Neil Southern’s reputation for high-quality, hand-crafted knives keeps him busy outside of his job as a FireLake Casino night-shift security officer. He began working for the Nation in March of 2012, and a few years later, he started making knives. “My love of knives combined with watching my grandfather shape steel with a hammer and Read More »
Each summer, Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Potawatomi Leadership Program culminates with project presentations. The PLP counselors paired the class of 2018 together early in the six-week internship, and the participants then began thinking of ways to expand the Nation’s economic, cultural or governmental scope while integrating their interests. After discussing their ideas with their mentors, the Read More »
Citizens of all federally recognized tribes can find services and training through the Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Workforce Development & Social Service. Whether seeking employment assistance, education or emergency financial assistance, the program – financed primarily through federal and Tribal government funds – offers a hand up rather than a hand out for those in need. Read More »
Darian Towner, House of Hope Prevention Specialist This year, many stories of sexual assault and domestic violence have come to light. We have seen its presence in the political sphere, throughout Hollywood, within our schools and in our daily news. Tackling issues such as sexual assault and domestic violence can seem intimidating with new stories Read More »
Kandi McCracken frequently opens emails from thankful Citizen Potawatomi Nation members. As the education and learning lab counselor for CPN’s Workforce Development & Social Services Department, she walks Tribal members through the process of obtaining vocational scholarships. “’I wanted to let you know with the help of the Potawatomi that I have a job that Read More »
Whether promotions on the radio or advertisements in a local magazine, if an ad about FireLake Casino is out there, chances are that you’re hearing work shaped by Kevin Huffine. The Anadarko, Oklahoma, native began working as the casino and bingo hall’s marketing manager in 2015. After Huffine graduated from Anadarko High School, he walked Read More »
Amidst an era of increased expansion by non-Native settlers into the United States’ western frontiers, a single piece of legislation codified federal policy on the topic of removing tribal people from their lands. On May 28, 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law. This legislation authorized the federal government to forcibly Read More »
The Oklahoma Tribal Financial Consortium came from a simple idea created by multiple tribal finance directors and the sheer willpower of the organization’s president, founder and CEO Victor Flores. The Absentee Shawnee Tribe frequently sent him out of state to attend workshops during his first year as its chief financial officer because few educational opportunities Read More »
Assisting others is the highlight of Heather Gaston’s career. Before accepting her current position as the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Child Development Center’s intake specialist, Gaston served as a master infant teacher at the CPN CDC for 12 years. Now, she provides low-income Native American families with social service referrals and assists parents with finding adequate Read More »
In June, Shawnee Public Schools science teacher Cheyenne Branscum flew to Washington D.C. as Oklahoma’s only recipient of a Society for Science and the Public grant. The society invited Branscum, a Tribal member and Melot family descendant, to its advocate training institute. There she met fellow educators from across the nation, exchanging ideas and best Read More »