Bozho nikanek
(Hello friends),

It is again time to get your fall graduation announcements in for anyone graduating high school or college in December. Please email the following information to graduation@potawatomi.org and they will be announced in a following issue of the Hownikan.

  • Name
  • Hometown
  • Potawatomi family name
  • Degree/major
  • School name

For those of you still in college or getting ready to start, the scholarship program application period for the spring 2018 semester opens Nov. 15 and closes Feb. 15. Applications are now submitted online and you can log in at any time to check on the application’s status. One scholarship is available to you each semester, $2,000 for full-time students and $750 for part-time students. Students are also reminded that you have advising, scholarship help and internship support available through Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Education Department. Find more information and the application at potawatomi.org/services/education. You can also contact the department by email at college@potawatomi.org or by phone at 405-275-3121.

As we enter the holiday season, many of us will be gathering together to celebrate with our family and friends. It is also a time of year when home fires cause a significant amount of damage and loss of life. I encourage you to develop a home escape plan that includes working smoke alarms on every level of your home, in every bedroom and near all sleeping areas. It should also include two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window, with a clear path to an outside meeting place like a tree, light pole or mailbox that’s a safe distance from the home.

The National Fire Protection Association offers these additional tips and recommendations for developing and practicing a home escape plan:

  • Draw a map of your home with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
  • Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
  • Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
  • Make sure your home address is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
  • Close doors behind you as you leave — this may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire.
  • Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

As always, give me a call and I will be happy to work with you on any questions you might have or provide you with additional information you might need to access tribal benefits that you are entitled to. Please also take the time to give me a call or send me an email with your contact information so that I can keep you informed of the happenings within the Nation and District.

Migwetch
(Thank you),

Mark Johnson, Wisk Mtek
(Strong as a Tree)
Representative, District 7
1565 Shaw Ave., Suite 202
Clovis, CA 93611
559-351-0078 cell
mark.johnson@potawatomi.org