November is a good month to reflect back on the year and ask myself what has CIRI done throughout the year to try to earn your thanks.
This is a difficult position to be in. I would like to tell you all the good - if not great - things we have done throughout the year. I would like to be able to do this without sounding like we are bragging, blowing our horn, or trying to take credit for every good thing that comes along. It's hard to describe successes without sounding self-serving. But I'm going to try.

Before I talk about all the good things that your company, and its team, does, I want you to understand that I know and realize we are no better than any shareholder we serve. And you as shareholders deserve the best out of all of us.
During 2000, your corporation has become a billion-dollar-plus corporation. And CIRI's business success really is unmatched in Alaska, and the company has done exceptionally well as a national company.
As for your non-profits, Alaska's People is putting more people to work than ever. Southcentral Foundation is doubling the size of the Primary Care Center at the Alaska Native Medical Center in order to serve the increasing medical demands of Alaska Natives. The CIRI Foundation has awarded more scholarships and cultural grants this year than ever before, and the CIRI Golf Tournament raised more money for scholarships than in any other year.
Cook Inlet Tribal Council's youth program on the southern Kenai Peninsula continues to grow and focus on the cultural and educational values of our youth. Cook Inlet Housing Authority continues to restructure itself to better serve the low-income housing needs of Alaska Natives and our elders. The Alaska Native Heritage Center has shared Native cultural traditions with more than 120,000 visitors this year, and is designing new programs to preserve and perpetuate our cultures and history.
The Alaska Native Justice Center is making strides in its work with the justice system, which has for so many years ignored the injustices to Alaska Natives. And the relationship of the region to the villages continues to improve; however, there are still areas that are strained from time to time, but we continue to work on these relationships.
Speaking of villages, let me share a particularly inspiring story. This is a positive example of how self-determination is working, but still with a great degree of struggle. It is a story about a tribal organization in Cook Inlet that decided they wanted more for their kids, not only in education, but in culture - by building pride and self-esteem in who they are. Their goal is to ensure that our young people are not ashamed to be Alaska Native, but proud. This is an educational program that meets standards of the state of Alaska in most cases, and incorporates standards that build self-esteem in today's children and hopefully for generations to come. This program deals with children from kindergarten through sixth grade. There are very few of them, but from what I gather they are far, far better off when they enter the public school system, thanks to this program.
The village I am talking about is Chickaloon. And among those responsible for this program is Gary Harrison. We have had our differences in the past, but I applaud Gary's strong will, determination, and leadership to better the lives of his tribe's children and Alaska Natives. The people of Chickaloon are showing that they can find their own answers, while working with the non-Native system. These kinds of positive developments for Alaska Natives are starting to take hold throughout the state. They will better our lives, and all citizens of Alaska.
Returning to CIRI's economic success. We know shareholders want us to find a way for CIRI to grow and succeed, while taking some of CIRI's value and distributing it directly to shareholders. I can tell you that your board of directors is doing everything possible to make that a reality. It's not hard for the board to authorize a large check. The hard part is doing it right. That means looking at the corporation's financial condition, evaluating tax consequences, and analyzing all possible downsides. This includes doing everything possible to make sure that no one will lose more than they gain by receiving a special dividend.
To those who say I want mine and I really don't care about the rest of the shareholders, I can only say that what we are trying to do is be able to give shareholders a dividend in as advantageous a way possible - especially from a tax perspective, while preserving the future of CIRI so that one day we may be able to do it again and again. We believe this is worth the wait. If you think back a few years ago, there were a few shareholders who wanted to liquidate CIRI and take whatever there was. If this had happened, we would not be here now discussing a potential distribution that could make a difference for many shareholders.
So, as we say thanks, think about all the great things that are going our way and all the great things that you have and will receive because we were lucky enough to be "Growing Up Native in Alaska."

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