Celebrating resilience and empowering Indigenous entrepreneurship
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In this edition of the Spruce Root newsletter, we express our profound gratitude for the extraordinary individuals nominated for Resilience Circles. Additionally, our vibrant community on Prince of Wales Island is poised for transformative growth as local leaders and entrepreneurs embark on comprehensive business training. Together with the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, we're weaving a powerful vision for a regenerative economy rooted in the wisdom of Indigenous values.
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Sign up for — and shop! — the Shop
Native-Owned, Shop Local Gift Guide
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Are you a business owner interested in getting on this gift guide?
We welcome all Southeast Alaska-based businesses — including Sealaska shareholders/shareholder descendants, Native-owned businesses and/or Spruce Root program participants — to fill out the 3-minute survey to submit your business to be added.
Sealaska, Spruce Root, Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Sustainable Southeast Partnership have partnered to create a Shop Native-Owned, Shop Local Gift Guide.
This comprehensive guide highlights Native-owned and local businesses and artists across Southeast Alaska that contribute positively to our communities, environment and economy. From salmon skin earrings to spruce tip skincare, the guide is sure to give you great gift ideas that give back.
Check out the Gift Guide, your one-stop shop for Native-owned, locally sourced and handmade gifts this holiday season.
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Your nominations, our gratitude: Building a
stronger community with Resilience Circles
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We want to extend our sincere gratitude to each one of you who took the time to nominate someone for our Resilience Circles program.
We are thrilled to inform you that we have received an outstanding collection of nominees, each with unique qualities and strengths. We are excited to consider them for Resilience Circles.
We welcome your suggestions and are eager to ensure that Resilience Circles continues to reflect the rich tapestry of talent and diversity within our Southeast Alaska community. Your input is invaluable to us, and we encourage you to reach out if you have any questions, inquiries or if you have additional candidates in mind who you believe would be a great fit. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at lisa@spruceroot.org.
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Photo by Marc Wheeler
Entrepreneurs from Prince of Wales participate in a Path to Prosperity Business Basics workshop in October. Spruce Root staff taught participants how to think about break-even analysis, marketing, and more during the two-day workshop.
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Prince of Wales leaders and entrepreneurs
engage in comprehensive business training
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Participants from Thorne Bay, Naukati, Klawock and Craig participated in a two-day Business Basics workshop on Oct. 23-24 at Generations Southeast, formerly the Prince of Wales VocTec Center, including POW Chamber President Abby Twyman.
Spruce Root staff covered business purpose and values, the triple bottom line, break-even analysis, marketing/branding, business model canvas and legal identities.
Are you interested in learning more about these topics? Check out our upcoming workshops. |
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Photo by Shaelene Grace Moler
Sustainable Southeast Partnership (SSP) Communications Catalyst Kaylah Duncan, left, and SSP Program Director Marina Anderson collaborate on Kaylah's 2024 work plan at the Fall SSP Retreat. During the retreat SSP regional and community catalysts joined to create effective plans for their projects and initiatives in the coming year.
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Spruce Root and SSP craft a vision for a regenerative economy rooted in Native values
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For the past few months, Spruce Root staff have been planning our work to identify objectives and projects to pursue and metrics to track our progress.
Centering our current five-year strategic plan and our organizational values, our team has drafted objectives that will support our work to drive a regenerative economy so communities can forge futures grounded in this uniquely Indigenous place.
We're exploring
- how we might contribute to making local economies accessible and vibrant for all,
- how we might use our financial products and impact investments to increase community resiliency,
- how we might support communities in planning for the future, and
- how we continue to grow our organizational culture and strategy to increasingly reflect and embody our values.
Work planning also was the focus of the Sustainable Southeast Partnership Fall Retreat (SSP) on October 25-27. This retreat was designed to help partners understand how we can work together, create space for building relationships, and connect with the community of Prince of Wales.
Each SSP community and regional catalyst came away from this retreat with fully-drafted plans for 2024. Spruce Root serves as the backbone organization for the SSP and our staff are honored to support the implementation of SSP work plans in collaboration with SSP catalysts.
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Spruce Root offices will be closed in
observance of the Thanksgiving holiday
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Spruce Root offices will be closed Nov. 23-24 in observance of the federal Thanksgiving holiday.
To contact Spruce Root call (907) 586-9251 or email grow@spruceroot.org and we'll respond to your message at our earliest availability.
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Thank you to all our partners, supporters, donors and communities for continuing to share in our vision for the region!
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Spruce Root is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Our services for small businesses include coaching, training and lending for startup enterprises, working capital, business expansion, leasehold improvements and other business capital needs. We are a driver of a regenerative economy across Southeast Alaska so communities can forge futures grounded in this uniquely Indigenous place.
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