CATOOSA, OK – The Cherokee Nation held its annual Community & Cultural Outreach (CCO) Conference at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa with around 800 Cherokee Nation citizens from across the country taking part in the event either in person or virtually.
Leaders from CCO organizations, both on the reservation and at-large, participated in the conference and learned more about the history and culture of the Cherokee Nation. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn how to operate their organizations from a leadership standpoint, whether through grant writing, volunteer recruiting, or other organizational efforts.
“I have always believed that we cannot build Cherokee communities from the top down; instead, we must build them from the grassroots up,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “Our Cherokee community organizations around the country provide us with an important source for building from the grassroots level. Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and I have always been committed to supporting our community organizations and helping them find the resources and tools to bring together more and more Cherokees. These groups work hard every day to achieve that goal, and we look forward to all of the growth they will continue to experience in the years ahead.”
During the CCO Conference, Chief Hoskin thanked Community & Cultural Outreach Executive Director Savannah Smith and her team for securing a grant worth nearly $1.3 million, which will put power generators in Cherokee Nation community buildings on the tribe’s reservation. Across the Cherokee Nation reservation there are 34 state-of-the-art Cherokee community buildings, with eight more under construction.
“The community buildings within this reservation have become a safe haven and making sure that there are generators could mean the difference between misery and security, sometimes even life and death, during natural disasters,” said Chief Hoskin. “These buildings are central to Cherokee communities and how we take care of one another throughout the year.”
Through the Cherokee Nation’s historic Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act, created by Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner with support of the Council, approximately $6 million will go to building and improving community buildings every three years. The tribe is also investing in community groups through public health and wellness grants, cultural and language classes, community gardens, health events, walking trails, nutritional improvement and cooking classes and canning classes.
“As Cherokee people, we want to stay connected and help each other and take care of each other,” said Deputy Chief Bryan Warner. “These CCO groups are out there working in that spirit of Gadugi to bolster our tribe. I look forward to future projects and programs that will help our Cherokee communities grow and prosper.”
During the conference, Chief Hoskin announced that the tribe received a $1.275 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant will be used to install 15 generators at community buildings to better enable them to serve as emergency shelters during times of natural disaster.
“We have invested a great deal in our community buildings, which are often places of safety and security during natural disasters,” said Chief Hoskin. “These federal dollars will enable us to install powerful generators and make related infrastructure upgrades at our community buildings.”
Earlier this year, the Cherokee Nation empaneled a task force on community organizing with Deputy Secretary of the State Canaan Duncan at its head. This task force continues to identify and address various community needs.