Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe

08/31/2026

A PET IS A LIFELONG COMMITMENT

Bringing a pet into your home is one of the most rewarding things you can do. The companionship, love, and joy they bring are priceless—but owning a pet also comes with a financial and lifelong responsibility.

A pet isn't just a commitment for today, this month, or this year. It is a commitment for the entire life of that animal.

What does it really cost to own a pet?

The cost varies depending on the animal, its age, size, health, and individual needs, but a reasonable estimate for routine care can be:

🐕 DOGS: Approximately $2,500–$3,500+ per year
🐈 CATS: Approximately $1,500–$2,000+ per year

And these numbers can increase significantly when unexpected medical problems arise.

The cost of owning a pet can include:

• Quality food and treats
• Routine veterinary examinations
• Vaccinations
• Flea, tick and heartworm prevention
• Licensing and identification
• Spaying or neutering
• Leashes, collars, crates and other supplies
• Grooming
• Training and behavioral support
• Dental care
• Medications
• Emergency veterinary care

The biggest commitment isn't financial.

Pets depend on us for everything. They depend on us for food, clean water, shelter, medical care, safety, exercise, companionship and love.

They don't understand when money is tight. They don't understand when life gets busy. And they don't understand why they might have to leave the family they have come to trust.

Before bringing a pet into your home, take a moment to ask yourself:

Can I afford this animal—not just today, but for the next 10, 15 or even 20 years?
Can I provide veterinary care if my pet becomes sick or injured?
Can I continue to care for this animal if my housing, job or family situation changes?
Am I prepared for the responsibility that comes with having a living being depend on me every single day?

If the answer is yes, you aren't simply getting a pet.
You're gaining a family member—and making a promise to care for them for the rest of their life.

DON'T JUST PLAN FOR TODAY.

PLAN FOR THEIR WHOLE LIFE.

Responsible pet ownership begins before you bring your new companion home.

# # #

Sara Collazo
Animal Control Officer #580
LCO Tribal Police Department

08/31/2026

Naloxone Training & Beading Circle

Come and join us on Thursday, September 3 at 5:00 p.m. for Naloxone (Narcan training) in the Multi-Purpose room at the LCO Health Center.

You will learn how important it is for everyone to carry Naloxone and a presentation on how to administer it.

You will be provided with a “Naloxone Response Kit” to use in case you encounter someone who may be overdosing.

After the Naloxone presentation, Angelina Martin, will be leading a beading circle on how to make beaded earrings using birchbark.

No sign-up is needed and all material is provided. A light snack will be provided.

If you have any questions, please contact Elaine Belisle at 715-638-5012, Ext. 5168.

08/31/2026

Cultural Exchange and Sharing: The Spiritual Legacy of Grand Chief Eddie Benton-Banai and the Sacred Ojibwe Jingle Dress Dance Presented

By Aerius Benton-Banai
August 31, 2026

At the 60th Anniversary Celebration of Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan, the Generational Legacy of the Benton-Banai Family Aerius Benton-Banai (Changing Sky Woman) is a textile artist, designer, and jingle dress dancer from the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Tribe and the Oneida Nation of the Thames, belonging to the Bullhead Fish Clan. Raised in a proud lineage of grassroots indigenous advocacy and ceremonial preservation.

Aerius spent her youth participating in pivotal cultural sovereignty movements, from Idle No More to Standing Rock. Her contemporary work blends traditional textile art with digital activism to amplify indigenous rights, environmental justice, and cultural survivance on a global scale.

Aerius is the paternal granddaughter of the late Grand Chief Eddie Benton-Banai (Bawdwaywidun), the iconic co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and Grand Chief of the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge—the traditional religious society of the Anishinaabe people. Grand Chief Benton-Banai dedicated his life to reclaiming ancestral ceremonies and building global networks of interfaith solidarity. Among his most historically profound encounters was a meeting with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Their dialogue revealed a striking, identical sentiment between Tibetan and Anishinaabe spirituality: an uncompromising respect for the Earth, a commitment to protecting ancestral lineages, and a shared understanding of sacred rituals as tools to combat modern displacement.

Today, Aerius along with 5 other jingle dress dancers, Ryanna White, Acosia RedElk, Shaina Snyder, Amanda Laroque, and Tiana Spotted Thunder carry this exact cross-continental bridge of spiritual awareness onto the sacred temple of Fo Guang Shan.

The House of Jingle Dress: Art and Visual Medicine for Aerius, creating regalia through her design studio, the House of Jingle Dress, is a traditional practice rather than a commercial or aesthetic endeavor.

In the early 20th century, the Jingle Dress was born from an Ojibwe vision as a physical gift of healing, prayer, and community resilience during a time of global pandemic. For much of the 20th century, Western governments banned this ceremonial dancing and ceremony, but the tradition survived through the fierce, quiet resistance of Indigenous resiliency. Aerius' museum-featured dresses utilizes ziibaaska'iganan—hand-rolled metal cones made to catch and foster spiritual energy.

Having turned to the dance during a period of personal hardship, Aerius experienced the direct, restorative power of the dress firsthand, stating, "I didn't know it at the time, but these dresses healed me. They mean everything to me." Her custom, historically informed dresses serve as visually striking statements, transforming physical garments into active medicine designed to shield against grief and wash away pain.

The Sacramental Power and Impact of Sound In flawless alignment with both Mahayana Buddhist chanting and Anishinaabe ceremonial protocols, Aerius’ presentation operates as a profound exploration of universal vibration: As an Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwe woman), Aerius maintains an ancestral stewardship with water. The heavy, metallic cadence of the ziibaaska'iganan (cones) replicates the rhythmic, cleansing sound of falling rain—a natural element meant to wash away physical sickness, mental heartbreak, and emotional suffering.

This dance is presented to the Sangha not as entertainment, but as dāna—a sacred spiritual offering. Rooted in the understanding that sound is an immortal force, every rhythm produced by the medicine dress journeys across the physical universe, bouncing off distant planets and rippling outward to the furthest edges of the universe.

Through this offering and cultural exchange, the healing vibrations generated at Fo Guang Shan are cast outward to all living beings, weaving global peace, healing, and deep spiritual awareness.

08/31/2026

Weekly e-Newsletter August 31, 2026

https://conta.cc/4y9uvqy

08/31/2026

Save the Date | 2026 Wild Rice Camp

September 19 & 20, 2026

08/30/2026

Happy Sunday Funday

08/30/2026

Join us at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University for our Indigenous Fashion Show filled with culture, creativity, and fashion.

>>>> Call for Artists Deadline - October 6, 2026

Boozhoo artists. It's about to be that time again for our Indigenous Fashion Show. Visit https://www.lco.edu/indigenous-fashion-show for more details.

08/28/2026

Our Fall 2026 Grant Application opens September 8, 2026!

Are you working on launching a new small business? A $2,000 or $4,000 Red Letter Grant could provide the hand-up you need to get started!

The Red Letter Grant is open to women living in 18 counties throughout West Central and Northwest Wisconsin:

Region 1: Buffalo, Clark, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Pierce, St. Croix, and Trempealeau Counties

Region 2: Barron, Burnett, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Washburn Counties

📅 Virtual Grant Information Session
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 | 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Join us to learn more about the grant opportunity and application requirements. Registration is not required.

👉 Find all the details about the grant, application requirements, and information session here:
https://www.redlettergrant.org/apply-info

08/28/2026