her in her different capacities
here and I will say one of the things
I most admire is she’s an amazing
problem solver, which is great as a
general manager. Her communica-
tion is amazing and she has a good
understanding of our organization
and community. It’s an honor to
have somebody with her knowledge
and experience in this role.”
The Tribe started holding month-
ly Facebook Live events after the
outbreak of the COVID-19 pandem-
ic in March 2020 as a way to safely
keep Tribal members informed
about the Tribe and its activities.
They are now held on a more ir-
regular schedule and deal with a
variety of issues.
To contact Blackwell, call 503-
879-2036 or email angie.blackwell@
grandronde.org.
9
Community Fund seeking
Hatfield Fellow applicants
Applications for the 2024-25 Hatfield Fellowship program funded by
Spirit Mountain Community Fund are being accepted through Tuesday,
April 30.
Spirit Mountain Community Fund annually sponsors a Native
American to serve as the Hatfield Fellow and intern in an Oregon con-
gressional office. Placement of the fellow rotates through the Oregon
delegation to enhance mutual understanding between leadership in
Washington, D.C., and Indian Country.
Fellows are provided an opportunity to gain knowledge and under-
standing of how to navigate the political process in Washington, D.C.,
while working on issues that affect Native Americans.
Fellows begin their Capitol Hill experience in November with a
month-long orientation at the American Political Science Association,
which is followed by an eight-month term working in a congressional
office. The fellowship includes a monthly stipend and relocation and
travel expenses.
The fellowship is for Tribal members from the nine federally rec-
ognized Tribes in Oregon, as well as members of Pacific Northwest
Tribes. Preference will be given to members of Oregon Tribes. Appli-
cants must have a bachelor’s degree or be graduating in June 2024,
and be 21 or older.
For more information, visit thecommunityfund.com/other-programs/
hatfield-fellowship or go to Youtube to watch an informational video
about the Hatfield Fellowship.
The fellowship was created in 1998 to honor the late Sen. Mark
Hatfield’s public service to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.
Rec center funding approved
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas announced that she suc-
cessfully advanced more than $14 million in community project funding for
Oregon’s 6th District, including $500,000 for a new resident and recreation
center in Grand Ronde.
The project funding was included in the first of the 2024 government
appropriations packages passed by the House of Representatives. The
legislation is expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden later
this month.
“I am incredibly pleased to vote for the first government funding package
today and advance over $14 million for important community projects in
Oregon’s 6th District,” Salinas said. “From making needed improvements
to our roads and water infrastructure, to expanding access to rural broad-
band and public transportation, these projects will tangibly improve the
lives of everyone in our communities.”