Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Achievement Center opens

By Michelle Ruckdaschel
Bemidji Pioneer

CASS LAKE — A new center designed to connect Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe members of all ages to computer technology is now open.

A ribbon cutting and program Thursday morning marked the opening of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Achievement Center, which is located at the Elder Nutrition Program in Cass Lake.

“Technology is a wonderful thing,” said Rodney White, executive director of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, during the program. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the band.”

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Achievement Center is the second of five achievement centers to be opened during the next two years as part of “Hope and Harmony for Humanity,” a collaborative, grant-based initiative of IBM, the U.S Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Native American Chamber of Commerce and SeniorNet.

The first center opened in September at Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Mont. The centers are designed to bring computer technology access and education to low-income and remote American Indian reservations across the United States.

Three years ago, the NACC approached IBM with a vision of setting up achievement centers on reservations, and the two formed a partnership with the U.S Department of the Interior and SeniorNet, said Leslie Smith, business development executive with IBM Americas.

“We came together and we formed ‘Hope and Harmony,’ and this is just one of the results,” Smith said.

He said the challenge was deciding which of the 361 tribes across the United States to select as sites for the centers. Working with the American Indian Economic Development Fund, the partners selected Leech Lake Reservation as its second site.

“We were looking for sustainability and success, and we felt that this tribe can provide that,” Smith said.

The center is a positive step for people of all ages on the reservation to move toward economic self-sufficiency, said David Goodman, economic development officer with the AIEDF and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe member.

“The Native American population living in the rural and low-income communities are still left behind … as the nation moves forward in the areas of computer technology,” he said.

He added that the AIEDF congratulates Leech Lake Chairman George Goggleye, who was unable to attend the grand opening Thursday morning, for his vision to make the center a reality on the reservation.

Jack Stevens, chief of the Division of Economic Development with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Indian Energy & Economic Development, called the grand opening of the center a celebration.

“This will be a self-sustained enterprise of the band for years, and young people and old people will be trained on computers,” Stevens said. “This is a way to connect to the global economy. This is an umbilical cord into cyberspace.”

He said the new center is as important as a road, bridge or other type of infrastructure.

“This is another type of arterial that connects tribal members with a storehouse of knowledge,” he said.

And, Stevens said, computer users around the world can now connect with Leech Lake Reservation and its people.

“There’s a great deal that these people have to offer the world,” he added.

SeniorNet Executive Director Kristin Fabos said the goal of SeniorNet — a technology trainer of older adults — is to provide access to education on computer technology and the Internet so everyone can cross the “Digital Divide.” She said closing this divide is important because it would give everyone the same opportunities and level the playing field.

Equipped with 10 brand new computers, the center in Cass Lake will offer free computer and Internet access, education and training for reservation residents of all ages. It will also serve as an education center for the reservation’s community, offering classes on topics such as family history and genealogy, health, language training, work skills and tutoring, as well as a host of life skills and enrichment curriculum.

Additionally, the center is a grant recipient of Microsoft “Unlimited Potential,” an initiative to provide all people with the opportunity and skills to use the power of information to access information, communicate and collaborate with others, and achieve their personal and professional goals.

In an effort to promote reading among the reservation’s K-12 students, SeniorNet’s online book club has also organized a book donation program in which it will procure and coordinate the donation and shipment of books to the center.

During Thursday morning’s program, Stevens congratulated members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe on the center.

“This is yours and you’re going to really, really enjoy it,” he said.