Honor the Earth awards $90,000 for sacred sites and culture
Honor the Earth has awarded $90,000 in new grants to Indigenous organizations in North America and the Pacific. “This year’s grants are particularly focused on protection of sacred sites, and the continuation of strong cultural traditions in our Native communities”, said Board Co-Chair Shannon Martin (Potawatami/Anishinaabe). The grants range from the work to protect sacred ceremonial grounds and traditions to the repatriation of Ojibwe birchbark scrolls to the White Earth band of Anishinaabeg.
Grantees include, Apache Stronghold (AZ), Earth Guardians (CO), Halau Hula Kealaonamaupua (HI), Native American Educational Technologies (WI), Nibi Walks (MN), Horse Spirit Society (SD), Water Unity Alliance (Mohawk Territory), Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw (LA), the White Earth Tribe (MN) and many others.
“We are very pleased to be able to join with communities protecting their sacred sites, encouraging and nurturing their youth, and restoring cultural traditions,” Board Co- Chair Paul DeMain said.
Many of the organizations funded by Honor the Earth have successfully stopped projects, including this year’s victories over the Keystone XL pipeline (no presidential permit) and the GTAC mine proposed for Northern Wisconsin. “We hope there is justice for many of these communities,” Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls (Honor Board member) said.
Honor the Earth, based on the White Earth reservation, is a national Native organization which was founded in l993, working on environmental and cultural support for grassroots Indigenous communities.
22 selected to take part in Native Nation Rebuilders program
A woman from Leech Lake and a woman from White Earth were two of 22 people in Minnesota, and North and South Dakota, selected to take part in The Bush Foundation’s Native Nation Rebuilders program.
The program is designed for people who “share a passion for learning about governance and other nation-building practices,” a press release said.
Representing the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is Melissa Bowstring and representing the White Earth Nation is Margaret Rousu.
The Bush Foundation created the Native Nation Rebuilders Program in 2010 after elected tribal leaders from the 23 Native nations that share geography with Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota called for committed community leaders to help with nation-building work. Since it launched, the program has selected 128 rebuilders from 20 Native nations in the region.
FDLTCC wins marketing and communications awards
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) was honored with Gold and Silver awards for excellence in public relations, marketing, and communication in the 2015 National Council for Marketing and Public Relations District 5 Medallion Awards competition.
The Gold Medallion of Excellence first place award recognized the college’s new web site that was launched in 2015. The Silver Medallion of Excellence second place award recognized the 30-second television ad titled “The Journey” that has aired on local broadcast and cable television networks during 2015.
“The primary purpose of our marketing and communication projects always has been to convey messages about who we are, what we do, and the range of opportunities and benefits we offer to our students and the communities we serve,” said Tom Urbanski, Director of Public Information at FDLTCC.
The Gold Medallion of Excellence award-winning college web site is located at www.fdltcc.edu. The new site features a responsive design, new site architecture, one-click navigation, new photography, integrated social media and video, news blog, and a behind-the-scenes content management system.
The Silver Medallion of Excellence award-winning television ad can been seen on the college’s YouTube channel that is integrated into the web site.
The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) is an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges and represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges across the United States and Canada. The regional Medallion Awards recognize outstanding achievement in marketing communication at community and technical colleges in NCMPR District 5, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, the Canadian province of Manitoba, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. It is the only competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges. There were over 300 entries submitted across 36 categories in the 2015 NCMPR District 5 Medallion Awards competition.
