Chase by Choice booklet

A booklet about community role models...Chase byChoice ...making Chase and area shine

Rick Berrigan Mayor of ChaseDiverse and enthusiastic community leaders are necessary for the well-beingof a small-town. As the stories in this booklet show, Chase and area is avibrant community full of a range of role-models making a positive localimpact. Successful people who lead productive and demanding lives havechosen “Chase by Choice.” Their stories showcase the area’s beautifullandscape, the local Secwepemc culture, and our small-town friendly nature,all helping break down negative stereotypes of rural communities.The faces Ethel Billy 3 Steve Scott 11of Chase Sue Murray 5 Joan Arnouse 12and area Marie Vogel 6 Roly Phillips 13 Renae Gartrell 14 Annelise Grube– 7 Karen August 15 Cavers Brock Endean 17 Jane Herman 8 2 Will Primrose 9

Chase History & Context A story about the people of Chase must include the local history ofthose here before us. The area of Chase has been home to the Secwepemc(Shuswap) People for thousands of years before contact with European furtraders in the late 1700s. The Secwepemc People welcomed and sharedwith the non-Aboriginal people and granted them settlement. WhitfieldChase, the town’s eponym, was a New Yorker who along with DonaldMacPherson and Alexander McBryan were some of the first to settle per-manently in the mid 1800s. Chase and MacPherson were permitted to mar-ry local First Nations Chief Synsetia’s daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah,while McBryan married Marguerite, an Okanagan First Nations woman.These unions helped the settlers survive and learn how to live off the land. Today, Chase’s population is roughly 2,500 with mainly a forestry andtourism economy. Hockey, music festivals, fishing, golf, hiking, and waterand snow sports are only some of the many local activities. Many serviceclubs are also in Chase, such as Rotary, the Lions Club, and the Legion.The local Secwepemc People are an integral part of the community existingas three bands – the Neskonlith, the Adams Lake, and the Little Shuswap,which surround Chase. They have unextinguished land rights in the areaand are actively practicing their traditions and culture, which include annu-al pow wows, sweat lodges, traditionHailsmtoerdyicainndes, berry picking, and thepreservation of the Secwepemctsín slaitnugautaingeg.aarfeaCmalhlilawyseoanrakdsinalegcaotdomgaemstohuceniraitltyloyismcocanlkoneseetc-htkeecpndhraitoaraeasjneanedcdaatmnfhudeelaalnlotihnfygafadunildvleifhresa.iptSypoyomfpelpaoecofeptthloeerwaihsoecommunity’s leaders who have chosen “Chase by Choice” are highlightedin the following pages. 3

“The creator has given us themountains, the creeks that flow down, the plants, the berries… we are never shorthere. By living off the land my people are rich in spirit, in garden, and in life.”Ethel Billy chose Chase!3 Ethel with her husband John 4

As a Secwepemc elder, Ethel is a well-respected holder of tradi- 5tional knowledge and language. She is the youngest daughter of AlexJoseph and Julienne William Arnouse, originally from Indian Point onAdams Lake (Cstelnec). She has been married to her husband John Bil-ly for 60 years, and lives at the mouth of the South Thompson River onthe Adams Lake Indian Band (Sexqeltqin) reserve and is surroundedby her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. For Ethel, lifein the Shuswap spans back to the 1930s with happy childhood memo-ries of living off and sharing the wealth of the land with her communi-ty, through to her experience attending and then working in the resi-dential school in Kamloops, to raising a family with her sister andbrother-in-law on farmland near the Neskonlith Band. Ethel’s life isdeeply spiritual and is filled with stories of hard work and perseverancethat make her the community leader she is today. Ethel’s love for her community and the Shuswap region is clearlyvisible in the way she lives and gives back to her neighbours. Throughher life she has worked as a community health representative translatingthe medical needs of her people from Secwepemctsín to English forFederal nurses, as a drug and alcohol counsellor helping people regard-less of situation battle their addictions, and as a Secwepemctsín lan-guage teacher. As an elder, Ethel strives to teach others about the lan-guage, culture, history, and traditions of the Secwepemc people throughtraditional methods and ceremonies. This is visible in her long-standingwork in Chief Atahm, Chase Primary, and Haldane Elementary schoolsteaching the next generations. Ethel also lives by example according todeeply ingrained principles, values, and teachings that make her a truecommunity champion. She believes that building bridges across cul-tures and generations is key to vibrant and healthy communities andis proud of the developing local intercultural work. Her hope for thefuture of her community is that youth will continue to become educat-ed and empowered so that they can stand-up, take control of their livesand overcome the challenges facing many Indigenous Peoples today.She calls on young people to respect themselves so that they can re-spect others and become strong leaders for their communities. For herhopes to become real, all communities in the Shuswap need to helpeach other and work together. 4

Sue is someone who cares about the health of the community. Herlong-term commitment to Chase as a paramedic helps ensure thewellbeing of the community’s residents. In this role, she is a frontlineperson in times of crisis, a safeguard at community events and activi-ties, and an educator training young people in first aid. However, hercommitment to Chase does not end there. She is also a supportworker at Haldane Elementary school and has long volunteered in theclassroom striving to help children succeed. For Sue, this love and de-votion to Chase is deep-rooted. Having moved to the area with her family in 1973, she attendedhigh school here and then left only to return a few years later, marry alocal boy, and raise her three children in Chase. She chose Chase be-cause you are not just an invisible number here; people greet youon the street and everyone watches out for each other. She hopes thefuture of Chase will continue to be full of great things: stablehealthcare, more activities and events geared toward young people,and a continued peaceful and quiet environment.Sue Murray chose Chase! Get to know your neighbour – it is the people here that make Chase so special.”56

“Personal connections to people is why I am in business… it’s not just about selling things”Marie Vogel chose Chase!Marie is a woman who knows how to take matters into her own hands.She has gone after her dreams, creating her own local business niche inChase. After high school Marie did masonry and taping work across BCbefore returning to her hometown to pursue self-employment training.Having recognized a local need for outdoor sports equipment and apparel,Marie took a leap of faith (along with a mortgage) and in 2006 opened thecommunity’s only board shop – G-Force. In addition to being a localbusiness owner, Marie also is an engaged community member. She is avolunteer for the Skamana ski-club and the Canada Day celebration, iscollaboratively working with the Skate Park Committee to build a localskateboard park, and is helping make the Chase Legion more intergenera-tional. In her spare time she loves to snowboard, camp with family andenjoy a campfire under the stars. Marie chose Chase because she can live,work, and play all in the same location. Her hope is that in the futuremore young families will be able to live and find long-term sustainablework in or around Chase. Come meet Marie in her store and find outabout all of the hidden gems that Chase has to offer. 67

“It makes so muchsense for Chase to eatfood grown locally… a strong community is dependent on thehealth of its residents”Annelise Grube-Cavers chose Chase! For Annelise, healthy locally grown food is central to community. 8 Annelise was raised in Chase and since leaving to travel and to attain a Master’s degree in urban planning in Montreal, has realized her strong sense of belonging and connection to the local landscape and her family’s farmland. “It was witnessing the strong family ties in Colombia, which caused me to rethink how important it is to be close to family.” These experiences led Annelise to move home and re-embrace farming as a way of life. She now works hard to grow, harvest, prepare, eat, and share food from her family’s farm. In addition to contributing on the farm, she works full time running a cafe, coordinates 50 – 90 farmers from across the interior for the Kamloops farmer’s market and is involved in promot- ing local food sufficiency and rural revitalization. Her hope for the future of Chase is that it will continue to develop as a vibrant and rich art and culture hub (with good food at the centre), and that it will attract a diversity of people and businesses. Watch for Annelise at the farmers’7 market working to bring local food to Chase residents.

Jane is dedicated to the recreational well-being of the Chase commu-nity. As a core volunteer to the Chase and District Recreational Socie-ty, Jane is a pivotal part of the team that supports the Chase Heathockey team, established the local arena and other sport opportunitiessuch as skate and hockey programs, and helps maintain the Chase golfcourse. She has even been nationally recognized for her hard work as anRBC local hockey leader in 2004. The care Jane has for her community isevident in all aspects of her life as an Educational Assistant at ChaseSecondary, as a mom and grandmother who has been involved in theleadership of parent advisory councils, minor ball associations, the GirlGuides of Canada, and as a learn to skate and hockey coach. She evenplays hockey herself and is now on the same team as her daughter, whilealso coaching her grandchildren. Although Jane was “dragged here kick-ing and screaming” from Kamloops as a kid when her Dad moved for ajob, she soon realized how much people care about you here and devel-oped a feeling of belonging. Jane is committed to helping make Chase ahealthy and active community and her hope for Chase’s future is that itwill grow with community members who are active and engaged citi-zens because more people mean more services.Jane Herman chose Chase! “A small community is a place to be if you want to make a difference”Jane with her grandson Chase 89

At only 17, Will is teaching the community about gratitude. Thepromotion of healthy communities and the spirit of compassionategiving are long engrained in Will’s life. From a young age, Will wasinvolved in initiatives like the ‘Chase Kids who Care,’ volunteering tohelp community members in need. He also represented Chase asan environmental steward with the Green Kids Club at Haldane Ele-mentary. However, with the loss of his close friend Jorye Yeung tocancer in 2008, Will and a team of dedicated parents and friends cametogether to lead the community in multiple events to raise funds forRonald McDonald House. These events include an annual gratitudemonth, a gratitude word mural at the high-school, and a school district-wide calendar promoting messages of gratitude and healthy living. When Will is not busy helping in the community, he is working part-time at Safety Mart Foods, playing the sax in District Honour Band,volunteering to help with climate change research in the Amazon,speaking about gratitude at different conferences such as TEDx, andacting as a Student Voice delegate to inform the BC Governmentabout educational needs of rural youth. Will is an engaged communityleader who has a bright future ahead of him. Although this future willlead him away from Chase physically to pursue higher educa-tion, Chase will always have a piece of his heart that will keep himcoming back. The local beauty and the small town feel of Chase aresome of the things Will is grateful for, and his hope is that people willrelinquish their grasp on negative rural stereotypes and realize the bigheart of the Chase community.Jorye, Will, Joanna Carlin & Megan deSousa (Right-Left) represent-9 ing their school at a regional environmental competition in 2007. 10

“Language doesn’t do Chase justice… you have to just live it and feel it.”Will Primrose chose Chase! 10 11

Like many others in Chase, Steve prefers the small town life. Hewas born and raised in Banff, which at one time had been a smallmountain town. After a wonderful family holiday in the Shuswap, hetraded up for mountains and a lake in Chase. Steve found work asproduce manager at SafetyMart in the early 90s and made a move inthe hope that he would be of value, (and not just a number) in a placewhere he could have a sense of community. Steve’s commitment to Chase grew when he realized that he wasdissatisfied with some of the local policies. Rather than complain, hetook action by running for and being elected to the Village Council forthe past two terms. Under the “Councillor Scott” hat, he wants to en-sure the future viability of Chase and pushes for sound infrastructureand viable recreational facilities with balanced finances in place. ForChase's future, he focuses on economic growth with a stable tax basethat can support business succession and development.Steve Scott chose Chase! “You will beimpressed by our friendliness and all the things there are to do here.“11 12

“The mountains blanket you, hug you, andprovide for you.Everything you need in life is right here. That is what I love.” Joan with husband FelixJoan Arnouse chose Chase!Joan is a strong Secwepemc woman from the Skwlax/Little ShuswapIndian Band. She is known for her community commitment as an en-abling leader who supports and empowers others around her. This isshown in her roles as a foster parent helping raise 25 children, as anunwavering supporter of her husband, Felix Arnouse, in his position asChief for the Skwlax people for 36 years, and working in many positionssuch as support worker, social worker, and band membership director.In all of these roles, Joan has emphasised the value of family, culturaltraditions, and the need for positive thinking. The best times in Joan’slife have been spent with the elders and children. Her family priorityshows as she looked after her grandmother until she was 109 years old!Passing on and practicing the spiritual teachings and traditions of herpeople, such as hosting and preparing regalia for pow-wows and partici-pating in and sharing the teachings of women-only sweat lodges is veryimportant to her. She believes in the power of positive thinking, find-ing strength in times of sadness, and helping others deal with pain andsuffering. Joan is proud of her community and loves that the communi-ty is celebrating the graduation of more and more Skwlax youth who aregoing on to make positive social change. She hopes that this trend con-tinues as more people take steps towards self-respect to be positive 12role-models in the community. 13

Roland “Roly” is a retiree to Chase, moving here in 1993 after adecorated career in the military and with BC Correctional Services.Having fallen in love with the area’s great camping and big fish,Roly moved here accompanied by his wife, Dolores and a strongdedication to community service. As a long-time member and leaderwithin the Legion and the Lions Club, Roly’s commitment toChase goes above and beyond. Whether it be fundraising for andbuilding a skate ramp for kids in the park, or collecting hundreds ofpounds of pop-can pull tabs to help a variety of BC charities overthe years, Roly has put in endless hours of time and commitment.This service is not only making a positive impact in Chase, but alsoshowing how Chase as a community can help others. His family,particularly his wife, and now additionally their six grandchildrenand three great grandchildren, are inspirations for all of Roly’s ser-vice. He believes that the future of Chase will be defined by youngpeople and that building a positive first impression of the communi-ty is important to helping give the next generation reason to workand live here.Roly Phillips chose Chase! Roly and Frank Schelest collecting pop-can pull tabs for charity “There is always something going13 on here” 14

“Until you come experience it, you don’t know how much this small town has to offer.”Renae Gartrell chose Chase!Renae is a self-professed convert – from city living to small townlove. With a Bachelors of Education from the University of Victoriaand a Masters of Teacher Librarianship from the University ofAlberta, Renae and her husband made Chase their home as they bothbegan working within the Kamloops School District. They quicklyrealized that Chase is a great place to raise kids given its prime lakelocation and the numerous outdoor recreation activities such as hikingand biking in the area. Fourteen years later, they are still here withtheir two kids – Ellie and Reid. As a family, they are heavily involvedwith the local recreational hockey teams. It is through this sport,our national small town pastime, that Renae and her family haveformed roots in the area. Whether it is coaching and supporting herchildren’s teams, or playing with friends recreationally, Renae is driv-en by the sport and the spirit it brings to the community. She hopesthat more people will realize the closer connections and friendshipssmall towns offer, which in turn will allow for business successionand the successful continuation of the community. 14 15

Karen R. August chose Chase!Karen is a proud Secwepemc leader serving as a band councillor forthe Neskonlith people from 2012-2015. Her early childhood is part ofwhat makes her a strong and humble role model in the community. Be-ing raised by a foster family as a result of the sixties scoop and the multi-generational impacts of the residential school system meant that Karenwas separated from her cultural and spiritual roots in her early years.Even though Karen was away she did not forget the power of the landas a way to ground one’s self. While being brought up on a farm, shelearned the values of hard work and then put herself as a single motherthrough university so that she could come back to her community andteach the Secwepemctsín language and culture. She is also now close tocompleting her Bachelor of Arts.Karen’s decision to come back to the community as a youth worker/counsellor and a language teacher in the public school system not only ishelping support the reinvigoration of the Secwepemc people, but also isteaching non-indigenous people about the history, culture, and life oftheir indigenous neighbours. Karen has shown people the potential ofworking together and supporting each other within and across the localcommunities by sharing language, traditional medicine, prayer, and heal-ings. The community elders recognized her dedication and values andhave honoured and called on her in 2012 to run for Chief and Council.The strength of family is strongly engrained in Karen. Her familylife is rich, having five children and now four grandchildren who bringstrength, humility, and love to her life. Karen is also not afraid to speakout as a voice for those without one. This means recognizing all parts ofthe planet as valuable including the children, elders, water, land, air, min-erals, roots, crawlers, swimmers and fliers, which are all connected anddependent on each other. Karen’s hope for the future is that the environ-ment and future generations will be valued in decision-making as bothare important for sustainability te tmicw (of Mother Earth). To accom-plish this, Karen believes that respect for history and traditionalknowledge must be a current priority. Working together and cooperat-ing to share and value this knowledge is what will build peace, unity, andpartnerships across the Secwepemcúlecw territory, the neighbouring na- tions and municipalities. 1615

Spirit Canoe Journey 16 Skatsin Family 17 “By honouring and recognizing each other we can go a long way”Kukwstsetsamc All My RelationsTkwam7ipla Karen R. August

Brock is the definition of an engaged community member. Havingthe spirit of ‘giving back’ engrained from a young age by his family,Brock has gone above and beyond to help make Chase a healthy andvibrant town. This shows in his leadership roles organizing the chil-dren’s Halloween celebration, Canada Day festivities, in a local youththeater club, and in Cornstock – Chase’s music festival showcasingregional talent. However, Brock is not only an active volunteer; he isalso a talented young professional. With post-secondary education inTourism Management, Brock has put his skills to use as a projectmanager working with Aboriginal entrepreneurs, as a Canada WorldYouth Ambassador, and now as a consultant helping resource indus-tries work more responsibly with communities. These experienceshave allowed him to work across BC, Canada, and internationally inPeru and Ethiopia to help foster positive change. Through these ex-periences, one thing has remained the same – Brock’s love for Chase.Brock keeps coming back to Chase for its small town feel –whereeveryone knows and cares about each other. He is pursuing a careerso that he can attain a work-life balance ideally in Chase. For the fu-ture of Chase, Brock hopes that the town will realize its full potentialas a destination lakeside community where a sense of civic andbusiness pride has been fully embraced.Brock Endean chose Chase! “Chase offers 18 connection – to people, to nature, and to business – in a rich way.”17

me This booklet is a volunteer project created by Natalya Melnychuk asa part of her experience in the Sustainable Living Leadership Pro-gram (SLLP). SLLP is an initiative with the Rivershed Society of BC thattakes young people on a 25 day journey down the Fraser River. Part ofthe journey is to give a project back to your home community that buildssocial or environmental well-being. Natalya grew up in the Shuswap and iscommitted to the area’s long-term sustainability. She hopes that this pro-ject helps showcase local community leaders and that it will inspire othersto become engaged citizens as well.To learn more about or participate in SLPP visit www.rivershed.com 19