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Be sure to mark your calendars for this important men’s health event set for Thursday June 23 at the Lumbee Tribe’s Boys and Girls Club at 120 Youth Drive, behind the tribal headquarters in Pembroke.

Senator Richard Burr discusses economic development opportunities with Tribal Chairman Harvey Godwin and Dr. Freda Porter Thursday morning at the Lumbee Tribe’s inaugural Lumbee Economic Summit. Dr. Porter organized the event, with drew more than 200 people, including dozens of state, local and national business owners. Congratulations on the success of the inaugural summit Dr. Porter and hopefully it will continue to grow in the future as more and more of our people take advantage of the opportunities available through local, state and federal government contracts by gaining more knowledge of the process.

Project Access, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education, is a collaboration between the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the Public Schools of Robeson County, Robeson Community College, and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The goal of Project ACCESS is to improve access to higher education and career preparedness for American Indian youth of Robeson County. The initiative will engage Native youth, their families, and their tribal communities to be active participants in the process. The program will also expose the students to campus life and teach them about the admission and financial aid process as well as test tasking strategies. Students will complete a college application and essay, develop a resume, and practice interview skills. Participants will also participate in cultural activities. Parents are invited to participate in the last day of the camp, to learn more about higher education and financial aid. As part of the grant, the Project ACCESS Summer Residential Camp is a FREE three-day, two-night residential camp, held at UNC Pembroke. Applicants will select one (1) of the seven (7) dates to attend: June 19-21, June 23-25, June 27-29, July 10-12, July 14-16, July 18-20, or July 24-26, 2016. Each camp will host 24 American Indian high school students from Robeson County who are rising sophomores, juniors and seniors. Application Deadline: June 8, 2016, no later than 5 p.m. Return completed application to: via mail or in person to Southeast American Indian Studies Program, UNC Pembroke, PO Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372 Additional Information: Myia Reyes (Lumbee), SAIS Community Engagement Specialist, Southeast American Indian Studies Program | Email: myia.reyes@uncp.edu | Phone: 910.521.6266 | Fax: 910.522.5795 For an application and more details, please visit: http://www.uncp.edu/sites/default/files/Images_Docs/Departments/Southeast_American_Indian_Studies/initiatives/pa_summer.pdf

The cancer beat her down, but it did not win. And, tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Illya Chavis Lindsey will take a celebratory victory lap through town a couple of hours before she is committed to her eternal resting place at the Bear Swamp Baptist Church cemetery amongst her ancestors. It’s what she wanted. The popular food vendor at the Lumbee powwow known for her legendary funnel cakes passed on Sunday after a near seven-year battle with cancer. The doctors who gave her about six months to live were amazed that this warrior added another six and a half months to the wonderful life she had built in the 49 years God blessed us with her. And, what a marvelous legacy she leaves behind not only with her friends and family, but also with the thousands of others she touched with her enduring will to fight to live. Illya actually planned her funeral after she died for 45 minutes a few weeks ago. Doctors told the family there was nothing else they could do for her when she suddenly woke up and started telling her cousin Eustacia Lowery Jones plans for her final celebration. Those plans began to take place Wednesday night at Harvest Church near Raynham, where Illya was a faithful member. The crowd started arriving more than an hour before the 6 p.m. wake started. They were still slowly filing past Illya’s black coffin after 9 p.m. Her husband Boyd special ordered the coffin to match the black and gold casket spread she also requested, staying true to her beloved colors of UNC Pembroke. Illya’s friend Linda Maynor Oxendine showed off a picture of her favorite mode of transportation, the jet black Harley Davidson Illya cruised thousands of miles on, often leaving experienced male riders with a healthy helping of her dust as she blew by them on cross-country cruises. Boyd Lindsey will load his wife’s black coffin on the back of their motorcycle trailer for one last cruise through her beloved hometown of Pembroke. Hundreds of their friends are expected to join them in Illya’s final cruise, as the black and orange ribbons on her coffin will wave good bye to her beloved Lumbee people. Illya may be gone, but she’s a long way from forgotten. Her message of strength and perseverance in the face of dire circumstances will continue to inspire people who never met her for years to come. The woman who was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 only to be paralyzed as a result of back surgery never missed an opportunity to brighten the spirits of others. She was a regular sight in the Lumbee Regional Development Association building, where she kept open the office of the Pembroke Area Chamber of Commerce. Illya’s smiling face brightened up the faces of those around her as she volunteered her time to help the organization. She never took a sick day no matter how sick she was. Those who said encouraging words to her soon found it was them who were being encouraged from her mere presence. Now, as she prepares to take her final trip with friends through Scuffletown, Illya’s impact is still being felt by others. Many of the scores of bikers taking part in the last cruise of “Illya Warrior” will put on a brave face, but the tears will flow as constantly as the stream of Harley Davidsons roaring through downtown Pembroke. There will certainly be one or two thunderous burnouts to announce to the world that the Indian princess is gone. And, when the kickstands go up and the throttles go down, Illya’s certain to be smiling down on her friends. The cancer beat her down, but it still didn’t win. And, Illya will get one last opportunity to do one of the things she enjoyed most – “dragging town” with her Harley riding friends. Rest in Peace our beloved Illya Warrior. This cruise is for you.

Howard Chavis Jr., aka “Frog,” of Collins construction, lays brick on a home on Whistling Road in the Prospect Community near Pembroke last week. Brick work on the new home is expected to be finished this week. Anyone interested in applying for a new home through the Lumbee Tribe’s new construction program may call New Construction Manager Anthony Holden at (910) 521-7861 or visit www.lumbeetribe.com on the web.

The Lumbee Tribe’s New Construction Manager Anthony Holden inspects brick work at a construction site where the tribe is building a new home on Whistling Rufus Road in the Prospect community near Pembroke. Anyone interested in applying for a new home through the tribe’s new construction program is asked to call Holden at (910) 521-7861 or visit www.lumbeetribe.com on the web

Registration for first-ever summit still open and slots still available for social this evening from 6-8 p.m. at Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina headquarters on N.C. 711 in Pembroke PEMBROKE – Sen. Richard Burr will be the keynote speaker for the upcoming Lumbee Nation Economic Summit June 1-2 at Givens Performing Arts Center and the University Annex at UNC Pembroke. The registration fee for the two-day event is $75.Dr. Freda Porter has been instrumental in planning the first-ever Economic Summit. She is President of Porter Scientific in Pembroke. “The summit promises to be a pivotal event in bringing together individuals across the state to encourage connections, build relationships, and gain information to promote success for their businesses,” said Porter, who is organizing the event. “The summit is already generating a lot of response from the public and we expect a large crowd.” The summit is strongly supported by the U.S. Government as well as the State of North Carolina. Porter said it would be a “conduit to new opportunities for today’s American Indian enterprises.”The summit starts June 1 with an evening welcome social at the Lumbee tribal headquarters on N.C. 711 just east of Pembroke. Confirmed keynote speakers include: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Navy for Installations, Energy, and Environment, the N.C. District Director of U.S. Small Business Administration, North Carolina Senator Burr, Director of N.C. HUB office, and a key Energy Resources and Renewable Energy professional. Porter said there would be more than 150 people at this event. Tribal leaders, Congressional members, federal agency representatives, state and local elected officials, primes, and top chief executive officers are expected to attend. “Government buyers will present forecasts of opportunities and talk about doing business with Federal, State and Local Government,” Porter said. “The summit is an opportunity for local businesses to partner and network.”The focus of the summit is to bring together companies from across the state to give them an opportunity to connect, gain information, meet resources, and build relationships that will result in growth for their business. Another highlight is the business expo and American Indian Artisan Market.“The summit showcases local talent and achievements and energizes the dialogue to rapidly grow new and broader economic opportunities in our region," Porter said. To register, visit on the web.For more information, contact at Anne Priest (910) 521-0703 or apriest@porterscientific.com on the web.

WAKULLA -- Rocky Locklear of Wakulla has made a career of living the “Sheetrocker’s Dream,” a way of life for many Lumbee construction workers. Locklear is one of the many talented contractors who does work for the Lumbee Tribe’s housing program. Locklear has been working in the drywall industry for nearly 40 years now, starting as a young teenager in the mid-1970s. He is shown applying sheetrock mud to the interior walls of a home the tribe is building on Whistling Rufus Road in the Prospect community near Pembroke. Locklear said he expects to have the final coats of mud applied this week as the walls of the home will then be painted. Lumbee tribal members are regarded as some of the top drywall workers in the world. Lumbee first started working with sheetrock in the late 1950s and reached a peak of their work during the 1980s and 1990s. Though, the trade has fallen on hard times with the recent downturn of the housing market, Sheetrock contractors have noticed a pickup in work recently as the housing market continues to improve. Locklear said he became interested in sheetrock work as a young boy in the 1970s after his father the late Riley Locklear Sr. built his family a new home on Mt. Zion Church Road in the Wakulla community near Red Springs. He said he was amazed at how their bathtub was molded perfectly into the wall. “I use to stare at it all the time and I wondered how they did that. I was so use to living in houses with cracks in the walls I had never seen anything like that. I made up my mind then that that’s what I wanted to do and I’ve done it ever since,” Locklear said. Since that time, he has become one of the area’s top finishers in Sheetrock. He is no longer amazed at how a home’s bathtub seems to fit seemlessly into a wall. He has become a pro at making them fit that way. And, he is still living the sheet rocker’s dream. The Lumbee Tribe offers New Construction to low-income families who potentially would not be eligible for conventional loans through a lending institution. The homeownership program is for qualified first time homeowners. The Lumbee Tribe will construct the home and act as the lender. Homes may be built on the owner’s land, or in a tribal subdivision. The New Construction program operates on a first-come, first-serve basis; therefore, there is a waiting list. To Apply, the applicant: * Must have an annual family income which is sufficient to pay administration fees, utilities and upkeep costs; * Must have the potential for maintaining at least their current income level based on the national median income guidelines; * Must be a first-time homeowner; * Must be an enrolled Lumbee; * Must be below 40% to 80% of the national median income; and * Must have an approved criminal background. The applicant may not have received prior housing assistance from the Lumbee Tribe or any other governmental housing agency for construction of a new house, and must be willing and able to meet all obligations of the Homeownership Program. Anyone interested in the Lumbee Tribe’s new housing program can call New Construction Manager Anthony Holden at (910) 521-7861.

Lumbee Tribe holds educational workshop on healthy living Living Together, Screening Together community outreach program draws about 150 tribal members to Harvest Church in RaynhamWednesday night RAYNHAM – Cancer is the leading cause of death among Indians in Robeson County. And, it’s one of the most preventable. Dr. Cherry Beasley is hoping to spread the word about the importance of living healthy, getting regular checkups and other measures to stop the spread of the deadly disease that is ravishing her Native American people. Beasley is a UNC Pembroke professor with more than 45 years experience as a nurse. She knows the devastating effects of cancer and knows that her people don’t have to die from it. “Most cancer can be prevented through healthy living,” Beasley said. “A person’s lifestyle contributes risk factors, including obesity and smoking. We need to go back to our traditional ways of life and start eating healthy.” This is the sixth community health outreach program for Beasley since January. She has preached the message of the importance of healthy living constantly each time around. She presented a 20-minute segment in the Living Together, Screening Together community outreach program Wednesday night at Harvest Church in Raynham. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and the American Indian Center for Health Education and Technology sponsored the three-hour program, which featured educational workshops for elders and games for the children. Lumbee District 7 Councilwoman Jan Lowery is the chair of the tribe’s health committee. She too has been spreading the word of healthy living. Lowery has an extensive background working in healthcare as well. “We need to just get back to the basics,” she said. “We need to eat healthy and get rid of sugars in our diet.” Maintaining healthy eating tips was the ideal topic for Lumbee Chef Pat Dial, perhaps the most popular of all the presenters at the workshop. He prepared low fat, low sugar deserts for a dinner prior to the workshops. Once inside, he provided tips to tribal members on cooking more healthy dishes. Dial explained how traditional Lumbee dishes seasoned with pork could be just as tasty seasoned with a more healthy meat like turkey. He drew a warm reception from the crowd when he told the story of cooking smoked turkey legs on green beans instead of using ham hocks. He also explained how salty pork like fatback can be consumed healthier and yet retain its flavor by simply washing away some of the salt and soaking it in a garlic based oil mixture. “We need to take in less a salt and sugar,” Dial said. “But, you don’t have to sacrifice the taste of your cuisine, but just learn to modify it.” Dial also encouraged people to buy locally grown produce. He said fresh fruits and vegetables were always part of the Lumbee diet, but tribal members have gotten away from it through the years. He said it’s time for the Lumbee people to go back to the old ways to regain their health. “We have to find healthy ways to eat and stay true to our culture,” Dial said. Kathy Woriax is the director of the Changing Lifestyles Living Longer Program. She said the program’s purpose is to promote healthy lifestyle choices among the Lumbee tribal community as a way of life. “We are educating our Lumbee tribal membership in ways to prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes and the importance of early screenings proper diet, exercising regularly, and routine health exams in an effort to improve their quality of life and to close the gap in health disparities,” said Woriax, who has more than 30 years experience in healthcare. Woriax has seen the health issues her people have faced first hand since the 1970s working with her late father, Dr. Frank Woriax. Diabetes is one of the worst health issues among Indians here that she has had to deal with. She shared a story about how a former patient came for a visit and was hesitant to remove her sock. She said when she finally convinced the patient to let her examine her feet, she found that two of the patient’s toes had rotted completely off, a third was hanging on by a thin stand of skin and her toe was completely black. The Harvest Church sanctuary drew silent, save only a few gasps, after Woriax showed them a model of a rotted diabetic foot with an ulcer three inches in diameter on the sole. “This is what uncontrolled diabetes can do to you,” she said as she held the gel-coated model foot up for all to see. “You have to be real careful about having diabetes.” The Lumbee Tribe’s Changing Lifestyles Living Longer program serves as an educational platform to educate the Lumbee tribal membership on how to prevent chronic disease specifically cancer, obesity and diabetes. The huge numbers of Indians here dying of breast, colon and prostate cancer weighs heavily on Dr. Cherry Beasley’s mind. She is hoping her people return to their traditional ways. “We have to get back to who we are as a people,” Beasley said. “We have to take care of each other. We can solve our own problems.” Changing Lifestyles Living Longer is a grant-funded program through the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities. For more information on the Lumbee Tribe’s Changing Lifestyles program, call Director Kathy Woriax at (910) 521-5580 or Michael Brooks at (910) 674-7960 or visit www.lumbeetribe.com on the web.