Citizen Potawatomi Nation partnered with Feed the Children and the Absentee Shawnee Tribe to help 800 families in the community following storms in the area earlier this year.
Oklahoma residents utilizing the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program saw a decrease in the amount of money issued each month for groceries. CPN Workforce Development & Social Services’ Michelle Ramirez and FireLake Discount Foods director Richard Driskell share the impact on clients and options available to them.
Inspired by Tribal member Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass, Illinois resident Vanessa Griffin ran her first marathon at 50 years old, raising money for the CPN Department of Education’s Michael John Kennedy Scholarship fund.
The CPN WIC program has a long-standing relationship with Infant Crisis Services, an Oklahoma City-based non-profit that supplies formula, food, diapers and clothing to more than 1,200 infants and toddlers each month.
The Grand Casino Hotel & Resort Event Center, outside Shawnee, Oklahoma, was filled with families as Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Workforce Development & Social Services Department hosted the sixth Community Baby Shower Tuesday, March 7. The Community Baby Shower offered families a chance to take classes, learn about available services and even walk away with some free items.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett recently received recognition from two Oklahoma organizations. Barrett will serve as a director on the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and Gaylord-Pickens Museum board. He was also inducted into the Shawnee Educational Foundation’s Hall of Fame.
CPN Safe and Stable Families Education Counselor Jamelle Payne invited Tracy Rader to address attendees from a variety of backgrounds who participated in Empathy and De-escalation Training sponsored by Citizen Potawatomi Nation Workforce Development & Social Services as part of an on-going lunch and learn series.
Kansas City Chiefs starting center Creed Humphrey, a Citizen Potawatomi tribal member, received a warm welcome to his hometown of Shawnee, Oklahoma. Tribal Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett began the event with a blessing, smoking Humphrey off with sweetgrass, cedar, sage and tobacco. Shawnee Mayor Ed Bolt read a proclamation, naming March 4, 2023, as Creed Humphrey Day. Bolt then presented Humphrey with a key to the city of Shawnee.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Emergency Management Department began working to anticipate community needs even before a devastating tornado hit Pottawatomie County on the evening of April 19. Following the storms, CPN coordinated with agencies all over the state to provide relief to those affected.
Community members gathered at the CPN Cultural Heritage Center for a vaccine education event hosted by the Pottawatomie County Health Department and Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services in late January. Presentations included history, scientific explanations, demonstrations as well answering questions.