Bozho nikanek
(Hello friends)!
Family field trip to Birmingham, Alabama?
I’m excited to host fellow Potawatomi at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) for a tour of the Institute, followed by a lunch and business meeting in the BCRI Commons, beginning 10 a.m. March 10. I believe this is the first “official” Citizen Potawatomi Nation meeting in the state of Alabama.
The Alabama Tourism Department named BRCI the Alabama Attraction of the Year twice in the last six years. Further, Budget Travel magazine named BCRI as one of 15 places in the US that every child should visit before age 15. It is a cultural and educational research center that promotes a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the significance of civil rights developments in Birmingham with an increasing emphasis on the international struggle for universal human rights.
Admission is free — we’ll pick up the cost of the tour and luncheon — but you do need to RSVP! Postcard invitations will be mailed closer to the event to those in the Alabama/Georgia area, but anyone who can get to the event is welcome. I hope that notice this far in advance will help with planning some family road trips around the event. Visit bcri.org for museum details and evamariecarney.com, under Calendar, for all event details and RSVP information. Lunch will be provided by Jim ’N Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q, jimnnicks.com — be warned that you may drool if you click on this website!
Legislative agenda/education and health
As a tribal legislature, we have provided input on the executive branch’s proposed 2017-2018 budget. Scholarship and Health Aid funding continue to be priorities, available to eligible citizens living anywhere in the world. A reminder:
1. Enrolled CPN tribal members who meet application criteria are eligible to receive up to $2,000 (full-time status) or $750 (part-time status) per semester. Our Education Department, run by Tesia Zientek, administers the scholarship program. Visit potawatomi.org/services for details.
2. All tribal members born on or before Dec. 31, 1976, are eligible for the Health Aid Program. Program monies are used to purchase prosthetic devices, glasses, hearing aids, dentures, partials, crowns, wheelchairs, mobile chairs, CPAP machines, prescription sunglasses, contacts, and mobile chair lifts and ramps for vehicles. Please remember the Health Aid Program pays 75 percent up to $750, with a limit of $750 per year. Amber Brewer, Health Aid Coordinator, arbrewer@potawatomi.org, or 405-964-4025, administers the program; the application for benefit reimbursement is available on potawatomi.org, under Services.
Fall Feast 2017
Please make plans to attend the Joint Districts 1 and 2 Fall Feast on Nov. 11 (Veterans Day), in Arlington, Virginia. Veterans and children will be especially celebrated; there will lots of family fun and giveaways. Please bring a dish to share for our feast. The postcard invitation, with time, location and RSVP details is part of this column. Please don’t forget that District 2 calendar details are available 24/7 on my website, evamariecarney.com, under Calendar.
Wedding and birthday celebrations
In mid-September, my husband Alan and I attended the joyful wedding of Will Korzeniewski (Lewis family) and Amanda O’Brian, in Damascus, Maryland. In early October, I will attend the 80th birthday party for Adele Crump, Toupin Family, in Arlington, Virginia. Another dear Potawatomi, Stella Malone, a Floridian from the LeClair family, recently celebrated her 89th birthday. It’s lovely to be part of our District 2 community! If you have milestone events you’d like noted in a future column, please let me know.
I so appreciate the honor of representing you. I want to hear from you!
Eva Marie Carney
Ojindiskwe
Legislator, District 2
2200 North George Mason
Drive #7307
Arlington, VA 22207
ecarney@potawatomi.org
Toll free: 866-961-6988
evamariecarney.com