March 2008
National Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Posted on: March 14th, 2008
As many of you may already know, March has been designated National Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Awareness month, an opportunity for our community to learn more about the issues affecting more than seven million Americans with developmental disabilities. Spirit Mountain Community Fund (SMCF) invites you to take part in the National Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities awareness month and support children and adults with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. SMCF is honored to share with you the life changing impact Taylor Street Ovens, located in Corvallis, Oregon, is having in their community. “Taylor Street Ovens means more than cookies” Taylor Street Ovens… read more
Education | Health | Large Grant | Our Tribe
April 2008
Elder’s Activity Center
Posted on: April 10th, 2008
Lincoln City-based Quade Commercial Construction has been building and upgrading facilities for the Grand Ronde Tribe almost since the beginning. The first project, Superintendent Craig Hoffman recalls, was remodeling the Tribal Community Center eight years ago. Today, at work on the Elders’ Activity Center located west of the Elder Foster Care buildings, Hoffman and Quade Commercial are a vital part of the Tribe’s Workforce Development Program, bringing in Tribal and community members who have learned construction skills as part of the Preapprenticeship Program and are now earning a regular paycheck, as well as gaining the kind of self-esteem that pays… read more
Hold your kids tight
Posted on: April 25th, 2008
Kids are being victimized. They are victimized in their homes, and in our communities. Nearly every day we read another incident of a child that hasn’t been adequately taken care of or protected. Child abuse is such a prevalent issue that April has been deemed “Child Abuse Prevention” month. Oregon’s statistics are staggering. The number of child abuse and neglect reports to the Department of Human Services hit an all time high of 60,746 reports in 2006. That number is a .116.9% increase over a 10-year period. The 2006 reports were 10% higher than in 2005, according to a report… read more
May 2008
Tribal Mentorship Program
Posted on: May 2nd, 2008
During the last two years, 58 Tribal members graduated from two- or four-year colleges. Of those students, 14 received an associate’s degree and 44 received a bachelor’s degree. Like most recent college graduates, these Tribal members come out of school eager to begin the next stage in their lives and start searching for a new and exciting career that fits in with their field of study. Unfortunately, many of these Tribal college grads are learning that a degree won’t always get them started in the career they want without much needed work experience. In fact, many of these graduates turn… read more
In Celebration of the Senior Citizen
Posted on: May 19th, 2008
The month of May has been designated as “Older Americans Month” and on Tuesday, May 20, 2008; we will be celebrating “ Senior Citizens Day.” This day has been set aside to honor the numerous contributions older adults make to their communities. Senior Citizens Day provides a special day for events that promote positive attitudes toward aging and recognize the active, healthy, and independent lives many older Americans lead. Older Americans continue to work in a myriad of jobs, from scientists, to educators, to entrepreneurs and business owners, and as such contribute invaluable experience and leadership skills. Their strength, compassion,… read more
June 2008
Expanding Spirit
Posted on: June 2nd, 2008
After two years of planning and more than a year in construction, Spirit Mountain Casino’s southern expansion opened on Thursday, May 15, with plenty of food and fanfare, and the music of Oregon blues legend Curtis Salgado to punctuate the proceedings. Seven hundred and 50 invited guests entered the new facility on a wide strip of yellow carpet that extended from the door on the building’s west side, past the new Events and Entertainment center and the new Cedar Plank Buffet. Waterfalls lighted green complemented the carpet along the way, and hors d’oeuvres awaited alongside the guest walk, including shrimp,… read more
Rivers
Posted on: June 16th, 2008
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde has been a longtime steward of Oregon’s land and water systems. Native plants and animals are precious to our Tribal history and culture. The various Tribes and bands that now make up the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde spent thousands of years living and nurturing the waterways in Oregon. One example of our history is our historical presence near the falls in Oregon City. For more information about our Tribal history, visit the Tribal Web site at http://www.grandronde.org/culture/. There are maps, oral histories and other information about our long-standing history in Oregon. Today water… read more
July 2008
Weaving History
Posted on: July 1st, 2008
Tribal Elder Opal Davidson, 93, used to tell her daughter stories about gathering hazel switches along Agency Creek for weaving baskets. Her daughter, Tribal Elder Terri Davidson Wood, 62, told the stories to her daughter, and today, Tribal member Stephanie Wood, 25, a senior at the University of Oregon, studies, digitizes and catalogues Willamette Valley Native baskets found at the university’s Natural and Cultural History Museum. The baskets were made in the period when Opal Davidson was young, and even before that. The museum is the kind of cultural magnet that also has drawn in Tribal member David Lewis, manager… read more
National Make A Difference to Children Month
Posted on: July 15th, 2008
Please join Spirit Mountain Community Fund (SMCF) in celebrating July as “National Make A Difference to Children Month”, by thinking back to your childhood. Who are the adults you remember - teachers, neighbors, people at your place of worship, relatives? Could you be the kind of adult who makes a positive difference to a child today? You can involve children of any and all ages, and it can be one child, or groups large or small. The possibilities are endless and timeless, and you'll have fun too! SMCF is pleased to have supported “Birth to Three.” a private non-profit organization… read more
August 2008
Our Store
Posted on: August 11th, 2008
At Spirit Mountain Lodge’s gift shop, Ntsayka makuk haws (Our Store), a renewed effort to bring in items rich in Northwest culture and art is under way. Marie Oswalt and Tribal member Perri McDaniel are on the same page when it comes to stocking Spirit Mountain Casino gift shops. Oswalt is Guest Services manager and McDaniel is buyer for the shops. “It’s more than a gift outlet,” said Oswalt, more particularly of the Lodge gift shop that has always been more of an outlet for the cultural and artistic while the gift shop at the old Coyote’s Buffet entrance has… read more
Arts and Culture | Environmental Protection | Historic Preservation | Our Tribe
Childhood Obesity
Posted on: August 15th, 2008
What every parent should know to prevent their child from becoming obese or overweight by Beau Weill, M.D., director of the OHSU Doernbecher Healthy Lifestyles Clinic The best way to prevent your child from becoming overweight or obese is for the entire family to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes eating right. Eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages like soda; limit the amount of juices, and select whole wheat foods. A healthy lifestyle also includes exercise. In fact, participating in simple regular physical activities with your child, like walking around the block or riding a bicycle, is probably the single most important thing… read more
September 2008
Blade Runner
Posted on: September 2nd, 2008
It was the kind of hot day that if there were buzzards above, they would have been circling. Tribal Elder and Cultural Protection Specialist Don Day, 61, sits on an aluminum and canvas fold-out chair near the fish weir on Agency Creek in the blinding sun and strikes glasslike obsidian with a softly rounded stone. Day is making blades and blanks for blades in the traditional ways. He does not sweat. Tribal member David Lewis, the Tribe’s Cultural Resources manager, introduced Day’s work this way: “Don Day is an expert flint knapper. He is producing some truly excellent blades. He… read more
School Success
Posted on: September 15th, 2008
To help ensure that your children are academically successful, spend time at school. Strong evidence suggests that the more involved parents are in their children’s education, the better the children will do in school. It is important to develop good parent/teacher relationships and help teachers get to know your children. Attend school parent/teacher organization meetings, open houses, and school orientations. Make a point to find out convenient times to contact teachers, if necessary. Also, provide them with your home and work numbers so they can easily contact you concerning your child's schoolwork. Do not hesitate to schedule parent teachers' conferences… read more
October 2008
Chankal Celebrations
Posted on: October 1st, 2008
More than 14,000 years ago, during the Missoula Floods when the rest of the Willamette Valley was under water and became seabed, land in south Salem stood 800 feet above current sea level. It was the only place in the valley that remained dry. Fertility artifacts found on this property indicate that it was likely used by the Kalapuya peoples and by Tribes from across the Northwest through thousands of years of their history following the floods. Eighty-three and a half acres of farmland, that includes the highest point, now sit above a mailbox on Skyline Road South. The Confederated… read more
Education | Environmental Protection | Historic Preservation | Our Tribe
AIDS Awareness Month
Posted on: October 21st, 2008
October is AIDS Awareness month, and we asked Michael Kaplan of Cascade AIDS Project in Portland to share some thoughts about this pandemic. Did you know that World AIDS Day is December 1st, that National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is March 21st, that Latino HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is October 15th, that National HIV Testing Day is June 27th and the list goes on and on. And yet with all these days committed to various aspects of HIV and AIDS, the pandemic rages on. Today, 33 million people world-wide are living with HIV and AIDS, and over 25 million are estimated… read more
November 2008
Tribe joins Hydroelectric Project plan
Posted on: November 3rd, 2008
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde was among 16 parties that signed an agreement with the Eugene Water & Electric Board on Oct. 21 that outlines environmental, recreational and other improvements the board will undertake to re-license its Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project on the upper McKenzie River. The project is in the Tribe’s ceded lands and Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy signed the agreement for the Tribe. Tribal Council voted 6-0 on Oct. 8 to adopt a resolution approving the settlement agreement. “We have a special interest in what happens to the natural and cultural resources in that area and want to… read more
Native American Awareness Month
Posted on: November 14th, 2008
In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994. In observance of this special occasion, Spirit Mountain Community Fund is delighted to showcase one of our not-for-profit community partners that honors the Native American culture by building awareness of traditional and contemporary musical expressions through education and performance. Painted Sky began in 1995 under the direction of Mary Hager who set out to establish an organization dedicated to honoring the Native American culture through the universal language of music.… read more
December 2008
Tribe marks 25 years of Restoration
Posted on: December 1st, 2008
If one comment can sum up the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s 25th anniversary celebration of Restoration held Nov. 21-22 at Spirit Mountain Casino’s Events Center, it was appropriately uttered by Tribal Elder Margaret Provost, the catalyst who started the effort in the early 1970s. Provost was being honored along with fellow Tribal Elders and Restoration Committee members Marvin Kimsey, Dean Mercier and Russell Leno, when she said, “Dreams come true, I guess.” Twenty-five years ago on Nov. 22, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the Grand Ronde Restoration Act, which ended 29 years of Termination and set the Tribe on… read more
January 2009
Tribal member hired as head archivist of museum
Posted on: January 2nd, 2009
Grand Ronde Tribal member hired as head archivist of Native American museum O’Neal says new job is a ‘perfect fit’ for her heritage, interest in history Tribal member Jennifer O’Neal is in the envious position of saying without reservation that her new job is a “perfect fit.” Considering her interest in history and Native American heritage, she couldn’t be happier. O’Neal, 31, became head archivist in July at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Md. “It’s a perfect fit for what my lifelong career goal has been, which is to work with… read more
Arts and Culture | Education | Historic Preservation | Our Tribe
Meet our Leaders - Part I
Posted on: January 16th, 2009
Spirit Mountain Community Fund (SMCF) is pleased to present the first of several monthly in-depth articles about who our tribal leaders are and highlight aspects about them that you may find of interest. This month, Kris Olson, SMCF Board Chairperson, and Cheryle Kennedy, Chairperson of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community will be introduced. Kris Olson Kris Olson is the current Chairperson of the SMCF Board of Trustees and has served on the board since the forming of the organization in 1997. Kris is of Norwegian decent and was born in New York City. As a teenager,… read more
Follow Us:
