April 26, 2012 - The Cherokee One Feather

10 THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012 cherokee one feather/na tsalagi soquo ugidahliCrowe wins Healing andWellness Coalion YouthEssay ContestThe Healing and Wellness Coaliionannounced last week thateanu Crowe, and EBCI tribal memer,has won the irst prize for theouth essay contest. The grandrize is an all expense paid trip onhe Cherokee Journey to Forgiveessand Healing coming up on May8.Crowe’s essay entitled "CheroeeTrauma Through My Eyes"eautifully expresses the struggletill being experienced from theear loss of the Cherokee culturefter the Trail of Tears and the subequentacculturation imposed byhe US Government.She is the 16-year-old daughterf Tracy Crowe and attends theackson County Early College Proramat SCC where she is a sophoore,and wants to be a medicalxaminer when she inishes her edcation.The last chance to register forhe 2012 Journey is Tuesday, May 1.ransportation is being provided byhe Healing and Wellness Coalition;ome partial scholarships are availblefor the youth and seniors. Estiatedcosts for meals and doubleccupancy rooms are estimated toe $500.Info: http://www.cherokeehealng.comor Jan Adams 631-3903.- Cherokee Healing and WellnessCoalitionVermicomposting opportunity available to 20 local residentsMany gardeners as well as peopleinterested in living a sustainablelifestyle use vermicomposting systemsfor their kitchen wastes, using neat, indoorworm boxes to compost theirkitchen scraps and reduce theirgarbage by up to a third. The youngleaders in the Jones-Bowman LeadershipAward Program want to teach 20local residents how to vermicompostand will provide them with the materialsto build their vermicompostingbins so they can turn their apple coresand coffee grounds into nutrient-richsoil.Vermicomposting bins reducehousehold garbage disposal costs, produceless odor than putting food wasteinto a garbage container, save thewater and electricity that kitchengarbage disposals consume, produce ahigh-quality soil amendment that'sfree, require little space or maintenance,and spawn free worms for ishing.4H Youth & Families with Promise(YFP) is a developing program foryouth with the Eastern Band of CherokeeIndians. Youth & Families withPromise is part of the 4-H NationalMentoring Program implemented byNorth Carolina A&T State University.Youth & Families with Promise is acommunity based prevention programdesigned to enhance the developmentalassets of youth at risk. YFP aims toDuring a demonstration between12:30-1:30pm at the Cherokee Fairgrounds,just after completion of theChildren’s Day event there on Saturday,May 5, 20 people will have the opportunityto learn about how vermicompostingbins work, what can andcannot be added to them, how to assemblethe bins, and how to take careof the bins and the worms that will inhabitthem. Bins and worms will beprovided to the irst 20 people who callSavannah Hicks at 828-400-3821 andindicate they are committed to theproject, will come to the demonstrationto learn and receive their bin, andare willing to be contacted for a followupabout the effectiveness of their bins.“We hope to help those in the communitywho are committed to living asustainable life,” said Kelsey Standingdeer,a Jones-Bowman Fellow. “Takingcare of living creatures is not acasual thing and maintaining them requiresmore work than just throwingenhance school performance, socialskills, and family bonds for youth 10-14 years of age.To become a mentor for YFP, illout a brief mentor application. Applicationsare available from HeatherJames and Marvel Welch at 554-6939located at the EBCI Extension Oficenext to Ginger Lynn Complex. The applicationprocess includes a backgroundcheck, and mentoring trainingfood in the bins, so people who are interestedhave to have a real commitmentto composting.”Community service is a cornerstoneof the Jones-Bowman LeadershipAward Program, which provides opportunitiesto undergraduate collegestudents committed to developingtheir leadership skills. The programwas established by Cherokee PreservationFoundation in 2008 to honor PrincipalChief Leon Jones and Mr. JamesBowman, founding members of theFoundation’s Board of Directors. Thebins for the vermicomposting projecthave been funded by Cherokee PreservationFoundation.The Jones-Bowman Fellows willalso staff a booth at the Children’s Dayevent at the Cherokee Fairgrounds onMay 5. Children can learn aboutworms, vermicomposting and theJones-Bowman program.- Cherokee Preservation Foundation4H Youth & Families with Promise program starting in Cherokeesessions.If you know a child between theages of 10-14 that you think wouldbeneit from a one/one mentor, 4-H activities,and family gatherings, all youneed to do is contact us at CooperativeExtension to ill out an application.- Heather James and Marvel Welch,EBCI Cooperative Extension