2013 Honorees

Congratulations to our 2013 Enduring Spirit Award honorees Virginia Bill (Upper Skagit), Beverly Peters (Swinomish), Patsy Whitefoot (Yakama), and Teri Gobin (Tulalip).

Virginia Bill, Upper Skagit

Virginia Bill (Upper Skagit) has worked with tireless dedication to improve and promote education and educational opportunities for Native people for the past 40+ years. Her faith, sense of humor, traditional grace, and intelligence have endured. She succeeded in realizing her dream, which was to “change the nation into a better place for all of us.” Virginia is currently the GED/ABE coordinator at Swinomish Northwest Indian College (NWIC).

Beverly Peters, Swinomish

Beverly Peters (Swinomish) serves as the Caregiver Program Coordinator for her tribe where she has worked to recruit, support and promote the training of tribal members as caregivers for our Swinomish Elders. Bev acts as the Youth Compliance Officer for the Swinomish Tribal Court. In this capacity, she collaborates closely with the tribal court and tribal law enforcement. She provides one on one consultation to young Native community members, providing supervision as an alternative to incarceration. Throughout this process, Bev is there to help and guide them on a positive path.

Patsy Whitefoot, Yakama

Patsy Whitefoot (Yakama) has devoted her life to improving education for Native students. At the urging of her grandmother, Patsy obtained a B.A. with a Teaching Certificate in Education from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA and a M.A. from Ft. Wright College in Spokane, WA. For almost 40 years, she has been teaching, facilitating and managing Indian Education and community mobilization programs from preschool to higher education at the local, tribal, state and national levels. In her role as an educator, she advocates for her ancestors’ vision of holistic health, environmental and spiritual well-being with origins in the Native languages, values, cultures and histories of the aboriginal landscapes of the Americas.

Teri Gobin, Tulalip

Teri Gobin (Tulalip) is dedicated to assisting Tribal Members and others to improve the quality of their lives through education and training, and to enhance their skill level for new career and business opportunities. Teri has been instrumental in developing new Tribal Code Laws that protect the workforce and provide preference in employment, contracting and economic opportunities for her people. She inspires others as she stands firmly planted and shares her beliefs. She walks her talk in giving her community and people all her love and dedication to build a stronger and better healthier living for all in the community.