June 8 - Seminole Tribe of Florida

The Seminole Tribune 6 June 8, 2007Seniors Celebrate MayBirthdays and Mother’s DayBy Judy WeeksMay was amerry month for Tribalseniors who enjoyedfestivities inImmokalee and BigCypress.Site ManagerLonnie Gore and herstaff at the SeniorCenter in Immokaleeprepared a wonderfulluncheon to celebrateMother’s Day on May10.Each of theseniors received a giftwrappedpackage containinga beautifulsterling silver locketengraved with therecipient’s initials.Each heart-shapedlocket, large enough tohold two portraits, wassuspended from a delicatesilver chain.In celebration of Rachel Billie’s birthday, acake was served with ice cream for dessert. Beautifulfloral centerpieces were distributed among the guestsat the end of the party.Immokalee Seminole Youth and LivestockRanch Director Kenny Joe Davis, his assistant GabrielRachel Billie (back row) celebrates her May birthday.Acosta and their staff brought a covered wagon drawnby a matched team of Percheron draft horses to theSenior Center the following day. Traveling along thebeautiful wooded trail from the Seminole communityto the Culture Village at the Youth Ranch, the seniorsand their chaperones enjoyed a pleasant afternoon inthe great outdoors. It brought back wonderful memoriesof days gone by and a time whenthings moved at a much slower pace.On May 22, the BigCypress seniors gathered at the HotMeals facility to celebrate the Maybirthdays of Nicodemus Billie,Mabel Frank and Betty Tigertail.Site Manager CeciliaSolano Guzman and her staff wereassisted by the Wellness Departmentin organizing a game of HealthyBingo. The group spent the morninglaughing and enjoying themselves asthey competed for bingo prizes.Raffle tickets were drawn throughoutthe party and door prizes were distributed.Following a pleasant luncheon,a celebration cake was servedJudy WeeksJudy WeeksThe Immokalee seniors take a short break at the Culture Village on their wagonride through the ISY&LR woodlands.and everyone wished the guests ofhonor many more happy birthdays.The mothers from the Immokalee community were honored at a grand celebration in their honor. MotherContinued from page 1There were many tear-filled eyes, asthe poem was read and memories abounded ofdeparted mothers and grandmothers. Severalelders gave emotional recognition of the hardworking, self-sacrificing women who had notonly given them life, but were instrumental inthe founding of the Immokalee Reservation asthey prepared a pathway for a better life fortheir descendants.Overwhelmed with sentiment, ElaineAguilar cried, “Take time out of your daily livesto share a few moments with your mothers asoften as possible. Listen to them. Benefit fromtheir many years of wisdom and learn aboutyour past. My mother has been gone sevenyears, and I can’t tell you how often I think ofher and wish that I had spent more time payingattention to her. She tried to tell me storiesabout my distant ancestors, clansmen and ourrelationships and origins, but I didn’t pay closeenough attention. Every day I wish that I couldtalk with her and hear her words of wisdom.Don’t let these valuable moments slip away,because you will not get a second chance.”A group photo placed several newmothers and glowing expectant mothers together.Hugs and embraces followed a universalapplause for motherhood.A fantastic catered buffet included fish,chicken, ribs and a multitude of side dishesserved on attractive place settings, which completedthe evening’s ensemble. ImmokaleeSeminole Casino donated fry bread for the occasion.Door prizes were raffled off throughoutthe event and Elizabeth Oleo was the recipientof the Grand Prize—the coveted foot and calfmassage machine which everyone had beenadmiring throughout the evening.DEAR WAACHEEYou filled my days with rainbow lights,fairy tales and sweet dream nights,A kiss to wipe away my tears,Pumpkin fry bread to ease my fears.You gave the gift of life to me,And then in love, you set me free.I thank you for your tender care,For deep warm hugs and being there.I hope that when you think of me,A part of you, you’ll always see.Judy WeeksJudy Weeks(L-R) Vanessa Aguilar and Cecelia Pequeno deliver thegrand prize massage machine to winner Elizabeth Oleo.Judy Weeks(L-R) Juanita Martinez, Ceclia Pequeno, Vanessa Aguilarand Tracy DeLaRosa were instrumental in organizing theMother’s Day event.Judy Weeks(L-R) ISY&LR Director Kenny Joe Davis andAssistant Gabriel Acosta helped the seniors andchaperones aboard the covered wagon.Judy WeeksDelores Jumper, wearing a T-shirt in honor of herlate mother, Tommie Jumper, displays her newengraved silver locket.Happy Mother’s DayI Love You, Waachee2007Judy Weeks(L-R) Sheila Aguilar, Elaine Aguilar and Michelle FordEmma BrownRita McCabe, Louise Gopher and Michael and Eric GarciaEmma BrownJosephine Youngblood with daughters Grace Koontz,Suraiya Smith, Micki Burton and grandkidsEmma BrownLorene Gopher with daughter Charlotte Burgessand grandchildrenEmma BrownTrisha Osceola with daughter RileyOsceola and cousin Janessa SmithBy Emma BrownBRIGHTON— The Brighton Council officesponsored a Mother’s Day breakfast on the morningof May 11 to honor all the mothers of the Brightoncommunity.The appreciative fathers, along with theBuilding and Grounds crew, showed up at 5 a.m. torustle up a breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs,sausage, bacon, grits, biscuits, and much more. JodyGoodman from Buildings and Grounds worked veryhard on the beautiful and colorfully decorated kitchen.The breakfast was a nice gesture to showEmma BrownReese Bert with mom Agnes Bert andgrandson Eric PuenteBrighton Celebrates Mother’s Dayappreciation to all of the mothers of the Brightoncommunity and the mothers seemed to really appreciatethe dedication of their families to make sure thattheir Mother’s Day started off wonderfully. Manymothers showed up to visit and enjoy their meal withtheir children and other family members, and it was amoving experience to see families enjoying their timetogether.Thank you to all the mothers for everythingthat you do each and every day to make the lives ofyour children and community full of love and happiness!Emma BrownDad Willie Johns helps prepare breakfast for themoms.