Misc. News -- May 30, 2012 -- Collinsville, OK -- www.cvilleok.com

Cherokee Nation Offers $100 Clothing Vouchers For School Kids
-- Will Be In Collinsville July 9th

May 18, 2012

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — This summer the Cherokee Nation is offering $100 clothing vouchers to help parents cope with the costs of getting their children dressed for a new school year. The vouchers will be redeemable at select Stage stores across northeastern Oklahoma.

“The clothing support program is an opportunity to work directly in the community with children and families. It is a great resource for eligible families to utilize as they prepare for their budgets for back to school necessities,” said Kara Whitworth, director of Cherokee Nation Child Support Services. “The Office of Child Support Services is taking the lead on this outreach resource as we see it as a great opportunity for another dimension of support for many of the families we already serve.”

Throughout July, Cherokee Nation employees will visit sites across the tribe’s jurisdiction to take voucher applications. A limited number of vouchers will be available at each location, and parents and legal guardians are encouraged to apply at the site closest to where they live. To qualify for a voucher, a student must be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, live within the Cherokee Nation’s boundaries and be entering grades K-12 in the upcoming school year.

To receive a voucher, a parent or legal guardian must provide proof of residence, school enrollment and Cherokee Nation citizenship for each child and income for each adult in the household. If applicable, a notarized statement of no income must be presented. Kindergarteners do not have to show proof of enrollment but must be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2012. Legal guardians must present a letter of guardianship issued by a district court. All families must meet income guidelines to qualify.

Voucher applications will be accepted on the following dates and locations from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

Monday, July 2 – Locust Grove Upper Elementary, cafeteria

Tuesday, July 3 – Sequoyah Schools, The Place Where They Play

Monday, July 9 – Collinsville High School, commons area

Tuesday, July 10 – Bartlesville Community Center

Friday, July 13 – Nowata High School, commons area

Monday, July 16 – Stilwell High School, cafeteria

Thursday, July 19 – Sallisaw High School, cafeteria

Friday, July 20 – Fort Gibson School, cafeteria

Monday, July 23 – Vinita, Ewing Halsell Middle School, cafeteria

Thursday, July 26 – Jay Upper Elementary, cafeteria

Friday, July 27 – Claremore High School, old gym

Tuesday, July 31 – Sequoyah Schools, The Place Where They Play

For more information, call 918-772-4144 or email schoolclothes@cherokee.org.

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About Cherokee Nation

The Cherokee Nation is the federally-recognized government of the Cherokee people and has inherent sovereign status recognized by treaty and law. The seat of tribal government is the W.W. Keeler Complex near Tahlequah, Okla., the capital of the Cherokee Nation. With more than 300,000 citizens, over 8,000 employees and a variety of tribal enterprises ranging from aerospace and defense contracts to entertainment venues, Cherokee Nation is one of the largest employers in northeastern Oklahoma and the largest tribal nation in the United States.

To learn more, please visit www.cherokee.org.

Cherokee Nation, PO BOX 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465 United States

918-453-5000, ext. 5990
communications@cherokee.org

-- Cara Cowan Watts (5/19/2012)

Collinsville Receives $5000
Healthy Communities Incentive Grant

I just wanted to share with you the news from Thursday’s TSET Board of Directors meeting. The Board approved $186,000 in Healthy Communities Incentive Grants for Certified Healthy Communities that successfully applied for TSET’s Healthy Community Incentive Grants. This is the first year in the 3-year program. Everyone is very excited about the program, and kudos to communities that received the awards.

The City of Collinsville received a Basic Award for a small community. A community must first be recognized as a Certified Healthy Community before applying for a Healthy Communities Incentive Grant. The City of Collinsville was the only community in Tulsa County to receive a Certified Healthy Community award this year.

Connie Befort, program manager for the Healthy Communities Incentive Grants, is working with local leaders to hold public recognition events for communities that received the award. The City of Collinsville is a partner community of the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership: A Community of Excellence (CX) in Nutrition and Fitness Program. Collinsville City Manager, Pam Polk is currently the co-chair of the neighborhood/community sub-committee of the partnership. I will keep you posted as TSET would love for coalitions to participate in the events as well. Stay tuned!

For more information on the HCIG program or information on how to get your community to apply go to: http://shapeyourfutureok.com/certified_healthy_community.htm

A list of the winners, award status and amounts is attached to this email, as well as the press release that was sent to statewide media on Thursday.

Again, congratulations to the City of Collinsville.

Best,

Daphne Gaulden, MPA, MPH
Program Coordinator
Tulsa Health Department
918-595-4039

FYI…please publish the attached press release. Collinsville was the only city in Tulsa County to receive an award this year.

Thank you both for all you do to support and promote Cville. Together we are making a difference.

Pamela J. Polk, MAS, ACPFIM
Collinsville City Manager (5/21/2012)

918.371.1010 x 2012
ppolk@cityofcollinsville.com
www.cityofcollinsville.com

Community Name	Size	Incentive Level	Grant Amount
Durant	Medium	Excellence	$50,000
Noble	Small	Excellence	$25,000
Okmulgee	Small	Merit	$13,000
Idabel	Small	Merit	$13,000
Lawton	Metro	Basic	$15,000
Norman	Metro	Basic	$15,000
Ardmore	Large	Basic	$10,000
Bartlesville	Large	Basic	$10,000
Shawnee	Large	Basic	$10,000
Yukon	Medium	Basic	$8,000
Collinsville	Small	Basic	$5,000
Guthrie	Small	Basic	$5,000
Pryor	Small	Basic	$5,000
Hobart	Rural	Basic	$2,000
			TOTAL $186,000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Julie Bisbee, julieb@tset.ok.gov
Direct: 405-521-4992

BOARD APPROVES INCENTIVE GRANTS FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 17, 2012) -- The board of directors for the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust on Thursday approved $186,000 in incentive grants as part of the trust’s Healthy Communities Incentive Grant program.
These grants will help municipalities to continue to work on projects that promote physical activity, wellness and overall community health. Communities certified by the Oklahoma Certified Healthy Communities program were eligible to apply for the grants.
The city of Durant will receive a $50,000 grant as part of the program. The Bryan County city achieved the status of “excellence” as part of the Healthy Communities Incentive Grant Program. Noble, located in Cleveland County, also received the “excellence” status and will receive an incentive grant of $25,000.
Durant and Noble were the only two applicants to be awarded at the excellence level. Okmulgee and Idabel were awarded at the merit level. Lawton, Norman, Ardmore, Bartlesville, Shawnee, Yukon, Collinsville, Guthrie, Pryor and Hobart were awarded at the basic level.
The grants are part of a three-year, $2.7 million program to encourage communities to implement health and wellness-oriented ordinances, policies and programs. The incentive grant criteria focus on tobacco and alcohol use prevention; nutrition and physical activity; built environments and transportation; health services and community education and policy changes and community health improvement.
Grants ranging from $50,000 to $2,000 were awarded to 14 cities. These grants were awarded based on population and specific criteria met. All applicants were required to be certified through the Shape Your Future Certified Healthy Community program, a partnership between the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, the Oklahoma Turning Point Council, the State Chamber and the State Department of Health.
“It’s wonderful to see this level of participation in the first year of the program,” said Tracey Strader, TSET executive director. “These communities are enacting policies that are making a difference in people’s lives. City leaders across the state are working to make the healthy choice the easy choice.”
Some of the local policy changes included a city ordinance to make all city owned and operated properties tobacco free, policies banning the marketing and advertising of tobacco products at city-sponsored events and regulating storefront advertisements.
Winning communities submitted proposals for a variety of projects, including improving local walking trails, sidewalks, build a skate park, expand community garden plots, and provide bike racks on city buses.
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The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations working toward shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, by cultivating innovative and life-changing researcher, and by working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health. For more information visit www.tset.ok.gov.