Last night I attened the "Thank You" dinner for volunteers during the week long Tribal Canoe Journey in Suquamish.
The dinner was in the new Community House/Long House in "downtown" Suquamish with the huge doors open to the lovely evening and views of the water. The room was full, several hundred peope, from the tribe, the community, nearby communities, the Navy and some who had come quite a distance to volunteer and to attend the dinner. Ages ranged from babies to Elders. Volunteers ranged from pre-schoolers to Elders.
The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and before dinner we all turned to the east, to the open doors and a prayer was offered. The buffet dinner was announced; people lined up, conversations continued and everyone was served a variety of beef ribs, pork ribs, chicken, pulled pork, salads, fruit and more; all you could eat and enough for all in attendance. Food was prepared by the same people who had been working all week to serve the thousands of meals during the Tribal Journey visit.
Following dinner the "thank yous" began. Committe Chairs, special volunteers, people who had been working for months/years were called up one by one and given beautiful gifts ranging from a special Pendelton blanket designed for the event to paddles, baskets, cedar hats and more. There were tears, thank yous to the volunteers and thank yous for the honor of being able to volunteer at such a special event.
The dinner and being there was a wonderful thank you for those of us who volunteered a shift or two during the week long event but as the evening grew long and Leonard Forsman joked that it wasn't even 1AM yet; refering to the long nights of Protocal during the Journey, we were asked to please stay for the gift giving for all the volunteers. After a few more "special" gifts the general gift giving began. Helpers lined each side of the room, opened large boxes and began making their way through the rows of tables and chairs and each volunteer was given beads that had been made by volunteers; a wonderful hand made memory of the week.
Next the helpers came back through the rows with coffee mugs, bandanas, sweatshirts, backpacks, aprons and more with the Canoe Journey logo. Every person in the room was given multiple gifts. In addition a group of tribal members sang a song for the volunteers. Many volunteers were overwhelmed with the generosity and as things wrapped up around 9:30 the warm atmosphere spread out onto the lawn and into the community as people walked home or to their cars. There is no other place I would choose to live at this time.
This is only part of what I started to write. That is the thing with blogs vs articles that may be written and rewritten, blogs sometimes take their own direction.
Beyond the very successful tribal event, the amazingly well organized week long food service, the smooth transportation program including shuttle buses and golf carts, the speedy on-going clean-up during and after the event, there is the most amazing stand-out element that sets a new standard for Tribal Journey events but also for Kitsap; the recycling and composting program.
The goal was no trash and they came amazingly close. Anything they purchased that could be compostable, was; plates, utensils, etc. Instead of providing or selling water in plastic bottles; everyone was provided with permanent water bottles and there were filling stations everywhere. (Did I mention that volunteers were given t-shirts, a fanny/shoulder pack with a water bottle, first aid kit, flashlight, notepad/pen when they first signed in?). Recycle, Compost and trash barrels were readily available (at the event and the many campgrounds) and were manned with volunteers to help make sure items went in the correct bin. Partnerships were negociated with local companies to handle the compost and recycle items. It goes on and on with the efforts of the Suquamish Tribe to make this a "green" event - easily the "greenest" event Kitsap has ever seen.
The Tribal Canoe Journey 2009 in Suquamish set a new standard for large events on the Kitsap Peninsula. It can be done. If you're part of any of the many festivals or fairs hosted annually in our many communities, consider taking on the challenge and make your event trash-free. I am sure the Suquamish Tribe would be happy to share what they learned and their contacts.
I am still overwhelmed this morning and now, late for work.
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