Tanana Chiefs Conference Provides an ‘Inside Guide’ to the Sobering Center

Tanana Chiefs Conference has partnered with several other organizations and agencies in the Interior in order to open up a Sobering Center for chronic inebriates in Fairbanks.

Housing First Manager, Shirley Lee says the project started years ago when several people froze to death because they had nowhere to go, “That was what got the process started,” Lee says.

Since then, TCC along with Fairbanks Native Association, The City of Fairbanks, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, and others began working together to find funding for the project.Read more

During a recent trip to Alaska, members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of Native Affairs and Policy and the FCC Wireline Competition Bureau had an opportunity to see the challenges of getting broadband Internet access to Interior Alaska.

During the FCC’s brief stop in Fairbanks, Chief Victor Joseph and a few TCC staff members, along with a DRS manager, brought those FCC employees to Circle for a day trip.

Hosting the guests to the Circle community was Chief Jessica Fields and Community Health Aide employee, Eva Schrader.

While in the community, the visitors had an opportunity to visit the clinic and see how health is delivered through telemedicine and the disparity of available resources towards the provisioning of healthcare.Read more

Rural Advocates Make a Difference in their Communities

Taking a stand on issues that impact our tribes is important in preserving our culture, our way of life, and in protecting our future generations. It is especially important to have rural advocates at the decision-making table, as their input and first-hand knowledge is impactful. Several tribal leaders have seen success in their endeavors when it comes to advocacy.

In 2015, Chief Rhonda Pitka of Beaver became an advocate for the Cruikshank School in Beaver, which was at high risk for closure. With Pitka’s assistance in advocating for the students of Beaver, the Yukon Flats School District voted to keep the school open. Pitka stepped out in hopes to bring awareness, not only for her community, but for other schools that were on the chopping block across the region.

Chief Pitka knows, it didn’t come as a small effort. She spent countless hours traveling away from her home to speak with legislators, and educating decision makers on the importance of small schools to our villages. Now, a member of the Native American Top 40 under 40, the Federal Subsistence Board, Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, just to name a few, Chief Pitka has become one of the strongest advocates for our region.Read more