Carla Ulrich hugging her grandmother, Vina Champaign

Ever since meeting Carla Ulrich, we've had so much fun interviewing our Fort Smith Elders. Carla has adapted my comic "Hickey Gone Wrong", illustrated by Haida Artist Christopher Auchter as well as my graphic novel "Three Feathers", illustrated by Krytal Meteus and she's about to adapt my graphic novel "The Blue Raven", illustrated by Cree artist Steven Sanderson this summer. I've known her grandmother, Vina Champaign, my whole life! :)

Mahsi cho, Carla, for all that you do for our Fort Smith youth the the YouthRise Project.

Mahsi cho for making movies that showcase the beauty of our town: Fort Smith.

:)

I am so grateful to you.

:)

Here is a story Vina shared with us in January of 2015:

__________________________

Vina: "You worked in the summer, you didn’t party just like the the Ant and the Grasshopper.

"You know that story?

"The Grasshopper was fiddling and laughing and dancing and drinking and staying up late all hours of the night. And the Ant says to him: “What are you doing? Why are you doing this? Why are you not preparing like me I’m collecting food for the winter. Winter is coming, you know.”

“Oh winter, what’s that?” He was dancing and fiddling and fooling around.

And then when fall came the snow fell, poor old grasshopper fell on the ground and froze. So when the ant came out to welcome spring he found his little partner frozen.

“I told you," he kept telling him. "I told you to get a house, get a job, work. You can’t be fiddling all day and dancing and partying."

The moral of the story: if you look after yourself you will survive."

________________________

Mahsi cho, Vina!

Richard