Carolina 11^1311^1^ ^
DEC* 1 200?^ '
"Building Communicative Bridges In A Tri-Rucial Setting"
VOLUME 31 NUMBER 48 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2003 '' 'W*jN(':i-,^tfUbRWT 25^
The Healing Lodge...Gateway to
Community Service and Suppport
by Mary Barton Largent
This is the second and last pan of
the last week's anicle on THE
HEALING LODGE
Speaking personally with Mr.
Millard Lowry, the Executive Director
of the Native American Interfaith
Ministries. Inc.. also
known as the Healing Lodge
Mr Lowry said the purpose of this
organization is to reach out to
those in need within the their
neighborhoods and throughout
the world.
Mr. Lowry stated that "Inequities
that create disparity ih the determinants
of health for individuals,
families, and populations, capture
the attention of faith organizations
and public health."
The Healing Lodge is the hub that
will improve the health in the under
served and disenfranchised
citizens of Robeson and surrounding
counties. The Healing Lodge
will help remove the greatest barrier
in seeking medical care among
American Indians and other
groups of poverty (fear and a lack
of trust in the health care system.)
NAIM is a partner of the Robeson
County Partnership for Community
Health, whose mission is to
coordinate and implement countrywide
health initiatives.
Mr Lowry said. "We have collaborated
with Robeson Health Care
to be a partner in the Southeastern
North Carolina American Indian
HIV/AIDS Initiative, a (SPNS
Program).
Our STD Outreach worker, funded
by Robeson County Health Department,
has had a tremendous impact
within our communities."
Mr. Lowry went on to say. "Our
Faith in Families Coordinator
works with welfare to work families
and church partners to help
transitions back into the work
force We have partnered with
Healthy Carolinians Program for
2010 funds to conduct diabetes
education awareness and screenings
within our churches and communities.
We will train lay health
advisors with the American Cancer
Society monies with a primary
focus on breast and cervical can
ccr Wc hope to start a program to
test men for prostate cancer
Our Parish Nurse Program funded
by DUKE Endowment will work
within the county The implementation
of our plan w ill be the first
joint interfaith/health and human
serv ice project in this county, thus
setting precedent for future
projects in other minority communities.
We have collaborated with the
North Carolina HI V/STD Care Prevention
Branch and the North
Carolina Commission of Indian
Affairs to conduct a statewide survey
to assess attitudes, beliefs,
and methods of treatment for STD
and HIV/AIDS We w ill collect at
least 1000 sets of data"
"Our "Sugar Care" project was
used to meet Healthy Carolinians/
Healthy People 2010 objectives for
diabetes through prevention and
education programs designed to
reduce the disease and economic
burden of diabetes, and improve
the quality of life for all persons
who have or at risk for diabetes.
We helped determine new cases
of diabetes and bought equipment
to be used to determine glucose
and cholesterol lev els during community
screenings within our three
areas of Project T.R.U.S.T. Diabetes
lay health advisors training
and the partnerships fostered with
Ipcal providers will be continued
Our lay advisors arc aware of the
signs and symptoms of diabetes
and constantly monitor their
churches/communities for newcases
of diabetes"
The Healing Lodge. (Native
American Inicrfaith Ministries.
Inc.) is truly a gateway to community
service and
support offering Wellness Education/Prevention
for
Diabetes. Cancer.. GHdK3vascular..STD
& AIDS. It is also a Crisis
Ministry....Substance
Abuse.... Homelessncss.. Outreach
for Sexually Transmitted
Diseases...Domestic Violence ..
and Suicide Prevention.
The Healing Lodge has raised
monies through their Fathers Day
Rallies and walkathons and the
local communities and churches
are now willing to help with this
project financially
It has taken considerable time and
effort to prepare the churches to
receive the health messages that
the Healing Lodge want their Par- |
ish Nurse Program to deliver
Mr. Lowry stated tliat "We need
local churches, organizations, and
individuals to keep donating
money for the "Healing Lodge"
ministry"
Mr.Lowry hopes that the communities
can sec that they have been
busy this year, but "we still need
and arc soliciting your help and
funding"
"We have been successful in obtaining
program money. We have
recently formed a building committee
to begin raising needed monies
for our future (within three
years) construction of the Healing
Lodge site. Your money will
be held in a restricted status for
the building of that site and programming
needs when our grant
funds are exhausted."
"We would appreciate your support
in reaching other members of
the faith community and your
church (civic groups). We will
need the commitment of local .
churches to sustain operations
and build our much-needed permanent
facilities."
We can also get involved by educating
ourselves and others.
There is a need to encourage our
young people about the risk of
infection We can educate our
young people about H1V/A1DS
and help them to have a responsible
attitude and have a healthy
lifestyle.We can get involved by
parents talking to their children
and children talking to their parents
. We can promote safe sex
and/or abstinence. We can volunteer
our time at local HIV/AIDS
agencies. We can pass out information.
We can get tested.
For more information contact
The Healing Lodge
450 Prospect Road
PO Box 1695
Pembroke. NC 28372
Toll Free 1-866-522-0999
Fax 910-522-0999
Early Head
Start Accepting
Applications
The LRDA Early Head Start Program
is now taking applications for
the Fairmont area. Applications
will be taken for children between
the ages of 6 weeks and 3 years
old as well as expectant mothers.
For more information, please call
Amanda Hunt at 910-522-2131
Auditions planned
for Native American
play at UNCP
Auditions for "Only Drunks and
Children Tell the Truth" by Native
Canadian (Ojibwa) playwright
Drew Hayden Taylor
December 3 & 4.6:30 pm. Studio
Theatre. Givens Performing Arts
Center
Directed by Vibrina Coronado.
Performance dates: February
10,11.13.14.
This play centers on Janice, an
Indian woman taken by Canadian
government as a child and raised
by a wealthy English couple Assimilated
into white culture, she's
now an entertainment lawyer living
in Toronto. Janice's sister, with
boyfriend and brother in tow. arrive
to convince Janice to go back
to the Rez so she can pay her last
respects to her recently deceased
mother.
For more information, call 521 -6754
ore-mail:
vibrinacoroan tkxa4incp.edu
CANCELLATION
The grand opening of Native Taxi
& Transport Inc..has been cancelled
by Grant Hunt, the owner of
the company. There is no set
schedule for transportation services.
Fares for the taxi is $2.00 sitting
foe and $ 1.80 per mile. The taxi will
not be operating 24 hours a day. 7
days a week.
Pembroke BPW celebrates
BPW Week
The Pembroke Business and Professional Women's Organization celebrated
BPW Week October 19-25.
Tire week began with members attending church at First Baptist Church
in Pembroke as a group Monday. October 19 Mary Alice Wells. North
Carolina BPW President was guest speaker at the Pembroke BPW
monthly meeting as she praised women for their dedication and hard
work they display in their work places and for their families. Each year,
the organization also serv es ice cream and cake to the senior citizens
Slyvia Blue was selected as "Woman of the Year" by the organization.
Mrs. Blue serves as Media Specialist at Magnolia School
Brian Duckworth, resource officer at Fairmont Middle school spoke to
members about safety precautions against precautions against theft
and scams
LRDA's housing program
hosts orientation
On November 19. 20()3, LRDA
hosted an orientation and information
workshop for the clients of
the new Housing Program
The orientation workshop, held at
the LRDA Office Complex, detailed
the process of obtaining a loan,
information about the LRDA Housing
Program, and an initial visit
with the construction manager
The LRDA Housing Program offers
construction of affordable
homes through the
Lumbcc Construction Company
(LCC) The LRDA has several
house plans to choose from and
the home may be built on the prospective
homeowners property in
Robeson. Hoke, or Scotland
County, or on land owned by
LRDA in Robeson County.
Ronnie D Freeman. Housing
Counselor and Loan Officer for the
Lumbcc Housing Program, stated:
"We are pleased to be able to provide
this service to our community.
We arc here to work as a team
to make sure that the dream of
owning your own home becomes
a reality."
Specifics about the Lumbcc Housing
Program include
** To qualified non-landowners.
LRDA is ofTcring a lot valued at
$8,500 to build your new home
** Toqualificd landowners. LRDA
is ofTcring limited down-payment
assistance in order to get your
home brokered
** Using inovative energy technologies.
LRDA will build a fourstar
energy efficient home. This
home will save 1/3 on heating and
air conditioning costs These energy
efficient initiatives are valued
at
$5,000 and arc provided at no cost
to the homebuycr.
For more information about the
Housing Program, please call
Ronnie D Freeman at 910-522-2134
or visit our website at
www.hrmbce.org
World AIDS Day
December 1, 2003.
Health Department Complex
To remember those who have
passed from HIV/AIDS and remember
those who arc still fighting
Happy 69th Birthday!
Shirley Oxcndine of Union Chapel
is celebrating her birthday on December
6th with her family and
friends
She is the daughter of James &
Docia Oxcndinc
Native American Resource Center
presents Shawn Jacoobs
PEMBROKE. N.C.-Thc Native
American Resource Center on the
campus of The University of
North Carolina at Pembroke is
pleased to announce the opening
of a new art exhibit. Abstract Reality.
" This collection of paintings by
Lumbec artist Shawn Jacobs, a
young man of 28 years whose capacity
for creative thought and artistic
expression is obvious from
is works." said Resource Center
Director, Stan Knick. "It is also the '
first time in recent years that we 1
have had an entirely abstract art j
exhibit."
Jacobs has been painting sen- !
ously for about 10 years. He was
a student of w ell know n local artists
and teachers. Delora
Cuminings and James Locklear.
but his abstract work is a considerable
departure from either of
their more realistic sty les.
In Abstract Reality, viewers can
sec what Jacobs calls "expression
in pure form."
What exactly this means may differ
in interpretation from one
viewer to another, but it is clear to
any patient viewer that a great
deal of thought and feeling . as
well as creative energy went into
these pieces
On the surface, it may seem to the
casual viewer that there is a contrast
way of presenting the artis
tic expression in this exhibit of abstract
paintings But on closer examination.
it becomes evident that
there is just as much diversity from
piece to piece in Abstract Reality
as there has been in our more realistic
exhibits
For example, in "Dacrygelosis"
(oil/acrylic/aluminum) there is a
kind of light-hearted feeling that
evokes thoughts of spring
"Awake In Mv Sleep" (acrylic) is
a tense but beautiful explosion of
color. "Psychentonia" (mixed media)
is a dark and almost ominous
mixture of textures and hues. And
Afterthought of an Addict" (oil/
acrylic) has an autumnal quality
which is reminiscent of swirling
leaves in a November w ind
Jacobs says: "This is another
point of view from what we usually
sec; this is my reality"
"And although some of the work
may seem less accessible than
others to some viewers, certainly
the reality which Jacobs expresses
in Abstract Reality reaches far into
the soul of art. deep into the heart
of the human condition," Dr. Knick
said. "Taken as a whole. Abstract
Reality dramatically demonstrates
that Shawn Jacobs is a young artist
w ith a bright future.
Abstract Reality will be on display
in Old Main Building through
March 2004
St. Pauls
Christmas Parade
set for Dec. 5
J110.48111 annual St Pauls
rJn"!bCr O 0f Commerce
Christmas Parade will be held in
St. Pauls on Friday 5 It will
begin at 4 :30 p. m '
Entries arc now being sought
The entn fee for queens and
kings is $25 The fee for comS
cnlncs's S50 Tlierc is no
- laige for non-profit groups
,, xAsr7Pioasc cal1 ,hc Chamber
it 865-3489 or The St Pauls
Kevicvv newspaper at 865-4179
and ask for Paul
LRDA'S WIA
~iosts partner
Workforce Investment
Act (WIA) was passed bv Congress
and signed into the'law bv
the President One major change
this legislation mandated was the
establishment of One-Stop Centers.
One-Stop Center? allow clients to
who need social services to visit
one site and obtain the necessary
service-be it employment. training,
vocational rehabilitation, services
tor the blind.etc
The law also mandates that agencies
that receive WIA grants will
mrs3 Thlnnr m ,the onc-st?P centers.
The Employment Security
Commission (ESC) in Lumberton
EiD S^C 0f 'ilc Onc-Stop Center
for Robeson County.
On Tuesday. November 18. the
Lumbee Regional Development
Association (LRDA) hosted quarterly
meetings of Onc-Stop partners
Mr Dewey Locklear, Executive
Director, welcomed the partners
and stressed the importance
of agencies networking and collaborating
with each other in or,?bettcr
serve our clients
Ms. Daplrne Stewart. Executive
Director of the Emplovment Security
Commission and Chairperson
for the partner management team
opened the meeting and gave an
overview of the agenda. Each partner
gave an update on programs
that their agencv was administrating.
Shelby Rogers, who represents
LRDA's WIA Program at the center
coordinated this meeting Others
present arc as follows:
* Horace Hunt. Vocational Rehabilitation
Patsy Jacobs. Telemon
* Ethel Locklear. Robeson Community
College
* William Locklear. LRDA
* Zona Locklear. LRDA
* Brcnda Jacobs. LRDA
* Cry stal Strong. LRDA
The next quarterly meeting is tcn^L\Vf^SChcdl,lcd
for February 10
,' , rT?r morc information about
the LRDA WIA Program please
*isit our website at
www. lumbee org
"Che (JnivcRsicy op NoKp CARo(inA dx Pcm&Rohe QDusic OcpARrmcnc
Announces rhe pprh Annu&t
CDediev&t Pe&sr
| ^
SchotARship Revue
^ Saturday, Dec. 6, 2003
^ 6:30-9:30 P.M. ^
^ | at UNC Pembroke ^
7 I $35 per person <;
^ (8350 for a table of 12) ^
? (9175 for a table of 6) (
) For Tickets: (910)521-6230 ^
gary.wright@uncp.edu ^
A Portion |)f this Evening is Tax Deductible