Event Brings in Support for Chehalis Tribal Loan Fund

When Frazier Myer graduated from college last year, the transmission on his car died. Without savings or an established credit rating, he wasn’t sure how to pay for the fix. That’s when he contacted the Chehalis Tribal Loan Fund. 

Established in 2007, the fund is designed to help tribal and community members do things like start small businesses, conduct home improvement projects and consolidate debt. In addition to loans, the fund offers financial education and business planning training courses.

“They really, really helped me out,” Myer said. “They went above and beyond. They gave me the money and helped me get my car saved.”

With an internship, Myer was able to pay back the loan, and he’s now the newest board member of the Chehalis Tribal Loan Fund. He’s also now the communications coordinator for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.

Success stories like that are why supporters say the CTLF is important, and the organization had its second annual fundraiser Friday to bolster its funding. Last year’s event raised $15,000, and organizers hoped to bring in $17,500 this year.

“We want to encourage entrepreneurship and economic development. Fundraisers like this will provide more resources to give out more loans,” said Lawrence SpottedBird, the Fund’s executive director. He added that the event could boost the profile of the program. “We are a resource in this community for loans and training. We are a resource that people need to know about.”

About 150 to 200 Chehalis and community members came to the Lucky Eagle Casino and Hotel Friday for the event, where they enjoyed a feast that included traditionally prepared salmon, bid on auction items that included handcrafted goods and an African safari and took in a pair of performances. The Chehalis Canoe Family kicked off the event with drumming and singing, resonating throughout the hall, as attendees watched and placed bids on silent auction items. 

Alicia Medina, the Loan Fund’s secretary of the board, said the organization tries to target its investments.

“We try to get a general idea of what our community needs are, and then go after the funding for those types of sources, so that we’re meeting the needs of our service areas,” she said. “We open our arms and reach out to all these communities to help support the families we have currently, so it’s really kind of a big deal for us to get the loan program out there and give people a better understanding of it.”

The Fund offers debt consolidation, housing improvement and small business loans — including funding for the profitable fireworks stands that proliferate around Independence Day. It also provides consumer loans, like the one that helped Myer get his car fixed. The current loan pool is around $600,000, but SpottedBird said the goal is to grow it to around $2 million, a number that members believe will come closer to meeting the needs of the area. 

“Our goal in the next couple years is to build that up aggressively,” he said. “We want to encourage entrepreneurship and economic development. Fundraisers like this will provide more resources to give out more loans.”

After attendees settled in with their meal, the event’s highlight performer took the stage. Gene Tagaban is a world-renowned storyteller of Cherokee, Tlingit and Filipino heritage, and he had the audience rapt from the moment he took the stage.

“How many of you are storytellers?” he asked, as just a handful of hands went up.

Before long, he had the whole crowd pounding their chests and chanting: “I am a storyteller.”

Tagaban told of growing up in Juneau, Alaska, dreaming of becoming a raven dancer. Over time, his uncle gave him elements of the dancer’s attire. As he donned each item, Tagaban told its place in the story, like the mask so heavy it had pinned him to the ground the first time he’d tried to wear it as a 5-year-old. 

Ensemble complete, he enlisted a drummer to provide a beat as he went into the raven dance, whirling around the stage and spinning through the crowd, head bobbing and feathers spreading. Back at the microphone, he exhorted those in the audience to be storytellers as well.

“Tell your story and live your story,” he said. “Tell your story, which allows other to tell their stories. Share your stories with your children. … One day when we’re ancestors, we can sit there and smile and say, ‘Yes, yes, they are my dreams.’”

Diana Pickernell, the Chehalis Tribal Loan Fund’s loan coordinator, said Friday’s event had excited her with the possibility of the program’s potential. 

“It’s really good to see local vendors, businesses, elders, tribal people come together to support a program,” she said. “We’ve had a number of tribal members state what a great program this is, because it’s helped them improve their credit to go out and buy homes or purchase a car. We would like more of our tribal members to think about opening up their own businesses, and how it would benefit themselves.”