Raising Hands

In this day and age, with everyone as busy as they are, it can be easy to forget to say thank you. This is the purpose of today's article.

Last Saturday evening, Deaconess President, Felicia Freeman and I had the opportunity to attend the Tulalip Tribes "Raising Hands" event at the Tulalip Resort. According to Mel Sheldon, Chair of the Tulalip Tribes, it is traditional at Tulalip to "raise their hands" to applaud and give thanks to those who have given to them. At this event, they "raised their hands" to the many organizations in our region that contribute to our communities.

For those of you not local to this area, and for those who are, some of you may be wondering who the Tulalip are. The Tulalip Tribes are federally recognized successors in interest to the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish and other allied tribes and bands signatory to the Treaty of Point Elliot. Their 22,000 acre reservation is home to about half of the tribe's 4,100 members and hundreds of non-native residents. Tulalip is also the third largest employer in Snohomish County, employing over 5,000 throughout the reservation.

Over the past 17 years, the Tulalip Tribes have donated almost 39 million dollars encompassing more than 250 organizations a year. Deaconess Children's Services' has been one of the organizations to benefit from Tulalip grants. Each of the funded organizations is equally worthy and I'm sure equally grateful for the financial assistance provided by these grants.

As a guest, it is an honor to be invited to "Raising Hands," Not only is it a beautiful ceremony, but it's also a fun event. Upon arrival, we were graciously greeted by Mel Sheldon, the Chair of the Tulalip Tribes, who thanked us for giving up our Saturday evening to celebrate with them. With over 500 guests in attendance, Raising Hands was a veritable "who's who" of our region's social service providers. As Mel said, it's a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. It's a good time to find out how others are serving our community.

The evening's program began with a formal presentation of the flag by the Tulalip Veterans and an Invocation by Marie Zackuse, Secretary of the Tulalip Board of Directors. Steve Gobin, General Manager of Quil Ceda Village greeted the guests and introduced Chairman Mel who welcomed us officially. During dinner, we were also treated to an informative talk with Tulalip's Chief Financial Officer, Chuck James. Keeping the details to himself, Mr. James assured everyone that tjhe tribes' finances are strong, allowing them to continue to employ as many local folks as they do and to continue their philanthropical work.

For me though, the hightlight of the evening (aside from the amazing meal) was the moving performance by the Tulalip Singers. This year, they also performed a song by the Makah Tribe and invited visiting Makah to sing with them. The Tulalip singers include people of all ages, young and old, all of whom sing and drum passionately. As I closed my eyes during the performance, I found myself feeling as if I were transported out of the room and in the midst of nature, completely relaxed. The ceremony ended with a gorgeous dessert and an opportunity for each guest to raise their hands to each other. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a Raising Hands ceremony, I urge you to go. You will leave feeling good about yourself, your community and full from a very healthy meal.

Thank you Tulalip Tribes for your support and for honoring the work we all do. We raise our hands.