Life Stories: Steve

Who: Steven R. Carson

Occupation: Colville Tribes Parks & Recreation

Years in Community: I moved to Elmer City when I was 6 years old. I lived in the area until I was 23. My wife and I then moved to Florida for 2 years to attend college. After some training and experience we moved back to the area to raise our family.

Education: High School Diploma 2001, Training at SEU Florida.

Favorite community memory: I am big on taking advantage of the great outdoors. I love fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking. My favorite community memory is before 9/11 we were able to fish below the Dam on the rocks, and above off the east side of the Dam. You could always see others teaching the kids how to fish.

Hopes for community: That we all could see and vision the potential our whole surrounding area has and can become.

Why I am part of the project: To help be a voice and solution in bringing out that potential.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Stories in the Community: Lisa

Who: Lisa Carson

Occupation: Stay-at-home mom with two girls.

Years in Community: eight-ish. I moved here after I graduated from high school in Neah Bay Washington. I grew up on different Indian reservations with my dad working for the Indian Health Services. My mom's roots are here on the Colville reservation (mine too) and I wanted to return here to learn more about my culture and to be with my family. I am now married to a Colville tribal member, and we have decided to raise our daughters here.

Education: High school-year 2000. AA&S from Big Bend Community College, Some training from SEU FL.

Favorite community memory: When I first moved here I was involved with a group from Nespelem that was called the HOPE group which meant Helping Our People Elevate. We held a few Fun-Nights for the kids up in Nespelem, and I remember one of those times when we met at the Nespelem Community Center. It was a great turn out and the whole gym was packed with kids running all over the place. There was so much going on that I didn't quite know where to jump in. All I remember is seeing a couple hula-hoops laying around, and the next thing I remember is cheering a bunch of kids on as we competed in the ultimate hula-hooping tournament! It was pretty amazing and I never laughed so much in my whole life; those kids are awesome! That whole evening was awesome. It's a great memory.

Also another great memory: Spring Canyon! Honestly, what beats that? Spring Canyon is such a great place to go in the summer. It is always packed with tons of families, food, and fun ~ the recipe for greatness!

Hopes for community: I would hope that our community from Nespelem to Electric City would be a place where every family could thrive.

Why I am part of the project: I want to be a part of helping this community reach its potential. This is a great place to live, but I would like to see more community activities for the kids in school, and also for the young adults all the way up to the elders in the community. I'm hoping that this program can help bring in a community center that would be welcoming for everyone here, and I envision seeing people from all ages, all backgrounds and all walks of life intermingling there and sharing life together.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Bob

Who: Bob Lambert

Occupation: Minister, Grand Coulee Church of the Nazarene
Years in Community: 9

Education --- HS, Year; College, Year: Moreno Valley High School class of 1975, 3 years at Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego CA.

Favorite community memory: The building of the original skate park

Hopes for community: That we will come together and truly be a community

Why you are part of the project: Hopefully to make a difference

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Jeremy

Who: Jeremy Miller, 25,

I enjoy hunting, fishing, skiing, and baseball. I enjoy helping out our youth and am currently a YoungLife leader and an assistant coach for the high school wrestling team. I train a group of kids in baseball once a week. I truly believe it is my purpose in life to love God and that he has put me here to guide our youth to him.

Occupation: U.S. Park Ranger

Years in Community: 23

Education: Lake Roosevelt 2001 ; WSU 2005 w/ Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources (Major in Wildland Recreation Management)

Favorite community memory: Making the "Colorama Mud Bowl" in my senior class for the Colorama Parade

Hopes for community: To find some object or idea to base our town around, be it the dam or our school athletics...our town seems to be missing a sense of spirit, in many ways.

Why I am part of the project: No idea, I (or maybe it's other people) tend to get myself involved in lots of stuff somehow; I guess it's just another item to add to all that stuff

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Shelly

Who: Shelly Marie Stine, Ed.M.

Occupation: LRHS Resource Room Teacher

Years in Community: 30 plus

Education: Ed. M. -Summer 2008-Special Education

Favorite community memory: Colorama is one of course! I remember the parade used to seem so huge to me. My family lived across from Center school and we'd always get woke up early every year by all the noise of the bands and floats unloading and getting ready to perform. I loved to see the clowns and horses too. There were many nice cars and tons of floats back then. It was also ok to throw candy to the crowd, and we got a load yearly! As I grew older I got to participate in the parade in various ways for many years. Colorama has always been a time when people who have not been to the Coulee return to see old friends and family. Each year, I see fewer and fewer people returning to say hello to their elementary school buddies at Colorama time. More people are moving out and they never come back. I myself am considering a move to a city to have more opportunities for my own children, but realize I would be trading a standard of living that can't be the same in the city as it is here; where many of my friends and family are. Regardless of all this, we went last year to all the events-flea market, carnival, rodeo, and parade, and we had fun-we always do and we'd miss it if it disappeared one day.

Hopes for community: There are many things around here you just simply cannot do anymore. We used to be able to swim in the pool, skate on the ice, ride our motorcycles at the PUD, the airport, and Barker's Canyon, etc. It's hard to stay positive when opportunities for health, physically fit activities are taken away. It makes a person wonder what they are supposed to be replaced with? Drugs & alcohol, obesity, much of the boredom youth complain about today. We need to gain some of the things back that we have lost around here. We can't make the lake freeze, but we could make a motocross park. We could build a pool if we could come to a consensus about where to put it. We did that with the skate park. Have you ever been with someone just driving back into and around the Coulee for the first time in many years? I have. It's weird to see how drastic it all looks to them. We who live here have lived through it all these years; maybe we don't notice or feel it as much as we should because we are here everyday, but if you ever are driving around with someone who hasn't been back in years, be prepared to hear a lot about how crappy and awfully sad it looks and is around here. Funny thing is-they're right. Sort-of. We have a lot to our credit and we can do a lot to make it better and build some pride in our youth at the same time.

Why I am part of the project: To become more involved in the local community and gain a better perspective of others' thinking and improve education and other opportunities in the area. To try to help improve on some of my complaints above; schools, opportunities; and sense of community.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Kevin

Who: Kevin Lind

Occupation: Pastor, Coulee Dam Community Church, Presbyterian (USA)

Years in Community: 6 months

Education: Prairie High School, Vancouver, WA 1999; Whitworth College, 2003

Favorite community memory:
I don't have to remember back too far, as a newcomer to the community, but I very much enjoyed the Native American Day celebration the schools held at the middle school fields. It was a great community event celebrating the heritage of many in our community, yet enjoyed by all, students and adults as well. I am grateful for the way the schools bring many different people in our community together on a regular basis.

Hopes for community: I hope that we can have a community that everyone feels like they can belong to instead of many separate communities within our area. I hope that everyone can be proud to be a part of that community and can play a role in its unique character as we form it together.

Why I am part of the project: To work together with others to begin forming this united community, celebrating all the positive gifts this community has to offer and building on those gifts to see our community thrive.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Mary

Who: Mary Schilling

Occupation: Grant writer/administrator

Years in Community: 7

Education: Whitworth College, 1994, Bachelors in Biology

Favorite community memory: Mill Pond Days in Nespelem




Hopes for community: For us to focus on the positive instead of the negative and to be the change that we want to see.

Why I am part of the project: To be a part of the solution.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Rob

Who: Rob Hughes

Occupation: Pharmacist

Years in Community: 11

Education: Eastmont High School 1988, Washington State University 1993

Favorite community memory: Planet Earth Players performances

Hopes for community: Quality Education

Why I am part of the project: Someone asked me

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Nate

Who: Nate Piturachsatit

Occupation: 6th grade teacher

Years in community: 20 years

Education: Lake Roosevelt 1996, Whitworth College 2001

Favorite community memory:
I'm going to go with a more recent memory, the Grand Columbian Triathlon. What a cool event to have here in the Coulee, and it was great to see all the people from the area help out to make it possible. There were so many world class athletes here and watching them compete was unbelievable. I hope this is something this community has the chance to be apart of for a while.

Hopes for the community:
...that there would be a greater sense of pride in this community. After living here over a year I have seen so many good things happening, and yet there seems to be this negativity that permeates through all the positives in this community; it destroys the possibilities this place has. There are so many good things happening in this area. We need to move ourselves toward those postive conversations and stay away from the negative.

Why I am a part of this project:
...to give back. As a youth I was always asking myself, "What can this area do for me?" I was selfish. Nothing of value comes about when we are always looking to take from someone or something else. Now I'm asking myself, "What can I do to help make this place better for me and for everyone else?" It's a paradigm shift for me that took some time to complete, but now I know I'm on the right track. There is potential in everyone, and I would like to help bring that out.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Jesse

Who: Jesse Utz

Occupation: Fire Fighter, Business Owner, “Voice of the Raiders.”

Years in Community: 35 years

Education: Lake Roosevelt High School, 1992

Favorite community memory:
When I was a kid, Colorama was a big deal. We wanted to do it all. The Carnival was at on the Middle School Field and seemed a lot bigger than what we have now. The Flea market was on the street in front of the Coulee Dam Post Office and had lots of options, but I can remember always being drawn to the booth that had kid stuff and gag gifts. There was also a beer tent, a street dance, an art show, the rodeo, and a soap box derby. But I remember the parade most of all; it was huge. It seemed like a full two hours with marching bands and floats from every town around our area. It was fun for all, and it seemed that everyone was having fun.

Hopes for community:
That someday soon, that all our leaders and members will unite. We have the potential here to set the bar high and achieve whatever we set our minds to. There are families living among us that struggle on a day to day basis, and we need to help them with a loving hand and teach them how to sustain themselves in our community. We need to love one another no matter the race, sex, or status. We need to promote business, which in turn will provide jobs, stimulate the economy, and attract newcomers. We need to accept change and learn that in this day we can make a difference. We can thrive and be contributors to a healthy, strong community of families, workers, seniors, and youth. We can give hope to all that choose to live in or visit our community. We can no longer ignore the problems in our area; we must work together as a team to accomplish a lighthouse community to be seen by all, to all feel safe, and to cultivate all our dreams to succeed.

Why I am part of the project:
I want to give back, or “Pay it Forward”. I came from a low income family with alcohol and drug problems. I thought when I was a kid that I was destined for the same, and I lived that way for years. But there were people out there that saw potential for me even when I did not. Every youth in our community needs to have hope and dreams that are positive ones; and we need to help them cultivate those dreams. I want to help them do this. But not just Youth, I want help everyone that needs a step or push in the right direction. From poverty to drug addiction, from unemployment to education, from business to our schools, from racism to our seniors. We need to help those in need and I feel this project will do that.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Amanda

Who: Amanda Poch

Occupation: Paraprofessional at Center Elementary and After School program leader for 4th, 5th and 6th grades

Years in Community: Almost 25 years

Education: Lake Roosevelt High School 2002; Washington State University, Hospitality Business Management, 2006; Working towards a Masters in Teaching through Western Governors University.

Favorite community memory: The candle light vigil that was held at Mason City Park after 9/11. It was an eye-opening moment for me as a high school senior to really see the caliber of people we have in our community.

Hopes for community: My hopes are for the people of our community to realize that anything is possible. The only thing stopping change is not believing it can happen.

Why I am part of the project: I am a firm believer that a person should not complain about something unless they are doing something to fix it. I want to see our community reach its potential, so I'm going to work for it.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Stories in the Community: Content Links

Lisa Carson
Steve Carson
Rob Hughes
Bob Lambert
Keven Lind
Jeremy Miller
Nate Piturachsatit
Amanda Poch
Mary Schilling
Shelly Stine
Jesse Utz

To add your biography, just copy and paste this list into an email with your information. Then email to Sheri.

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Thanks for joining Team Horizons of Grand Coulee, WA !

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.