Spokesperson Message

Osiyo!

Our October Fall Gathering at the William B. Pond Recreation area was a great success! We had a good crowd of folks and were able to reconnect in person with many and also meet some new members! It really is such a joy to see you all! The scholarship awards were handed out, and I’m excited that we can help these students pursue their dreams!

We also held a council member election finally.  (Because of the pandemic, we had deferred last year’s election.) The results are that Mike Webb and I are stepping down from the council, and new council members are stepping up: Martha Blackbird, Roxanna Horne, Jonathan Radocay and Eloise Talk were all elected to the council.  Congratulations to you all!

More council changes are happening too—Odell Landers has agreed to become an alternate council member, and Debby Hendrix Rising has changed her status from council member to alternate council member because she has moved to Southern California. Jessica Hilderbrand has changed her status from alternate council member to council member to take Debby’s place. So, there has been a lot of movement with our council lately, but it’s all good! 

This is my last Spokesperson message, and I want to tell you that my life has been so enriched by being involved with you all and CNCV. I’ve learned so much Cherokee history and appreciate this wonderful cultural community and family. But now instead of leading, I’ll be part of the crowd and I like that idea! See you at the next event!

—Franc Blackbird