(Michele Morton) - The Mat-Su Health Foundation has graciously awarded the Chickaloon Village Wellness Program an Executive Grant in the amount of $630.00 for mirrors for exercise classes.  The participants of the ongoing Tai Chi class truly appreciate this as a useful tool for learning and self-advancement.  A big Thank You to the Mat-Su Health Foundation - and an invitation to all to come out and join us in Tai Chi on Wednesdays from 5-6PM at the Sutton Government Building.

CVTC - Education/ Teaching Facilitator - is responsible for providing a positive educational atmosphere where students have the opportunity to fulfill their potential for intellectual, emotional, physical, spiritual and psychological growth in a multi-age setting, regardless of race, economic background, religious preference, gender or nationality.  This position is responsible for researching, organizing and implementing an instructional program that will result in students achieving academic success in accordance with Ya Ne Dah Ah School policies and Chickaloon Village Academic Standards. At least one year of experience teaching in a multi-age setting or in a setting with students with varying degrees of abilities.   We will accept internship or practicum hours in lieu of work experience.  Bachelor degree preferred.

     Hiring Preference:  As allowed in P.L. 93-638, preference for employment will be given to Alaska Natives and American Indians.  CVTC also has a local hiring preference.

     This position is open until filled. Applications and full position descriptions are available by contacting Ingrid Ling at 745-0749, by visiting www.chickaloon.org or via email to employment@chickaloon.org. 

Introducing a Slide Show and Talk by Craig & Holly Denney - 30 Years of Service to Nepal - Sikkim Bhutan Siam, Burma Asean India China - Grace Bible Church in Sutton, Sunday, April 10^th @ 6PM

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Southwest Alaska Salmon Science Symposium - includes an evening presentation for the public on Wednesday, April 13 from 7-9 by University of Washington researchers, Dr. Tom Quinn and Dr. Daniel Schindler on their work with salmon sustainability and biodiversity in Bristol Bay.  The next day, Thursday April 14, is a day-long symposium that will include a more in-depth presentation by Drs. Quinn and Schindler, and an afternoon panel by a number of agency, University of Alaska and consulting salmon
researchers. The purpose of April 14th symposium is to look in depth at salmon habitat research in Bristol Bay and identify potential research gaps.
     The daylong event on April 14 will run from 8AM to 5PM and is free and open to the public. Both events will take place at the Egan Center in downtown Anchorage. Thursday's daylong symposium will be followed by the opening of an exhibit at the Anchorage Museum, called "Sailing for Salmon: 125 Years of Commercial Fishing in Bristol Bay."  The daylong symposium will be available via videoconference in Juneau, Fairbanks and Dillingham.
     To register for the daylong event, please email Katrina Mueller at Katrina_Mueller@fws.gov.  The attached poster provides details of the
Wednesday and Thursday events.  Please help us circulate information about
this important event.

 

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NICWA Child Welfare Conference Heads North to Alaska - As one of the largest gatherings of child welfare professionals in Indian Country, the National Indian Child Welfare Association's (NICWA) "Protecting Our Children" National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect will soon convene in Anchorage, Alaska. Nearly a thousand attendees, presenters, and organizers will journey from the lower 48 and Canada to be welcomed by Alaska's Native people and leaders, in order to share stories and build capacity to improve social services for children and their families.

     The event features over 60 workshop presentations, focus groups on social work practice issues, a silent auction fundraiser, a culture night and dinner, and an exhibition hall of trade organizations and Native artisans. NICWA's annual event moves across the country to a new location each year, and it has been several years since Alaska has hosted this conference.

     "There is something special about returning to Alaska," said NICWA Executive Director Terry Cross (Seneca Nation). "Our last conference was our largest ever and this one is shaping up to break that record. The Alaska Native people have asked that we bring attention to the high numbers of children in the child welfare system and the many non-Native placements far from family and culture," Terry said.

     NICWA is a national nonprofit and the most comprehensive source of information on American Indian child welfare and works on behalf of Indian children and families. NICWA provides public policy, research, advocacy, information, training, and community development services to a broad national audience, including state child welfare agencies and other organizations, agencies, and professionals interested in the field of Indian child welfare. Their website is www.nicwa.org, or you can call 503-222-4044 for more information. 

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On Saturday April 25, 1998 in honor of Earth Day, Valley Community for Recycling Solutionsheld our first recycling event at what is now the Sears parking lot but at that time was still the Wal*Mart parking lot. Now 13 years later on April 30, from noon to 3pm, we will be celebrating at our new "permanent" recycling facility, our 13^th anniversary, Earth Day, and all of our resources.

     Saturday, April 30 VCRS will be closed for recycling in order to accommodate the large turnout we are expecting to attend our celebration. SOOOOOOOOOOOO make sure to bring in your recycling on the Saturday before April 30, the days prior to the 30th, or plan to come the following Saturday, May 7.

     April 20 - 22, Wednesday thru Friday from Noon to 6pm and April 23 Saturday from 11am to 3pm, VCRS will be hosting a special collection of plastics (HDPE, PETE, PP and OTHER) numbers 3 to 7 plus the 1's and 2's not on our regular collection list (for example food trays, clam shells, and other shapes than bottles and jugs). The plastics included in this special collection can all be brought in to us in the same bag or container as we will process them together. NO STYROFOAM! If you have questions please call your recycling center, 745-5544. 

     April is VCRS membership month. Please consider renewing your membership or becoming a member now. Our community's support is our strength, please help VCRS continue to reduce the waste stream and make recovered resources available for development. "Together, We're Turning it Around" www.valleyrecycling.org
     Our mission is to educate and provide opportunities in our community to reduce, reuse and recycle for the long-term good of all. Our vision is to establish the Mat-Su Borough as a model recycling community for Alaska.

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UAA Campus Bookstoreevents - Tuesday April 19 5-7PM - Indigenous Elder Teachings on Science, Technology and Other Issues for the 21st Century with Larry Merculieff - a fascinating look at look at how indigenous knowledge and ways of thinking can benefit people today. Larry Merculieff was born and raised in a traditional upbringing on St.Paul Island. In 2003, Larry was instrumental in gaining both Federal and state recognition of Alaska Native subsistence rights to harvest halibut throughout coastal Alaska. Recently he founded Seven Generations Consulting. 

Monday April 25 5:30-7PM - Tonie Marie Quaintance, graduate student in the Clinical-Community Psychology Department, UAF/UAA Joint Program: Meaning in Life among Rural Alaska Native and American Indian College Students

Tuesday April 26 5-7PM - The 25^th Year Anniversary of the  Chernobyl Nuclear Power Accident:  Lessons and Updates examined - Ecosystem biologist Carl Wassilie has been following research on radioactive fallout and exposure since the  Chernobyl disaster in 1985. Everyone is encouraged to attend this event and learn aboutnuclear power, the agencies that govern its use, and the Nuclear Information Research Service (NIRS).  www.uaa.alaska.edu/bookstore

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Visit the Sutton Library between April 6 and April 23 to bid on our Silent Auction items. Currently we have 10 beautiful baskets created by community members, just perfect for an Easter gift (or two). The Friends of the Library will use the proceeds from the auction for support of our Summer Reading Program for kids! 

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Trickster made the American Library Association's Top 10 Graphic Novel list!

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/greatgraphicnovelsforteens/ggnt11.cfm Congratulations! John Weddleton, BOSCO'S www.boscos.com 907-317-0222

AND

Nominees Announced for 2011 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards

Prostate cancer screening has zero benefit, concludes 20-year study

http://www.naturalnews.com/031950_prostate_cancer_screening.html#ixzz1IiXk6H8s

Don't let anyone from the cancer industry lie to you about PSA screening: The test is completely bogus and offers zero improvement in your lifespan. That's the conclusion from a 20-year study that followed over 9,000 men. After 20 years of follow-up, guess what the results were? No significant difference in the rate of death between those screened for prostate cancer versus those who weren't.

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HAPPINESS PEAKS IN OUR EIGHTIES
http://nhne-pulse.org/happiness-peaks-in-our-eighties/
We become happier when we grow older, according to scientists who claim our
best years do not arrive until our late seventies and eighties. Traditional wisdom states that our younger years are the best of our lives, with the milestone of 40 meaning we are "over the hill" and already on the wane. But in fact satisfaction and optimism steadily increase after middle age, easily eclipsing the earlier years and peaking as late as the eighties, according to research.