A Wyandotte Nation Publication (2020)

The Turtle Speaks

Gyah’-Wish

Atak-ia

A Wyandotte Nation Publication

Volume 24, Issue 2

www.wyandotte-nation.org

May 2020

See inside for the

latest news and

adjustments due to

COVID-19

A New Reality

Wyandotte Nation makes changes to

help stop spread of virus

Gyah’-wish Atak-ia is published quarterly for

Tribal Citizens by the Wyandotte Nation at its

headquarters in Wyandotte, Okla.

The Wyandotte Nation

64700 E Hwy 60

Wyandotte, OK 74370

(918) 678-2297

(800) 256-2539

Fax (918) 678-2944

Inside:

•

First classes graduate from Wyandotte

•

Tribal Department Reports

YOUniversity

(C) Copyright 2020. All information, photographs, and other materials are copyrighted, and may not be reproduced without prior written consent of the Wyandotte Nation.

Page 2

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

Board of Directors

Chief........................................Billy Friend

Second Chief.....Norman Hildebrand, Jr.

Councilperson.................... Ramona Reid

Councilperson........................ Vivian Fink

Councilperson......... Juanita McQuistion

Councilperson.......................Eric Lofland

Content

CALENDAR.............................................. 3

Annual Meeting Notice........................ 3

COVID-19 Changes............................... 4

Service Awards........................................ 4

Wyandotte YOUniversity.................. 5-6

WTOK closes casinos temporarily....... 5

Tribal Department Reports............. 7-12

Important Numbers............................. 11

Editor/Design: William Swaim

Cover Photo:

A collection of

courtesy photos

during the recent COVID-19

changes.

Contact Us

Submit a story idea or your latest news

and photos. To submit, email William

Swaim at wswaim@wtok.org or call

(918) 932-4778.

Have News?

Share it

We want to hear from you! Send us

news or stories you may have or suggest

features for us to work on.

Email: wswaim@wtok.org

www.youtube.com/WyandotteNation

www.facebook.com/WyandotteNation

From the Chief

May 2020

Billy Friend

Facing the challenge

Dear Wyandotte Citizens:

We are all clearly aware the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is highly

contagious and dangerous. We have

received specific warnings and directions from the National Institutes of

Health and the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

At the Wyandotte Nation, we have

taken across-the-board action to dull

the impact of the virus and keep

Wyandotte citizens, employees and

our customers safe.

In mid-March, we announced the

closure of a number of Wyandotte

facilities. These closures included

our Title VI Program (Elder Nutrition Center) inside meals, Preschool

and Childcare Facilities, Wyandotte

cultural sites and all Wyandotte

casinos.

I want to commend our Elder

Nutrition Center employees for

continuing to go above and beyond

to make sure our elders are served

meals both through a drive through

take-out approach and by delivering

meals to our local elders.

These closures represent the significance of this public health crisis.

We simply cannot take incremental

steps in our actions. We must do

all we can to keep people safe even

when it results in economic and

social impacts on the Wyandotte

Nation.

We will continue to compensate

our employees during this time of

emergency, and we will endeavor to

maintain all essential programs and

services at proper levels.

Our Bearskin Clinic remains open

and our caregivers are dedicated to

serving our Wyandotte and other

community patients. We are fortunate to have our remarkable medical professionals and health care

support staff. They are sacrificing

daily to ensure our patients are well

cared for.

The actions we can take on our

own as individuals and families are

simple and straightforward. The key

is to practice those directions fully

and regularly.

All of us at the Wyandotte Nation take this national public health

emergency very seriously. We are

doing all we can to protect people

from the virus, and ensure they have

the essentials they need during this

period.

From the Second Chief

We are taking it in stages, but the

truth is — as someone said yesterday in the media — “we don't make

the timeline, the virus makes the

timeline”.

Fortunately the Tribe has strong

reserves and can operate without

major disruptions for a while, but

there is a limit and a time that if this

continues we will have to make some

hard decisions.

Our Emergency Response Team

will continue to meet on a weekly

basis to re-evaluate the situation and

determine our plans going forward.

We will post updates to our website

based upon the best available information and through social media as

they occur.

We can conquer this challenge if

we will all stick together and do the

things we know we need to do. This

is a time when we must look out

for each other, and for the common

good of our Tribe, our state and our

country.

Thank you for joining in this effort

and may God bless you and may

God continue to bless the Wyandotte

Nation.

Norman Hildebrand, Jr.

We are a hardy, reslient people

Kweh Omateru

As I am sitting here thinking

about what to write during one of

the biggest pandemics to hit the

United States since the Spanish

Flu that ravaged the U.S. over 100

years ago, the only thing that comes

to mind is what Indian Country has

endured since first contact with the

Europeans. Up until the mid 1530s

when the Europeans first wandered

into our world, the American Indians

were disease free, lived in a near

perfect Utopian Society except for

a war with another tribe now and

then. We even survived contact with

the Norsemen and they think Asians

sometime in the 11th and 12th centuries. It would be a good guess that

the natives fought fiercely with them

and sent them back to where they

had come, if only the Wampanoag’s

would have done the same thing with

the Pilgrims I am sure we would

have been a lot better off.

Since then the American Indians

have been through numerous epidemics some natural but let us not

forget the ones that were man made.

Like the Small Pox laced blankets

that the Federal Government gave to

the Great Plains Tribes. They would

never admit to it but it happened,

because I have personally seen

some of the graves in South Dakota.

We have lived through many Flu

See SECOND CHIEF, Page 3

May 2020

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 3

Upcoming Events

2020

Gathering of Little Turtles

Cancelled

Fireworks Celebration!

July

Sept.

9 - 11

2

Town Hall Meetings

Annual Meeting

31st Annual Pow-Wow

Sept.

11 - 13

The Gathering

Oct.

3-4

Sept.

12

10 am

Newport Beach

& Sacramento,

Calif.

All events in Wyandotte, Okla. unless otherwise noted

2nd Chief

Continued from Page 2

epidemics, Measles, Rubella, Tetanus, Malaria, Polio, and let us not

forget the massacres of men, women

and children. We have survived

everything that nature and man has

thrown at us and yet we survive and

we will keep on surviving because

that is in our blood. We are a hardy

resilient people from the beginning of

time to centuries yet to come we will

be here for eternity.

I hope everyone is staying at home

and practicing the safety measures

put forth to help us get through

COVID-19 -- which we will. People

are finding various ways to stay

entertained now that they can’t

get out and socialize. Some people

put puzzles together, watch a lot of

stupid stuff on television (believe me

there is a lot of stupid stuff on TV) or

do something the old fashioned way

and read a book. I am reading a book

“The Girl in the Photograph” written by former U.S. Senator Byron

Dorgan. Another excellent book is

“The Killers of the Flower Moon”

“Corporations have been enthroned …. An era of corruption in high places will follow and the money power

will endeavor to prolong its reign by working on the

prejudices of the people… until wealth is aggregated

in a few hands … and the Republic is destroyed.”

-- Abraham Lincoln

about the killing of dozens of Osage

Indians in the 1920s right here in

Oklahoma. Whatever you choose to

do to kill time, whether it is reading,

gardening, painting, beading or any

other craft or hobby, please be safe.

This will be a short article not

much going on right now in Wyandotte, Okla., most everything is shut

down. We have only our essential

employees working accounting, Title

VI (they are only doing carry outs at

the front door). Turtle Stop is still

open but only for limited hours, the

clinic pharmacy is still open but they

will meet you at the door with meds.

Getting through a crisis like this

takes some very dedicated people

and we have the best people working for us, they don’t complain they

just get in there and do whatever

needs to be done they are absolutely

the best. They make the Wyandotte

Nation what it is: the best in the

country.

We are building a new administration building south of the fitness

center and they are making pretty

good progress. They would be doing

better if the rain would hold off,

we have gotten twice as much rain

than normal so far this year. The

long anticipated state line water line

project will soon be starting I signed

the contract on it about a week ago

so they will be starting it very soon.

During these difficult times we must

all work together to overcome the

difficulties that will in the end only

make us stronger.

P ublic

N otice

Notice of Annual Meeting

On September 12, 2020 the

Wyandotte Nation shall hold their

Annual Meeting at the Bearskin

Fitness Center Gymnasium near

Wyandotte, Oklahoma. Registration

will begin at 9 am and the Annual

Meeting will start at 10 am. Please

note that citizens will be required

to present their Wyandotte Nation

membership/citizenship card to

register for the meeting.

The Election Committee of the Wyandotte Nation has determined that

there are no contested posts for elective

office within the government of the Wyandotte Nation for 2020. Therefore, it is

not necessary to hold an election at the

tribe’s annual meeting on Saturday,

September 12, 2020 per the Wyandotte

Nation Constitution.

-- Dee Killion, Chairman, Election

Committee

Page 4

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

May 2020

Changes made to slow virus spread

Leadership to formulate plan for reopening

The Wyandotte Nation, as part

of our ongoing effort to reduce the

spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus),

made several changes to keep our

citizens, employees and guests safe

in March and April. Tribal leadership is currently working on a

plan for reopening. Please visit our

website, www.wyandottenation.org,

or our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/wyandottenation to keep

VACANCY

ANNOUNCEMENT:

The Wyandotte Nation Tribal

Court is in search of an individual

to fill the position of Supreme Court

Justice.

To be eligible for selection or

confirmation as a Justice of the

Supreme Court, a person shall: if an

attorney, be a licensed attorney who

is in good standing with the licensing authorities where licensed; who

possesses a demonstrated background in tribal court practice, and

have demonstrated moral integrity

and fairness in his business, public

and private life, and have never been

convicted of a felony or an offense

punishable by banishment, whether

or not actually imprisoned or banished, and have not been convicted

of any offense, except traffic offenses,

for a period of two years next preceding his appointment. The two year

period shall begin to run from the

date the person was unconditionally

released from supervision of any sort

as a result of a conviction.

The candidate must have regularly abstained from the excessive use

of alcohol and use of illegal drugs or

psychotoxic chemical solvents. The

candidate must not be less than (25)

twenty-five years of age.

Indian preference will apply for

qualified candidates.

Please submit your resume’ or CV

to Jan Grant, Court Administrator

via email to jgrant@wyanodttenation.org by May 31, 2020.

up with the latest regarding this

situation.

The following are the changes

made back in March and will continue until otherwise posted on our

website or social media. We thank

everyone for your patience.

• The Wyandotte Nation has operated with essential employees and

limited public access to emergency

services, which was effective March

18. If services are needed, please

call or email.

• The Bearskin Fitness Center

was closed March 17.

• Turtle Tots (including preschool,

and childcare) was closed March 19.

• Wyandotte Nation Cultural

Center was closed March 18.

• Elders Services (Title VI) will

continue to serve lunch as TAKE

OUT ONLY from 11 am – 1 pm. No

public access to the building will be

allowed during this time. Staff will

be available to deliver meals to your

vehicle. Please stay in your vehicle

and drive through the driveway.

• Housing – Activity Center and

Community Center was closed

March 17.

• The Bearskin Clinic will provide

limited services. Please call before

coming to the clinic. Pharmacy

services will continue.

For changes made regarding our

businesses, see page 5.

Service Awards

William Swaim/Wyandotte Nation

On Thursday, March 5, the Wyandotte Nation honored six employees for their service. Chief Billy Friend and

Second Chief Norman Hildebrand honored Kathy DeWeese for her 25 years of service, Steve Walker for 20

years, Don Graham for 10, and Debra Haynes, Teresa Wilson and Rob Graham for five years of service.

(Pictured from left) Second Chief Norman Hildebrand, Kathy DeWeese, Debra Haynes, Steve Walker, Don

Graham, Rob Graham, and Chief Billy Friend. Not pictured: Teresa Wilson.

May 2020

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 5

First classes graduate from Wyandotte YOUniversity

By William Swaim

Wyandotte Nation

Wyandotte YOUniversity graduated its first classes from employees

at River Bend Casino & Hotel in

Wyandotte and 7th Street Casino

in Kansas City recently. Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma (WTOK)

celebrated their accomplishments

Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the River

Bend Casino & Hotel and March 3

at 7th Street.

The graduates from River Bend

included Tara Martinez, Lori Clark,

Kristia Fox, Melissa Asaro, Carrie

Sargent, Joanna Hadley, and Shirley

Mangold.

“When someone completes four

years of college or four years of

training on the job, all it does is

strengthen the team, and makes us

better at what we do day in and day

out,” said River Bend Casino & Hotel General Manager Gary Johnson

at the ceremony. “We’ve invested in

you and hopefully you have invested

in yourself, and those two things put

together make a great team.”

The graduates from 7th Street

included John Maxwell, Larry Anderson, Kelsie Dice, Mica Chambers,

Anna Salzano, and Kim Bary.

“It has been a pleasure working

and learning with the 7th Street

team for the past four years of

this training program,” said Edie

Ingram, Manager of Training and

Organization Development. “They

take training serious and were

willing to go above and beyond what

was asked of them.”

The graduates of Wyandotte

YOUniversity completed a four-year

leadership development program.

William Swaim/Wyandotte Nation

Vera Hernandez congratulates Shirley Mangold on her recent graduation from Wyandotte YOUniversity.

The purpose of Wyandotte YOUniversity’s Leadership Development

Program is to prepare employees for

current and future leadership roles

by providing a structured program of

study of essential leadership competencies.

“Our purpose is to provide training

and develop leaders and to equip

those same leaders with tools to become better leaders and to empower

them to lead once they complete

our program,” said Ingram. “I am

so excited about where we are now

with this program.”

The program begins with Motive

Matters, which includes a personality assessment that provides growth

in self-awareness and relationship

building. The program includes

classroom training facilitated by

See YOUNIVERSITY, Page 6

WTOK to keep casinos closed through April

based upon the best availTurtle Stop in Wyandotte adjusts hours website

able information and through social

The Wyandotte Nation will keep

the River Bend Casino & Hotel and

the Lucky Turtle Casino in Wyandotte, and the 7th Street Casino in

Kansas City closed through April.

“The health and safety of our

citizens, employees, and our guests

continues to be of utmost importance to us,” Chief Billy Friend

said. "We are committed to following

the recommendations released by

federal health officials to ensure we

are protecting the public."

The Tribe’s Emergency Response

Team will continue to meet on a

weekly basis to re-evaluate the

situation and determine plans going

forward. We will post updated to our

media as they occur.

"Unfortunately, we don't know

when it will be safe for operations

to resume, but with the support of

federal and tribal health experts, we

are working to determine our next

best steps," Chief Friend said.

Change in hours at Turtle Stop:

Our Turtle Stop in Wyandotte has

new hours. The Turtle Stop will be

open from 5 am to 11 pm daily. For

the time being gas will not be available at the pump when the store

is closed, however we are working

out a way to have pay at the pump

services when the store is closed. We

will keep you updated when that

might be available.

Page 6

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

May 2020

YOUNIVERSITY

Continued from Page 5

Edie Ingram, Manager of Training

and Organizations Development.

Outside speakers also provide

classroom training. The program

provides on-demand online access to

over 14,000 online training videos

that address topics important to

leaders in today’s workforce.

The goals in the program are:

• Identify members with potential

to become leaders and invest in their

professional growth and development;

• Provide these high potential

leaders with skills required to step

into leadership positions;

• Energize and grow Strong leadership at all levels of the business;

• Increase the future leaders’ knowledge of leadership qualities, techniques

and the business/profession.

Graduates of the program must

complete four years of training with

a 100 percent attendance rate as

well as completing 100 percent of the

online assignments. This is quite an

accomplishment and we are proud

of these graduates and look forward

to a future of developing more great

leaders through Wyandotte YOUniversity.

“I don’t think we could emphasize

enough how important the graduates today are to what we are doing

every day,” said WTOK CEO Kelly

Carpino. “You are the key to motivating our people to accomplish we

need to get done to create the best

experience for our guests. I just want

to express my gratitude for the effort

you put into the program.”

William Swaim/Wyandotte Nation

(PICTURED TOP RIGHT) -- Back Row (from left): Cage/Vault Manager Vera

Hernandez, Senior Controller, Gaming Division, Carla King, EVS Supervisor

Tara Martinez, Purchasing Coordinator Lori Clark, Revenue Audit Manager

Kristia Fox, Operations Compliance Officer Melissa Asaro, Dining Supervisor

Carrie Sargent, Facilities Manager Reilly McLaughlin, General Manager Gary

Johnson. Front Row (from left): Marketing Manager Joanna Hadley, Cage Vault

Supervisor Shirley Mangold, CEO Kelly Carpino, and Manager of Training and

Organization Development Edie Ingram.

(PICTURED BOTTOM RIGHT) -- Front Row (from left): Edie Ingram, Kim Bary,

Jerrell Royal, Jillian Rainingbird. Back Row (from left): Kelly Carpino, Anna

Salzano, John Maxwell, Mica Chambers, Kevin Lien, and Brad Waddell. Graduates not pictured: Larry Anderson, Kelsie Dice.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous

Women Awareness Month

Native American and Alaska Native women face higher rates of violence than the general populace with

more than four out of five indigenous

women experiencing some type of

violence in their lifetime, according

to a study from the National Institute of Justice. That violence can

include stalking, sexual violence or

physical or psychological aggression

by an intimate partner.

According to the urban institute

report, 5,712 cases of missing

American Indian and Alaska Native

women and girls were reported to

the National Crime Information

Center in 2016 alone.

Overall, more than 1.5 million

American Indian and Alaska Native

women have experienced violence in

their lifetime, which contributes to

the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls,

according to the study.

Many of the women who do end up

the victims of abduction or murder

were previously assaulted, often by

their partner. If you or someone you

know needs help leaving a violent

relationship please call Lisa Arnold

at (918) 678-6324 or the National,

Native Specific Domestic Violence

hotline, Strong Hearts at (844) 7NATIVE (762-8483).

May 2020

Human Resources

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 7

T ribal D epartment R eports

Family Services

Submitted by Deana Howard, HR

Director

Submitted by Dana Butterfield,

Family Services Director

The Wyandotte Nation Education

Department would like to welcome Lysa

Ellis as a part-time

After School Childcare Assistant and

Tracy Mooney as

an Early Childhood

Food Service Cook.

Lysa graduated from Wyandotte

High School in 2005.

Her hobbies include

baking and cooking,

ELLIS

reading, and DIY

projects. She also

enjoys spending time with her family,

movie nights, and walks in the park,

fishing and swimming. We are happy

to have Lysa join our team.

Tracy comes to us with previous food

service experience

and loves working

with children. Tracy

transferred from one

of our other entities.

She enjoys spending

time with her family

and friends. We are

very fortunate to

have Tracy on our

team and wish her

MOONEY

the best of luck in

her new position.

The Facilities Department welcomes

David (D.J.) Burleson as a Facilities

Technician. D.J. is a Cherokee Nation

Tribal Citizen. He graduated from Wyandotte High School. He received his

Associates Degree

from NEO A&M

College, attended

Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford,

Okla., and has taken

courses in electrical

and HVAC. D.J.

has several years

of experience in the

BURELSON

construction field.

D.J.’s hobbies include playing pool,

throwing darts, and shooting traditional

long bows. He enjoys spending time

with his wife, working on their place,

and hunting, and fishing together. D.J.

is a transfer from River Bend Casino

& Hotel. We are very fortunate to have

D.J. on our team and wish him much

success in his new position.

During this monumental time of

uncertainty in our country, I encourage

our citizens to reflect on their heritage.

While we have never had to deal with

conditions such as they are now, our

ancestors had to endure many trials

and because of their strength and

resilience, we are a strong and vibrant

Nation today.

As I write this article, the majority

of Wyandotte Nation employees are

either working from home or off due to

the coronavirus. Indian Child Welfare

workers are continuing to have contact

with Wyandotte children in custody via

either phone or video and are providing

assistance to families through preservation resources. The Domestic Violence Advocates are also working with

their clients to ensure their safety. A

member of the Family Services staff

is in the office daily to answer questions and process mail. I would like to

thank all of our front line workers who

continue to provide services during this

pandemic and look forward to a time

when this has passed and we can all be

working together again for the good of

our Tribe and country.

In accordance with the Wyandotte

Nation Constitution, the Annual Meeting will be held the second Saturday in

September. The date and time for this

year’s meeting will be Sept. 12 at 10

am, with registration opening at 9 am.

There will not be an election this year,

but tribal citizens are still required to

show either their Membership card

or Citizenship card to register for

the meeting and receive their travel

gift certificates. Both of these cards

include your roll number; the CDIB

(Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood)

card/certificate is NOT sufficient, as it

does not provide proof of enrollment.

I want to apologize to Mr. George

Nickel as his name was inadvertently

left off of the new member lists that

were shared in the November and

February newsletters.

Below you will find details about

all of the programs available through

the Family Services Department. If

you have questions or need additional

information please don’t hesitate to

contact a member of the staff:

Dana Butterfield, Director, (918)

678-6319; Tara Gragg, ICW Supervisor, (918) 678-6355; Leeanna

Radabaugh, Family Services Assistant,

(918) 678-6329; Tiffany Garner, ICW

Social Worker, (918) 678-6353; Lisa

Arnold, Domestic Violence & Sexual

Assault Advocate Supervisor, (918)

678-6324; and Cesilie Hale OVC

Domestic Violence Advocate, (918)

678-3269.

LIHEAP – Summer LIHEAP will

be available July 1 for tribal citizens

residing in Oklahoma and is income

based. This is a small grant, so funding is limited and is available on a first

come, first serve basis.

School Supplies – PLEASE READ

APPLICATIONS CAREFULLYINCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS

WILL BE RETURNED FOR CORRECTIONS: Applications will be available

beginning July 1 on the Wyandotte

Nation website, at the Family Services

office or can be faxed/emailed. Tribal

citizens residing in the 4-state area

(OK, KS, AR, MO) can receive a $100

Walmart gift card or submit receipts

for reimbursement up to $100. Please

note there are separate applications

for the gift card and reimbursement.

The correct application must be used.

Tribal citizens who reside outside of

the 4-state area will be eligible for

the $100 reimbursement program.

Eligible items for the program are

school supplies, clothing, shoes, socks

and school supply fees charged by

schools. Applications must be received

or postmarked by Sept. 30, 2020, no

exceptions. Applications and receipts

must be original documents. Faxed or

emailed applications and receipts will

not be accepted. There will be additional information available with the

applications beginning July 1.

Senior Energy – Please note this

program is available Nationwide to

tribal citizens 55 and older. Beginning

July 1 applications will be available

for $100 assistance paid directly to the

utility provider. Applications must be

received or postmarked by Sept. 30. If

this is the first time using the program

please allow 30-60 days to process.

Elders Assistance – One-time expense for $250 for tribal elders aged 55

and over who reside in the 4-state area

(OK, KS, AR, MO). Applications must

be received or postmarked by Sept. 30,

2020 to be eligible.

Extra-Expense/Extracurricular

Activities – One-time payment of $100

per student aged Pre – K through 12th

grade for tribal citizens who reside in

the 4-state area (OK, KS, MO, AR).

Applications must be received or postmarked by Sept. 30.

Jr/Sr Benefit - $250 benefit for

expenses associated with the Junior

Continued on Page 8

Wyandotte Nation

Family Services Programs

Dates to Remember

Elder’s Assistance: Oct. 1 – Sept. 30

Senior Energy - Winter: Oct. 1 – Feb. 28

Senior Energy - Summer: July 1 – Sept. 30

LIHEAP - (if available) Winter: Dec. 1 – Feb. 28

LIHEAP - (if available) Summer: July 1 – Sept. 30

School Supplies: July 1 – Sept. 30

Children’s Winter Clothing: Nov. 1 – Feb. 28

Extracurricular Activities: Oct. 1 – Sept. 30

Jr./Sr. High School Assistance: Oct. 1 – Sept. 30

Wyandotte Nation Annual Meeting: Sept. 12

Children’s Christmas Party: Dec. 12

(Second Saturday of September each year)

Note: All applications must be in our office or post marked on or before

the last day of the program.

Page 8

Continued from Page 7

and Senior years of High School. This

benefit is available to Wyandotte Nation citizens who reside in the 4-state

area (OK, KS, MO, AR) and applications must be received or postmarked

by Sept. 30, 2020.

Fuel Assistance – Fuel assistance

programs include: Hardship – personal hardships, travel for work/job

interviews, etc. Medical – travel to/

from doctor/dental appointments and

pick up prescriptions. Major Medical – extreme medical issues (must be

life threaten, terminal, etc. not chronic

medical issues) that require multiple

trips outside of the local area. Program

provides fuel vouchers through the

Turtle Stop convenience store for local

tribal citizens or tribal citizens who

travel to the Bearskin Healthcare and

Wellness Center.

Child Safety Seats - Each child is

eligible for three seats in different sizes

and must be picked up at the tribal

office.

Promoting Safe & Stable Families/Indian Child Welfare – This

program is funded through a federal

grant from the Administration for Children and Families. It is designed to

help keep children in their homes with

the family, or ensure that if there is a

need for removal, federal guidelines

are adhered to and the best interest

of the child is considered first and

foremost. If you are involved in a child

welfare case please contact either Tara

or Tiffany. We often get calls requesting assistance with civil matters such

as divorces and custody issues between

parents. The Tribe is not an eligible

party to those types of cases and are

unable to assist at this time.

Enrollment – Aug. 15 is the deadline to be considered for enrollment at

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports

the 2020 Annual Meeting. Applications must be submitted along with an

original state certified birth certificate.

Applications received after this date

will be held until the 2021 Annual

Meeting so it’s important to get those

applications in on time.

New Enrollee Benefit - If a child’s

application is received prior to their

first birthday they will receive a $100

Walmart gift card and a blanket with

the Tribal Turtle.

Tribal Tags – Available for tribal

citizens who reside in Oklahoma. Passenger, RV, Motorcycle and Handicap

tags are available. Please call the

office for prices and additional information. Some things to keep in mind

when renewing tags and purchasing

new vehicles:

Tribal citizen’s name MUST be

on the title at the time of sale. Tax

Commission staff cannot add or delete

names.

Renewal notices are mailed as a

courtesy by the 15th of the month prior

to the expiration.

Current insurance verification is

required. Please have a paper copy of

this when coming to the office.

Supplemental Health Benefit (Benny Card) - $1,000 per year

benefit for adult (18 and over) tribal

citizens beginning Jan. 1 each year.

Tribal citizens who have enrolled Wyandotte Nation dependents will receive

an additional $1,000 for a maximum of

$2,000 per account. Quarterly statements are mailed by Trustmark to

show remaining balances. Account balances can also be obtained at any time

via www.mytrustmarkbenefits.com or

by calling (800) 990-9058 ext 42086.

Family Services staff can also answer

questions about the program, but may

need to refer you to CoreSource in

Start your journey today

some instances. Please keep in mind

that your Member ID # is not your

social security number. Your Member

ID looks like this: WY000(your 4 digit

roll number). If your roll number is

only 3 digits you will add a 0 (zero) to

the beginning of your roll number.

Burial Assistance - $1,500 to be

paid to the funeral home or to the family representative if the funeral is paid

in full.

Family Violence Prevention Program – Program provides advocacy

and services to victims/survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating

violence and stalking. This program is

available to any person residing within

a 25-mile radius of the tribal headquarters and limited advocacy can be

provided for Wyandotte Nation citizens

nationwide. The Program also hosts

quarterly culture events, in conjunction with the Heritage Department.

Foster Family Recruitment –

Indian Child Welfare social workers

are actively seeking foster families. If

you think this might be something you

would be interested in please contact

the office for more information.

Family Services Staff:

Director, Dana Butterfield, (918) 6786319, dbutterfield@wyandotte-nation.org

ICW Supervisor, Tara Gragg, (918)

678-6355, tgragg@wyandotte-nation.org

ICW Worker, Tiffany Garner, (918)

678-6353, tgarner@wyandotte-nation.org

Assistant, Leeanna Radabaugh, (918)

678-6329, lradabaugh@wyandottenation.org

DV Advocate/Educator Supervisor,

Lisa Arnold, (918) 678-6324, lisaarnold@wyandotte-nation.org

DV Advocate, Cesilie Hale, (918) 6783269, chale@wyandotte-nation.org

You don’t have to be perfect to be a foster parent!

Every year thousands of children are placed in foster care. When a child who is a member or is eligible

for membership in the Wyandotte Nation is placed

into foster, the ideal situation is for that child to be

either with family or in another Wyandotte tribal

home. Children need a safe, loving place to stay. That is all you need to start the process of becoming a foster parent. It doesn’t matter where you live, please contact the Family Services Department

to start your journey today.

May 2020

Education

Submitted by Cristi Hudson, Education Director

Kweh,

I hope this article finds you and your

family safe and well! The Education

Department is doing our best to help

flatten the curve of the COVID 19 pandemic that we are all currently facing.

Our offices are currently closed to foot

traffic, but we are available by email and

phone. We are going into the office to

check mail and to answer any messages

almost daily throughout the week. For

immediate assistance, you may call (918)

533-0072, and I will be able to assist you,

or you can send me an email at chudson@wyandotte-nation.org.

The Child Care and Development

Fund program is currently accepting

applications for families that are in need

of childcare assistance. If you are in need

of childcare assistance and have not applied, we would be happy to assist in getting an application to you. Parents must

be working or attending school to apply.

To be eligible for the Wyandotte Nation

CCDF program, a household member

must obtain a CDIB or tribal card. To

request and application, or if you have

any questions, you can email Sami Butterfield, our Child Care Coordinator, at

sbutterfield@wyandotte-nation.org; or

you can call her office at (918) 678-6330.

The Wyandotte Nation Library is

rearranging the many books and movies, which the library currently checks

out to the patrons, into the new area we

recently added for our toddler, preschool,

afterschool, and summer programs. The

Continued on Page 9

TAG REMINDERS:

• Must be an enrolled citizen of the

Wyandotte Nation, an Oklahoma

resident AND the car must be principally garaged in Oklahoma Indian

country.

• Oklahoma Insurance Verification

must accompany renewals (except

for RV’s and Travel Trailers).

• If you are purchasing a new/used

vehicle, the Tribal citizen’s name

MUST be on the Title at the time of

assignment. Wyandotte Nation Tax

Commission staff CAN NOT add or

delete names.

For questions, please call (918) 6786329 or (918) 678-6319

May 2020

Continued from Page 8

Library will have new hours once we open

back up to the public. The new hours will

be Monday through Thursday 8 am to

5:30 pm and Friday 8 am to 3:30 pm.

The Wyandotte Nation Scholarship

Program is currently processing the

spring semester scholarships. Here are

a few Wyandotte Nation Undergraduate

Scholarship reminders:

• Undergraduate scholarships are

limited to eight (8) semesters.

• Students will be placed on probation

for failure to complete 12 hours or more

with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA.

• Students will be allowed one probationary semester during the programs

duration.

• Deadline for spring submission is

February 15.

• Deadline for fall submission is May 1.

If you have sent in the required

paperwork and have not received the

scholarship for the current semester,

please email the office to make sure the

paperwork has been received. Email

Evan Hotulke, our Education Specialist,

at ehotulke@wyandotte-nation.org.

The Wyandotte Nation Education

Department also oversees the WIOA

program. These funds are available to

assist members of federally recognized

tribes residing in Crawford and Cherokee Counties in Southeast Kansas or

Barry, Barton, Dade, Jasper, Lawrence,

Newton and McDonald Counties in

Southwest Missouri.

WIOA eligibility requirements include:

• You must be Native America, Alaska

Native, or Native Hawaiian

• Possess a C.D.I.B. card

• Member of a federally recognized tribe

• Must be a resident of the service

area listed above

To obtain any of the scholarships that

Wyandotte Nation offers, email your

request or any questions that you may

have to Evan, ehotulke@wyandottenation.org, or you can request one by

calling his office at (918) 678-6331.

We are available to assist you with

the application process in any of our

programs and we look forward to working with you soon.

Department Contacts:

Cristi Hudson – Education Director,

(918) 678-6334 or chudson@wyandottenation.org

Sami Butterfield – Childcare Coordinator – CCDF, (918) 678-6330 or

sbutterfield@wyandotte-nation.org

Lindsay Cooper – Early Childhood

Program Coordinator, (918) 678-3267 or

lcooper@wyandotte-nation.org

Evan Hotulke—Education Specialist,

(918) 678-6331 or ehotulke@wyandottenation.org

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 9

T ribal D epartment R eports

Tribal Police Department

Submitted by Glenn Johnston,

Chief of Police

We want to thank everyone who

participated in the Pancake Feed. It was

a bigger success than we anticipated, due

to the present worldwide condition. The

employees of Title VI were there for us and

made it as great as it was! Thank you so

very much guys!

I want to let everyone know that even

during the test of times we are experiencing, the storm shelters located on Wyandotte Nation property, WILL be open

should severe weather decide to rear its ugly head. It is there for the taking,

it will be strictly up to each individual if he or she decide to take advantage of

the facilities. Safety is first and foremost, and that sounds like a double edged

sword. Especially with the virus. I would just ask that each person take the

precautionary steps to stay healthy or as close to it if, and when, the severe

weather arrives. If anyone does decide not to take advantage of the storm

shelters, hopefully the quarantine phase will pass by then, just put together a

little kit that could save you some time and trouble down the road:

• Weather Radios: Most of the weather radios are a very good tool due to the

fact that most of the television weather is coming to us from televisions north

of us. The weather radio monitors weather stations in the Tulsa, Okla., area

where most of the bad weather seems to develop before heading our way.

• Cell Phones: Make sure you have your cell phone charged up when you

know severe weather is a possibility. An extra charged battery is not a bad

idea either. Keep that charging cord close.

• Storage for your important documents: Find yourself a good waterproof

container to put your photo ID’s, birth certificates, deeds or leases and photographs of belongings. Especially those with a serial number.

• First Aid Kit: If you can find yourself a second container, keep some gauze

bandages, gloves, medications and prescription drugs in it. It’s so much easier

to grab one thing and know that everything you may need is right there.

• Rain gear: Keep yourself a poncho and rubber boots in a convenient area.

• Cash or Travelers Checks: Even the ATM machines and the card reader

at the local retailers could be vulnerable to the bad weather. Keep $50 to $100

dollars stashed away for that rainy day.

• Whistle or Horn: If you do get caught in a storm and need to get someone’s

attention, try storing a couple of the Freon Air Horns away in that piece of

Tupperware you have labeled as “FIRST AID KIT.” Even something as simple

as a whistle is a great source of getting someone’s attention as well.

Get geared up for National Night Out coming up in October. It will be here

before you know it!

Elder Services

Submitted by Brenda House, Elder

Services Director

What an unusual St Patrick’s Day we

had! On March 17, with the COVID-19

Virus, lurking around, we chose to close

our congregate meal program and hold

drive through meals only for the safety

of our elders and employees.

With the shortage of toilet paper, we

were very blessed to find a stash in our out

building so we started handing toilet paper

out with our meals. I think they were

more excited over the toilet paper than the

meals! Some of the elders bring their fur

babies with them to pick up their meals so

we have treats for them as well.

Chief Billy Friend, Family Services

Director Dana Butterfield and other volunteers are helping deliver meals to our

elders in the housing addition behind the

Tribe while other volunteers are helping

the Title VI Staff cook and package the

meals for the drive thu. We greatly appreciate everyone that has stepped up to

help make sure that our beloved elders

are getting the best care possible.

Upcoming Events (Subject to

change based on current events):

(Pending) Our Mother’s Day Dinner,

May 7, and Father’s Day Dinner, June 18.

(Pending) Ottawa County Senior Day,

June 11 at the Buffalo Run Casino from

9 am to 1 pm.

CAREGIVER

(Pending) The Caregiver Support

Group meets the first Thursday of each

month in the Artie Nesvold Community

Center (Title VI) Safe Room beginning

at 10:30 am. This group is for all current

and former caregivers. It is also for

Grandparents raising grandchildren.

It is always a pleasure serving the Wyandotte Nation Citizens. Please feel free

to call or come by and visit us anytime.

Department Contacts:

Brenda House, Elder Services Director,

(918) 678-6327.

Stephanie Hamilton, Food Service

Team Supervisor, (918) 678-6328, (Office) 6390

Seth Higginbotham, Chris Rhodes

and Robyn Beaty, Food Service Team

Members (918) 678-6328

Menu, (918) 678-6326

Planning & Natural

Resources

Submitted by Christen Lee, Environmental & Planning Director

January started off with its usual

business of monthly water sampling on

eight sites on streams and rivers within

the Wyandotte Nation jurisdictional

area.

On Jan. 22, environmental staff met

with Wyandotte Schools Teacher Bob

Coffey to provide a recycle collections

trailer for the school. Students from

Mr. Coffey’s class will be in charge

of monitoring the trailer, collecting

recyclables from various classrooms and

drop points within the Grade School, Jr.

High and High School.

On Jan. 29, environmental staff were

able to take part in a Recycling Educa-

Continued on Page 10

Page 10

Important

Numbers

Police Department

Glenn Johnston (918) 678-6365

gjohnston@wntpd.com

Family Services / Enrollment / Tags

Dana Butterfield (918) 678-6319

dbutterfield@wyandotte-nation.org

Leeanna Radabaugh, (918) 678-6329, lradabaugh@wyandotte-nation.org

Family Violence Program

Lisa Arnold, (918) 678-6324, lisaarnold@

wyandotte-nation.org; Cesilie Hale, (918) 6783269, chale@wyandotte-nation.org

Tribal Social Workers

Tara Gragg (918) 678-6355

tgragg@wyandotte-nation.org

Tiffany Garner (918) 678-6353

tgarner@wyandotte-nation.org

Human Resources

Deana Howard (918) 678-6320

dhoward@wyandotte-nation.org

Nutrition & Caregiver Services

Brenda House (918) 678-6327

bhouse@wyandotte-nation.org

Education / Library / Child Care

Cristi Hudson (918) 678-6334

chudson@wyandotte-nation.org

Tribal Heritage

Sherri Clemons (918) 678-6344

sclemons@wyandotte-nation.org

Environmental / Planning / Development

Christen Lee (918) 678-6341

clee@wyandotte-nation.org

Housing

Kathy DeWeese (918) 678-6339

kdeweese@wyandotte-nation.org

Bearskin Healthcare &

Wellness Center

Kelly Friend (918) 678-3259

kfriend@wyandotte-nation.org

Clinic Appointments

Dee Dee Clapp (918) 678-3228

lcoatney@wyandotte-nation.org

Dental / Vision

Ashley Crawford, (918) 678-3221,

acrawford@wyandotte-nation.org

Pharmacy (call-in only)

(918) 678-3244

Fitness Center

Sharon Bartley (918) 678-3231

sbartley@wyandotte-nation.org

Contract Health

Bridget Hart (918) 678-3227

bburleson@wyandotte-nation.org

Diabetes Clinic

Donna Spaulding (918) 678-3258

dspaulding@wyandotte-nation.org

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports

May 2020

Housing

Submitted by Kathy DeWeese,

Housing Director

Due to COVID-19, our offices have

remained closed to the public. Employees have only been working partial

hours, and only doing essential housing

needs. The Drop Box in the foyer of the

community center is available for all

correspondence and payments. This

includes housing, tags, and Wyandotte

Utilities.

The Heritage Acres Community

Center has also been closed. If you

have a rental date for the center, please

contact our office. Any activities for

April have been cancelled. If you have

a rental in May, contact our office for

information. The Splashpad, which

was scheduled to open May 18, will

probably be delayed. It is our hope that

this will be available soon, but it will

depend on the circumstances.

Nahasda (Native American Hous-

Continued from Page 9

tion Event at Wyandotte Public Schools.

Wyandotte Schools Art Teacher Trenda

Crow and her students received state

recognition for an art project using

recycled materials.

On Jan. 31, Kathleen Welch and

Janice Wilson met with Russell Dutnell

of Riverman Engineering PLC to perform a site walk of an area located on

Sycamore Creek, directly south of the

Pow-Wow Grounds. The purpose of the

site walk is to come up with a design

plan to stop stream bank erosion that

is causing a large portion of the stream

bank to sluff off during high water and

flooding conditions.

On Feb. 4, Kathleen, Janice and Brittany Crowe attended the NE Oklahoma

Tribal Resilience Workshop, which was

hosted by Quapaw Nation at the Downstream Casino Conference Center. Due

to inclement weather, we were unable to

attend the second day of the workshop.

On Feb. 13, EPA Regional Adminis-

ing and Self-Determination Act) is the

program governed by the Department

of Housing and Urban Development

(HUD). Each year a Housing Plan must

be submitted and approved by HUD.

This plan provides for the upkeep of Nahasda units, rental assistance to college

students and down payment assistance,

as well as the day-to-day activities of the

Department.

If you are purchasing a home within

a 50-mile radius of Wyandotte, and

are a first time homebuyer, let us see

if we can help you with down payment

assistance. The participant must meet

income guidelines and be eligible for a

conventional loan.

IHS-121 PROGRAM: This program

is funded through the Department of

Health & Human Services, to ensure

safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities for our tribal families.

These services include drilling wells,

trator, Acting Chief of Staff, and GAP

Project Officer for Region 6 visited with

Chief Billy Friend, Christen Lee and

Kathleen, to discuss tribal environmental concerns.

Due to the threat of COVID-19, many

of our operational duties have been put

on hold, as staff have been furloughed

indefinitely. During this time, Kathleen

and Christen have been keeping up

with EPA correspondence and calls,

natural resource damages, restoration

calls and webinars.

It was also determined that due to

area schools being closed for the duration of the school year due to the virus,

we decided it was best to cancel our Annual Environmental Festival. This is

sad for us, as we have had this event for

the past 12 years. With that, we look

forward to brighter days, and hopefully

be able to return to a somewhat normal

schedule. Thank you, and stay safe!!!

Save the Date:

Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Resilliance Workshop at Quapaw Nation –

Feb. 4-5, 2020

Services Provided

Private Well Drinking Water Sampling; Private Home Owners Septic Asssessments; Lost Creek Recycle Center.

Department Contacts:

Director Christen Lee, clee@wyandotte-nation.org

Environmental Program Manager

Kathleen Welch, kwelch@wyandotte-

installing septic systems, rural water

hook-ups, and connections to city water and sewer. There are no income

guidelines. Tribal citizens must reside in the following counties: Craig;

Creek; Delaware; Mayes; Nowata;

Okfuskee; Okmulgee; Ottawa; Rogers; Tulsa; Wagoner; Washington.

NOTE: If you have been terminated

at your place of employment, placed

on furlough, or had hours cut due to

COVID-19, you may be eligible for

assistance. Please contact the housing

office at (918) 678-6339.

Department Contacts:

Kathy DeWeese-Housing Director

Don Graham- Housing Specialist

Paul Parker- Project Coordinator

Levi Griffin- Project Coordinator

Larry Hamilton- Residential

Maintenance Technician

Drew Lankford-Residential Maintenance Technician

nation.org

Environmental Technician 1 Janice

Wilson, jwilson@wyandotte-nation.org

Environmental Technician 2 Brittany

Crowe, bcrowe@wyandotte-nation.org

Recycling Center Coordinator John

Quick, jquick@wyandotte-nation.org

Land Management Technician Robby

Graham, rgraham@wyandotte-nation.org

Water Utilities Operator Braulio,

Ramirez bramirez@wyandotte-nation.org

Grant Writer 1 Debbie Dry, ddry@

wyandotte-nation.org

Grant Writer 2 Michael Lowery,

mlowery@wyandotte-nation.org

Tribal Heritage

Submitted by Sherri Clemons,

Tribal Heritage Director

Kwe kwe all! There is not much to write

about due to the fact we have been closed

since March 18. As of right now, we are

canceling our annual golf scramble, which

typically takes place in May. We have also

cancelled the Gathering of Little Turtles

and the LaCrosse Camp as well.

We are still hosting the Gathering

and Pow-Wow on the same dates as of

now as well as our fireworks display.

Stay home and safe. The Cultural

Center is closed until April 30 as of no.

Leadership is continually evaluating

the situation and will determine any

extended closures, postponements or

cancellations.