Category: Tulalip News

17th Annual Boys & Girls Club Auction will combine Seahawks excitement with the gift of giving

auction banner

 

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

On Saturday, May 9, the Tulalip Resort Casino (TRC) will host the 17th annual auction to benefit the Tulalip Boy & Girls Club. The theme of this year’s auction is ‘Seahawks’, to coincide with all the excitement and bravado that is generated by the faithful Northwest locals who have turned the 12th Man into a nationally recognized experience. Expectations are that this year’s auction will be most magnificent to date, in both setting a new standard for the setup and decorum of the event, as well as raising a new record amount of funds.

The Tulalip Boys & Girls Club is unique, in that it is one of only twenty Boys & Girls Clubs in the entire country that is located on a Native American reservation. The Club is totally devoted to serving the needs of the Tulalip youth and their community.

“The money we raise at this auction goes 100% to the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club. It doesn’t go to the county clubs. While we fall under the umbrella of the Snohomish County club system, all the funding that we do goes specifically to the Tulalip club and the Tulalip kids. It really is 100% for the Tulalip kids,” explains Sam Askew, TRC General Manger and co-chair of the annual action. “During the auction we have all these different components, but there is a specific area called Kid’s Café that takes place in the middle and all the monies we raise for that are specifically used for feeding the kids, buying groceries for the meals and snacks provided for the kids. This year we hope to raise $35,000, which would be a record amount. Last year, we broke the previous record by $7,000 and I’m hopeful we can again break the record this year.”

This year’s auction has filled all available tables to capacity. There will be 630 attendees, which a record high of auction participants.

“The nice thing for us is while we’ve reached our capacity in space, we haven’t reached our capacity in terms of raising funds,” continues Askew. “We have added the use of the BidPal system this year, so if you aren’t able to attend the auction in person you can still bid on items from home or even donate. An example is my mom who lives out on Camano Island and doesn’t get out very often, she’ll be able to go online and donate to the auction. So now we’ve expanded our capacity to raise funds from just the 630 attendees to thousands of online participants, in theory, through the use of BidPal.”

BidPal is a technology company on a mission to help non-profits across the country feed the hungry, fight cancer, promote the arts, educate young people, and everything in between. BidPal is firmly committed to helping non-profits, like the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club’s annual auction, use technology to acquire new donors, engage their donors and communicate their messages. For the purpose of this year’s auction, BidPal will be used an app for people’s cell phones and as a dedicated website to further expand the capacity for raising funds for the Club.

“We got a dedicated website this year with the help of TDS. It’s called Tulalipkids.com,” says Askew. “If you go to Tulalipkids.com it will bring up our giving center where you can register to bid on items, you can donate, you can donate items for auction, and you can even donate to the Kid’s Café, so Tulalipkids.com is a great site for us. We’ll continue to have a website as the auction continues year by year.

“This year we are doing something pretty neat with the layout too. We’ve always done something new and excited to create more buzz around the auction. This year we are going to tier the Orca ballroom for the first time ever. We are bringing in platform tiers and so people will be able to rise up a little bit. We’ll have one-third of the audience at one level, one-third at a higher level, and remaining one-third on the main level. This tiered seating will allow everyone to see and participate in the auction very clearly this year. Marie Zackuse and Natasha Gobin will be saying the blessing and prayer before the auction begins. We’ll also have the language warriors there, so some young language warriors will be able to participate. While they won’t be part of the auction after that component, we have a great volunteer room, so the kids will be able to eat pizza and spaghetti and have a great time to participate that way as well.”

Because everyone gets excited about the Seahawks, having the Orca Ballroom themed out in Seahawks colors was a no-brainer. Even the center pieces will be decked out for the purpose, as they’ll be candy jars etched with the logo and filled with skittles and sugar sticks that are blue and green. Plus, there will be quite a few Seahawks related items in the auction; a Marshawn Lynch signed helmet and football, a Russell Wilson signed jersey, to name a few. There will be videos playing during the auction of Seahawk highlights to really get the auction attendees excited to bid on Seahawks related items.

“You’ll see during the auction that we really will be playing off the excitement that the Seahawks bring to our community. There will be very strong reminders that motivate the attendees to spend for certain items. Part of the benefit of being at a live auction and people bidding is excitement,” says Askew. “Our theme plays off that as well; the colors, the tone and the sounds are all part of that, the way people speak is part of it. We are really excited about the Seahawks theme this year.”

 

Contact Micheal Rios, mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Tulalip Boys & Girls Club Youth Sports

Tulalip Boys & Girls Club flag football

By Tulalip News staff

TULALIP – The Tulalip Boys & Girls Club flag football team the Chargers, ages 5 to 6, took on their first opponent on April 18, with a game against the Saints from the Everett Boys & Girls Club. No score was kept but the Chargers kept the Saints on their toes and performed beyond expectations. Great Job Chargers!

Six spots are still available on the Chargers team. Head coach is Deyamonta Diaz and assistant coach is Selena Frajman. Practices are every Thursday, 4:30 -5:30 p.m., and Friday 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Tulalip Boys & Girls Club features five flag football team, one t-ball, one coach pitch and two volleyball teams.

Flag football coaches are Michael Hunter, Aletha Tatge, James Madison, Jay Fryberg and Issac Elliot. T-ball coach is Charlita Davis with Gregory Moses coaching for coach and pitch. Jamie Orth and Becca Marteney coach volleyball.

If you are interested in having your child join any of the available teams, please contact Tori Torolova at360-716-3400.

 

Tulalip Boys & Girls club flag football

 

Tulalip Boys & Girls club flag football

Native students could see more representation through paraprofessionals

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – Marysville School District’s recent decision to adopt the Since Time Immemorial curriculum as part of their standard curriculum was a big step in addressing the need for Native representation in their schools. Cultural specialist Chelsea Craig, a Tulalip Tribal member who works at the district’s Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary school says, implementing STI alone will not be enough to address the disconnect schools have with Native students. She is hoping a new change in the district’s paraprofessional requirements will help close that gap.

Paraprofessionals according to the district’s website are “responsible for providing assistance to students under the direct supervision of certificated staff in classrooms or other learning environments as assigned. Although not certified as teachers they act as assistants to teachers and other school staff, making this position great for those who are seeking a career in education. To become a paraprofessional one needed a two-year degree as part of the requirement list that includes background check and ability to pass district training. Now the two-year degree requirement has been dropped and replaced with the requirement to have a high school diploma or equivalent. This change is what Craig is hoping her Native people take advantage of and become involved with their local schools.

“Historically our people have had a mistrust in education, starting from the boarding school era, and then each generation [following] there is still an underlining feeling of mistrust. By having more Native faces in the schools it helps to make schools feel less like an institution to our Native students and more like a family atmosphere,” said Craig.

Four Marysville School District schools are located on the Tulalip Reservation. The schools’ student population adds to the large number of Native students scattered throughout the district. This high concentration of Native students makes a unique partnership between the Tribes and the district. Together both have created initiatives to support students and close the achievement gap, especially in math and literacy.

“Passing STI was huge because we all bring our own wealth of knowledge about who we are and we can share that with our kids,” said Craig.

STI curriculum provides a basic framework of accurate Indian history and understanding of sovereignty that is integrated into standard learning units. Teachers are provided training on tribal history and culture. Quil Ceda has taught this style for some time, gaining national attention for their diverse school culture.

“We are finding that when we teach about culturally relevant topics the engagement is naturally much higher. The kids are motivated to do their work and they are excited about learning about their own culture, and non-Indian students are excited about learning as well. We just need as many Native faces on campus as possible, and if we can’t have them as teachers, having them as paraprofessionals is a great next step,” said Craig. “It makes such a big difference for our kids to see their own people in roles that are inspirational to them.”

If you are interested in becoming a paraprofessional with the Marysville School District visit their website at www.msd25.org or call the district at 360-653-7058.

 

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

Recovery Team continues healing efforts in wake of school shooting

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – In the aftermath of the school shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School last October, where five students died, including the shooter, the Marysville Tulalip communities have worked tirelessly to stitch a sense of normalcy back into their lives. Through a community recovery team, comprised of members of the Marysville School District, Tulalip Tribes, City of Marysville, Marysville and Tulalip leaders and community members, a coordinated community-wide support net has been created for families and victims of the tragedy.

Support has been offered to families and victims through trainings, resources and community meetings. Families and victims can also find support representation from Victims Support Services, Ministerial Association, Volunteers of America, American Red Cross, Marysville YMCA and United Way of Snohomish County.

The message the recovery team wants the community and youth to know is, “something has happened to you, but something isn’t wrong with you. We are here to help you.”

During the days following the tragedy a strategic effort was created with the help of the International Trauma Center to develop a long-term plan to build resiliency and improve the communities long-term holistic health. The plan is designed according to the unique partnership of Marysville and Tulalip to properly address the needs of the communities.

Throughout the next year, monthly trainings will be held along with meetings that introduce the goals of the team, which include a reduction in self-injurious behavior in youth, integrating culture and education, and increasing access to primary health care to reduce acute long-term effects of psychological trauma.

A list of available resources and community meeting events can be found at the Marysville/Tulalip United website, www.mtunited.org, including crisis numbers for counseling, support services and suicide prevention.

In Tulalip, the Tulalip Trauma Response Network has scheduled a series of trainings that include trauma informed care seminars that educate about emotional management, de-escalation techniques and workforce protection, along with how to decrease the use of coercion, restraint, seclusions and isolation to reduce violence in the community.

Other trainings include psychological first aid and post-traumatic stress management available to councilors, youth workers and natural healers and leaders in the community.

Suicide prevention efforts continue with the addition of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scales and Gatekeeper training. This training educates community members to screen for suicide to foster targeted intervention. Sources of Strength is another suicide prevention program being implemented that utilizes peer leaders to enhance protective factors to reduce suicide in youth.

For youth under six years old, educators are being trained through Rainbowdance, a classroom-based program that helps children overcome challenges related to stress and trauma to promote violence prevention in younger children. For youth seven years and older, programs such as the Classroom-Community-Culture Based Intervention is effective in developing tools that will help older youth overcome challenges and relate to others.

Intensive outpatient treatment is also available for youth and teenagers who have suffered trauma and violence and need a more intensive support to recover.

Social media is a key component that the recovery team is examining, in how youth use and respond through different social media platforms. Seminars are available for parents and interested community members to learn how to navigate different social media sites. The goal is to educate parents and community members to look for suicidal comments and report them to the proper channels to intercept suicidal behavior in youth. A community-led social media reporting system is being developed that will create a direct channel that parents and community members can report abuse, suicidality and bullying.

For more information on support services available to the Marysville Tulalip community please visit the Community Recovery Team’s website www.mtunited.org. You can also contact the Tulalip Tribes Behavioral Health team for support for children, youth, and adults in coping skills, support groups, and mental health counseling at 360-716-4400.

 

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

 

9th Cir. Rejects Tribe’s Bid for Gaming Machines

By June Williams, Courthouse News Service

(CN) – The 9th Circuit denied the Tulalip Tribes’ bid for additional licenses for video gambling machines, despite the tribe’s claim other members of the state gaming compact are being treated more favorably.
The Tulalip claimed Washington allows the Spokane Tribe to lease more lottery terminals at a better rates, contrary to a “most favored” tribe guarantee for the Tulalip.
The state regulates tribes’ operations of player terminals for a tribal lottery system under a Tribal-State Gaming Compact. The Tulalip can operate 975 terminals but may increase the amount up to 4,000 by purchasing allocation rights from any Washington tribe in the compact. The procedure is known as a terminal allocation plan, or TAP.
In 2007, the Spokane Tribe joined other tribes in the gaming compact. The state allowed the tribe to make payments into an inter-tribal fund to obtain additional terminals if it couldn’t secure the machines under the TAP procedure because “few, if any” machines were available for lease, according to court documents.
The Tulalip claimed the state gave the Spokane more favorable terms by allowing the tribe an additional way to obtain terminals and petitioned to have the same opportunity by amending its compact. After the state refused, the Tulalip filed a federal complaint in 2012 saying the state breached the compact and asking for an injunction amending the agreement.
In 2013, U.S. District Judge Richard Jones granted summary judgment to the state, saying the Tulalip wanted to “cherry-pick” the benefits of the inter-tribal fund provision. The Tulalip appealed to the 9th Circuit.
A three-judge panel ruled on Friday the state is not required to adopt the Tulalip’s amendment because it didn’t “mirror the restrictions” that were in the Spokane’s compact.
Writing for the majority, Judge M. Margaret McKeown said the inter-tribal fund method “carries with it interdependent conditions and consequences” that the Tulalip’s amendment failed to include.
“We hold simply that Tulalip is not entitled as a matter of law to the more selective set of terms in its proposed amendment. The most-favored tribe clause does not allow a ‘pick and choose’ arrangement. The district court correctly entered judgment for the State. Simply put, Tulalip’s proposal does not mirror the restrictions of Appendix Spokane, and those are the terms to which the State agreed,”
The panel did not determine whether the Spokane compact was more favorable, according to the opinion.
David Giampetroni, an attorney with Kanji Katzen PLLC, which represented the Tulalip Tribes, said in an email to Courthouse News that his client is disappointed in the ruling and “respectfully disagrees with the decision reached by the court.”
“The Tribe is evaluating its options,” the attorney said.  

Communities of Color for Climate Justice

Photo by Aiko Schaefer
Photo by Aiko Schaefer

 

By Daryl Williams, Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources

Tulalip was invited by the Communities of Color for Climate Justice Organization to meet with Governor Jay Inslee on April 10th to discuss climate change issues affecting air quality, clean energy and transportation.

The Governor talked about his Cap & Trade bill which would limit the amount of carbon air emissions that could be released into the atmosphere within this state.  The bill has broad popular support, but the Governor is struggling to get it through the legislature.

He has introduced legislation to help encourage development of clean energy projects that would allow the State to shut down the last remaining coal energy facility within the State of Washington.

He has introduced bills to encourage the use of electric vehicles to help reduce automotive emissions and to set a low carbon fuel standard.

He admits that all of the bills need work to address the issues in a way that they can be agreed to by the state legislature and meet the needs of the people in the State of Washington.

People of color are hit harder than the rest of the population from the impacts of climate change, especially air quality.  We have areas in the  state with a high prevalence of asthma to air quality issues related to carbon emissions.  The Governor used an area along the Duwamish River as an example.

Some of the people in the room were asking for a new State Environmental Justice Advisory Board to be created like several other states have done.  The advisory board could review issues concerning air quality, transportation and other environmental issues and their effects on economically disadvantaged communities.  The Governor did not seem to be very open to the idea due to the State trying to reduce the number of advisory boards and commissions the state has, but thought that the duties may be wrapped into an existing advisory board.

Some of the other people in the room would also like to make voter registration easier.  One state automatically registers people to vote when they obtain their drivers licenses.

Even though the meeting was on climate change issues, we also talked for a few minutes about the states proposed new water quality standards based on higher fish consumption rates, but increasing the cancer risk rate at the same time.  The Governor thinks that increasing the cancer risk rate can be mitigated by his bill for reducing the amount of toxics released in to the environment.  The water quality standards do not include many toxins that are released through various industrial processes and used in manufacturing.  The governors bill would have helped to reduce the usage or eliminate their uses altogether.  But there are hundreds of such chemicals in existence today with more developed every year and the bill would have only address a few each year.  The bill failed to pass the legislature this session.