Evanlene Melting Tallow, American Indian student adviser, leads the discussion regarding the planned AISA fundraiser. (Nick Jacquot)
The American Indian Student Alliance is offering a chance to sink a hole-in-one to support American Indian students enrolled at NIC.
Founded last year by the AISA, the Che’nshish Scholarship Scramble will be Sept. 30 at Circling Raven Golf Club. Registration for the four-person shotgun scramble costs $100 per person, which includes golf, golf cart, use of the driving range and a luncheon. There will also be a silent auction and raffle during lunch.
According to an AISA press release, Che’nshish is a Coeur d’Alene tribal expression meaning “giving.” It’s an expression that describes the spirit of the fundraiser: to raise money for the Che’nshish Student Scholarship which benefits enrolled tribal members and descendants attending NIC.
“The club started a scholarship for students with parents who can’t contribute to their tuition, or whose family makes too much money to qualify for other financial aid,” said Evanlene Melting Tallow, American Indian Student Adviser.
If the AISA can raise $10,000 between by Feb. 12, the American Indian Education Foundation Challenge Grant will match this amount. The club successfully made $10,000 last year, and hopes to repeat the feat for the next two years.
“It’s a three-year grant,” Melting Tallow said. “We’re hoping to match the funds each year.”
If these goals are met for the next two years, the scholarship fund will leap to $60,000.
But the AISA has more up its sleeve than the scholarship scramble.
Its calendar is filled with events, such as a two-day trip scheduled to take place Sept. 23-24. During this excursion, students will tour the campuses of such schools as Lewis and Clark State College, Northwest Indian College, University of Idaho and Washington State University. The club will also attend a powwow while participating in this particular trip.
Officers were elected Sept. 7. Alex Whitetail became AISA president While Amanda Johnson became vice president. Treasurer is Al Hartz and Angel Hartz is club secretary.
To build community awareness about the AISA, members will continue to be involved in the annual beach cleanup and will participate in American Indian Heritage Week in the spring.
The club will also have workshops to teach beading and how to play stick game, open to interested students and faculty. Numerous other fundraisers and events will be planned throughout the year.
Since its inception, the AISA has grown from just four students to a large, dedicated group.
“It’s really eye-opening for us to see a room full of students who want to be here and want to help,” Melting Tallow said.
The American Indian Student Alliance Club meets on the second Thursday of each month in Cottonwood Room 004, downstairs in the Student Union Building.
“The best thing about the club is how we all work together and want to succeed,” Whitetail said, “because everything we do is to better ourselves.”
The entry deadline for the Che’nshish Scholarship Scramble is Sept. 23. For entry info, call Circling Raven Golf Club on south highway 95 in Worley at 1-800-523-2464, ext. 7259.
