MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — SBC Michigan recognized five Michigan citizens during the “SBC Native American Excellence Awards” program on Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant. The event recognizes the accomplishments of the five individuals committed to improving and celebrating Native American culture and life in Michigan.
SBC partnered with CMU Public Television to produce the Native American Excellence Awards program in conjunction with Native American Heritage Month, which is held in the month of November.
“This year's honorees have demonstrated a commitment to their communities in the areas of arts, education, civic leadership, economic development, and health and human service,” said Gail Torreano, president, SBC Michigan. “We believe their contributions to the Native American community reflect the true spirit of Native American Heritage Month.”
In addition to the award, SBC made a $1,000 charitable contribution to a nonprofit organization designated by each recipient. The recipients also will be featured in short television vignettes that will air throughout Native American Heritage Month on CMU Public Television.
The SBC Native American Excellence Awards is part of the SBC Living the Dream Series, a company recognition program which honors individuals who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote ethnic and minority communities.
This year's SBC Native American Excellence Awards honorees and their accomplishments:
Simon Otto — Arts and Culture
Simon Otto has been instrumental in keeping alive the oral tradition of the Great Lakes Anishnabeg through storytelling at schools and organizations throughout Michigan. Not only is Otto a compelling storyteller, he is an excellent writer. Three books he has written, Walk in Peace, Stories of Grandmother Moon, and Ah-Soocan-Nah-Nah, have preserved the ancient stories and traditions of his ancestors.
Otto was instrumental in starting a tribal substance abuse program for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe. He opened a half-way house in Petoskey, which is still in operation today.
Otto, a highly respected elder, is now retired and lives in the same house he grew up in.
Sharon Teeple — Civic Leadership
Sharon Teeple, a member of the Bay Mills Indian Community, is the executive director of Intertribal Council of Michigan, a nonprofit organization that consists of 12 federally-recognized tribes in Michigan, where she supervises more than 100 employees and manages a $12 million budget. Her organization provides assistance to 12 tribal communities and two Indian urban centers in the areas of health, welfare, social, education and economic development.
A graduate from the Brimley Area School system, she has continued her vocational education as a certified nurses' aid, a certified economic developer with the Michigan Industrial Economic Development Corporation, and certified comprehensive community planner with the Department of Labor.
She has played an integral role in many programs for tribal members, including the Families First Program, Tribal Head Start, elderly programs, and health services. She has worked with the Michigan Indian Child Welfare Agency, the statewide Indian Tuition Waiver Program, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Centers for Disease Control and National Head Start Office.
Fred Harrington Jr. — Education
Fred Harrington Jr. was born and raised in Petoskey, Mich., and is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. While in the service, he served as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power Propulsion Training facility in New York and developed and conducted instructional programs for the mechanical and radiological departments.
A graduate of Michigan State University, Harrington will soon complete the Nishnaabemowin Language Instructors' Institute program at Bay Mills Community College in Brimley to help preserve and pass on his language while training tomorrow's language teachers.
A member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Harrington has been an active participant in the community life since tribal reaffirmation in 1994. He currently serves as a member of the tribal board of directors. He served as the first education director and implemented six new programs: Tribal Summer Youth Program, Adult Vocational Training, College Scholarships, Tribal library, US. Department of Education adult vocational training and employment assistance. He designed the tribal head start facility, coordinated the development of the Bay Mills Community College Outreach Program in Petoskey, and designed and built the tribe's first computer network used for data storage, office integration and training.
Harrington developed and is now teaching North Central Michigan College's first Native language classes.
George Bennett — Economic Development
George Bennett is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. He worked for General Motors for 17 years and was active in the Lansing Indian community. He served as chairman of the Michigan Indian Benefit Association and drafted the first Lansing Indian Center proposal, which was funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Model Cities Program (HUD).
Bennett retired to the Indian Reservation at Peshawbestown after 18 years of public service. He became executive director of the American Indian Business Development Consortium in Traverse City, which was instrumental in starting 32 Indian-owned businesses in the Upper Peninsula.
Bennett also served as treasurer and the third chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. He played a central role in reorganization of tribal government and its economic development efforts.
Bennett now serves as vice chairman of the tribe's Economic Development Corporation and chairman of the Grand Traverse Band Health Board. He was one of the civic leaders instrumental in negotiations leading to the acquisition of the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Traverse City. He was elected and serves as one of two co-chairs on the International Advisory Council of the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona.
Mary Beth Skupien — Health & Human Services
Dr. Mary Beth Skupien, a Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa member, has been instrumental in establishing a health and elderly strategic plan to improve health care services for Sault Tribe members and families. The traditional medicines program, part of Sault Tribe's strategic plan, has grown substantially since its inception offering services in four of its health facilities in the Upper Peninsula.
