August was busy for Grand Portage Elders and September is shaping up to be full of activities too. Left: There were long lines at the Elder’s Fish Shack at the Rendezvous Days Powwow. Eddie Hertzberg and Johnnie Barton were all smiles during their shift. Above left: To reward the hard-working folks who cooked fish, made strawberry shortcake and sold raffle tickets during Rendezvous Days, a Thank You BBQ was held on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Doris Blank was one of the many seniors who enjoyed the barbecue and visiting. Above right: Bill and Debbie manned the grill for the Sept. 3 barbecue at the Grand Portage Community Center.
The Grand Portage Elders had a very successful Rendezvous Days. It takes many volunteers to pull this off as we operate two raffles, bingo and our fish booth. A Chi Miigwech to all the volunteers. Also, Miigwech to all the businesses who donated prizes, the Reservation Tribal Council and Grand Portage community for their continued support of our efforts and the ENP staff for going the extra mile for us. We were able to raise about $ 5,000.00 before expenses. This money will ensure we have a wonderful Christmas party, will support Elder outings, and will provide flowers for the ill. It also helps us make donations to other nonprofit organizations. This year’s raffle winners were: Mimi King, the quilt; Dottie Griffith, the DVD player; a winner from Canada claimed the Holiday gift card and our own local boy, Jeff Kozlowski, won $417 in the 50/50 raffle. Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket!
We spent the remainder of August doing our usual activities and resting up for the fall. The ENP staff has been harvesting delicious lettuce and radishes from our greenhouse for our lunches and we are looking forward to the tomatoes and peppers. Thank you to the clinic nutrition program for donations of zucchini and squash. Anyone with surplus produce, please consider sharing it with the ENP. We really enjoy it with our daily lunches.
We kicked off September with the annual Rendezvous Day volunteer BBQ on September 3. Grandparent’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday, September 8 at High Falls with a picnic and BBQ. All grandparents are invited to come and bring their grandchildren. There are games, hiking and visiting from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and it is always a fun time.
The ENP will be celebrating Falls Prevention Day and Active Aging week this month. Please watch for flyers about special presentations and speakers.
It is time for elections for the Elder Advisory Council. All Elders 50 years and older are eligible to run for positions on this council. Please contact Marie Spry, Carol Hackett or Patty Winchell- Dahl if interested or for more information. Elections should be held at the end of September.
The ENP director will be mailing out a Needs Assessment for the Title VI grant. This is done every three years and is a component for the grant. Watch your mail for it and please send it in as soon as you complete it. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Patty at 475-2655.
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