Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association TANF Newsletter Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families June 2019 – Volume 22 Issue 6 At Pala, A Night Of Honors And Celebration For Native American High School Students By Gary P. Taylor, SCTCA TANF Native American students from Seneca Curo of the Barona Band of 17 tribes throughout San Diego Mission Indians was the Valedictorian County were honored at the of the Class of 2019 with a 4.39 grade Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s point average. She is graduating from Association (SCTCA) High School Ramona High School in June and will Graduation Celebration at the Pala attend the University of California Los Casino Spa Resort in early May. Angeles (UCLA) in the fall. The nearly four-hour event honored The Salutatorian was Joseph Ravago 122 Native American graduates. The of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians He had a 4.38 grade point average, had the most graduates with 18. The just one-tenth of a point behind Curo. Pala Band of Mission Indians had 17 He is graduating from Great Oak High graduates and the Barona Band of School in June and will be attending Mission Indians had 14. Two tribes Georgetown University in the fall. each had a single graduate this year, As in previous years, the Graduation the La Posta Band of Mission Indians Celebration drew more than 700 and the Jamul Indian Village. All the family members, relatives, friends, other tribes had graduating classes tribal leaders, elders and educators. ranging from three to 13 (see the The event began with an Opening names of all graduates and tribes.) Prayer by Chris Devers of the Pauma (Continued on page 4) In La Jolla, Avellaka Walk Shows Support For Sexual Assault Survivors By Gary P. Taylor, SCTCA TANF On a stretch of Highway 76 less than a mile west of the La Jolla Indian Indian Reservation, more than 250 people gathered for the Avellaka Sexual Assault Awareness Walk on the first Sunday of May. Men, women and children stood next to each other, some holding banners, others signs, almost everyone dressed in bright red Avellaka Walk shirts. Jim Clairmont, an elder from the Ficangu Lakota tribe in Minnesota, walked slowly to the front of the group, cane in hand, and gave a traditional blessing before the walk began. And, before the people began to move forward, he said the walk was important for all ages. (Continued on page 2) LA OL BA J N A D L L S U EST. 1875 I N S E I A Ñ O I N D (Continued from page 1) La Jolla Avellaka Walk Shows Support For Sexual Assault Survivors The Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association “I thank all of you for making this move along the highway just beyond (SCTCA) publishes the Tribal Temporary Assistance for walk, for it is a walk we make together, the South Grade approach to Palomar Needy Families (TANF) Newsletter throughout the year at: men and women, young and old, to Mountain. The stretch of road was SCTCA / TANF P.O. Box 1470 lift up each other,” he said. “And as closed for nearly two hours so the Valley Center, CA 92082 we walk, let us remember we walk for Avellaka walkers could make the trip to E-mail: [email protected] our women. Do not forget women are the La Jolla Tribal Hall. (760) 746-0901 Ext. 100 closer to Creator, because like Creator, It was Avellaka’s 10th annual walk The newsletter is designed and printed by Tribal Print they bring life into this world.” to show support for those who have Source, a division of SCTCA. Clairmont continued, saying, “We suffered sexual assault and other need to also reach out to our men, to forms of violence. Representatives The purpose of the Tribal TANF Newsletter is to provide tell them it is wrong to strike a woman, from a dozen tribes throughout San the tribal communities with information about services provided by the TANF Programs and other important issues no matter who she is. Do not strike your Diego County and tribal members from concerning our rural/urban communities and families. mother, or wife, or sisters or daughters. throughout the region participated in This is something we must all come to the walk. SCTCA provides services to San Diego and Santa Barbara know in our hearts, that such things are For the first time in the history of Counties and the following reservations: wrong.” the walk, the event was recorded by Barona Cahuilla Campo Ewiiaapaayp Juana Majel-Dixon, a tribal member drones overhead, following the crowd Inaja/Cosmit Jamul from the Pauma Band of Luiseno from beginning to end. In addition, La Jolla La Posta Indians, echoed his remarks, declaring representatives from the Department Los Coyotes Manzanita that “we know what is right and what of Justice were also on hand to film the Mesa Grande Pala Pauma Rincon is wrong. In our lives, we have seen it walk and take photographs. San Pasqual Santa Ysabel too much, this hurting, these assaults Avellaka – which means ‘butterfly’- is Santa Ynez Sycuan on our women. It is something we must an organization dedicated to preventing Viejas end.” sexual assault, domestic violence and PLEASE NOTE: Then the walkers began to slowly abuse of women and children.. No articles or pictures published in the SCTCA TANF Newsletter may be reprinted or used in any manner without the expressed written permission of SCTCA. SCTCA is not responsible for any errors / mistakes on submissions added to our newsletter. Publisher: SCTCA Editor: Gary Taylor Contributor: Colleen Turner, Editor and Contributor, 1998-2018 Printers: Tribal Print Source Copyright ©2019 “And as we walk, let us remember we walk for our women. Do not forget women are closer to Creator, because like Creator, they bring life into this world.” 2 SCTCA Tribal TANF Opens –––– DISPATCHES –––– New Office In Orange County Pala Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association TRIBAL TANF TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES Empowering American Indian Families NOW SERVING ORANGE COUNTY Beginning May 1, 2019 You can receive: Christina Arzate Cash Assistance At the old Tribal Hall on the Pala Indian Reservation, California Educational Orange County: Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. (CIMC) held a Career and Fountain Valley Office Development Resource Fair in early May. Physical Address: Inside the hall, there were 17 booths with representatives 10175 Slater Ave., Suite 150 Career Development Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Ruby Duran from various businesses, organizations and agencies. Over three Child Care Stipend Mailing: hours, 25 individuals from Pala and other locations came to the P.O. Box 20199 Transportation hall to speak with the representatives and gather information Fountain Valley, CA 92728 and contacts. For More Infomation Assistance Please Call: Some filled out applications for employment, especially for Phone 1-657-229-2820 K-12 Clothing Allowance Toll Free 1-866-728-2230 an electricians’ apprentice program with the Union Pipe Trades www.sctca.net Training Center. TOPS_4/15/19 Filling out applications and speaking with employers was the whole point of the Career and Resource Fair, said Christina Arzate, Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association (SCTCA) CIMC Workforce Development Coordinator. has opened a new office in Orange County. “We wanted people to come to see if they were interested in a particular career or employment opportunity,” she said. The office – which opened in April and began providing As it turned out, the employers on hand were just as interested services May 1, 2019 – is currently located in Fountain in the people who showed up, Arzate said. Valley at 10175 Slater Avenue, Suite 150. It is just off the 405 “I spoke with the representatives after the event, and they Freeway and is approximately seven miles west of Santa Ana. told me they talked to a lot of good candidates – solid potential The new office is SCTCA’s first in Orange County. SCTCA employees,” she noted. “They were pleased with the people that did attend.” Tribal TANF now has a total of six offices serving Native One of the employers, Caregiver Provider, was looking for American eligible families in Fountain Valley, Pala, Escondido, employees in the Pala area. La Mesa and Manzanita in San Diego County and Santa Ynez ”We’re hoping to continue a positive relationship,” Arzate in Santa Barbara County. said, noting CIMC would provide the training necessary for those Veronica Streb, Assistant Sites Director, who had previously working for Caregiver Provider. been Site Manager at SCTCA TANF Escondido for 13 years, is Other businesses included Survival Systems International, which makes submersibles and has locations in Mexico, Malaysia, currently heading up the Tribal TANF program expansion to Dubai, Singapore, Australia and the United States. One of its offices Orange County. Desiree Herrera, a former Caseworker for 10 is located adjacent to the Rincon Indian Reservation, its blue and years, is now the Site Manager at Tribal TANF Escondido. white building clearly visible for decades along the roadside less “Our goal is to provide Tribal TANF services to eligible Native than a mile from Harrah’s Resort Southern California. American families who reside within Orange County,” Streb Sandra Brown, Human Resources and Payroll Manager for the Survival Systems, was at the company’s booth inside the said. “We will strive to meet our program mission statement.” tribal hall. “Our company is always looking for qualified people, SCTCA Tribal TANF’s Mission Statement reads, “Tribal especially Native Americans,” she said. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families will make available Arzate said she was pleased with the event, especially the tools necessary to promote the empowering of Indian considering this was “the first one we actually planned.” families to become self-sufficient so they can support and “We started planning it just a month before,” she said.