Hello TVA Grantees!

We are excited to announce our 6th Annual Skills Based Conference held on April 7-9, 2009 hosted by Unified Solutions at the Mississippi Choctaw Reservation. The conference is scheduled for three full days and all participants are required to be present throughout the whole conference. You can view a copy of the conference agenda here.

Please plan to attend each day for the full time frame as stated in the grant requirements so everyone must plan their travel accordingly. We have some information to help you prepare for travel. We look forward to seeing everyone and if you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime.

Here is some information you might find useful:

Who must attend?

All TVA Grant Programs are required to bring at least 4 representatives to this OVC Mandatory Conference:

1. TVA Program Manager
2. TVA Advocate
3. Law Enforcement Officer
4. Tribal Leader.

*There will be special activities for Tribal Leaders and Law Enforcement.*

Cultural Immersion Activity

Attention all participants: Please note that we will be spending most of the afternoon outside partaking in different activities throughout the day. Please dress appropriately. We suggest you bring comfortable shoes, casual attire, a warm jacket, gloves and a hat just in case the weather turns cooler.

Give-Away Items

Each year we ask every participant to bring a give-away item that represents their community and/or program to be handed out throughout the conference. This allows every participant to bring an item to be share with other service programs. The goal is to that when we all leave the conference everyone will go home with something special from a different tribal community service program. This is also a great way to leave a lasting memory and bring joy to someone from another tribal community.

Steps to take to confirm your attendance at the conference.

Step 1. Registration

You may click this link for a shortcut to the Registration Page.

Step 2. Hotel Reservations (Hotel Registrations must be completed by March 16)

Each program can make hotel reservations by calling the Pearl River Resort Reservations Department at 1-866-44-PEARL. Please identify yourself with the group code GTVAUS to receive the $60 room rate. This rate is below the GSA rate, and you must give the group code GTVAUS so you are signed up with the correct group.

You can pay for your room by cashier check, valid credit card, or money order. No cancellations or name changes will be accepted less than 24 hours prior to arrival. Any cancellation received less than 24 hours prior to arrival, or no-shows, will be charged one night room charge including tax. Please be aware anyone checking into a room must be at least 21 years of age.

Pearl River Resort
13541 Hwy 16 West
Choctaw. MI 39350
(800) 557-0711
www.pearlriverresort.com

All reservations must be received at the hotel by Monday, March 16, 2009 .

Step 3. Flight Reservations

Flight reservations are the responsibility of each tribal program to arrange. Please make sure that you make arrangements to fly into Jackson-Evers International Airport

Bus Service

Unified Solutions will be providing a FREE bus service to and from the Jackson International Airport to the Pearl River Resort. The hotel is approximately 11/2 hour away from the Jackson International Airport. If you plan on renting a car and driving to the hotel from Airport it will be at the expense of your program. If you would like Unified bus service, you must notify us of your planned airport arrival and departure time and dates. Unified Solutions will then reserve a seat for you and coordinate with each program regarding bus transportation. Please complete your conference, hotel and flight arrangements as soon as possible in order to help us plan transportation accordingly.

For questions, please do not hesitate to contact our staff for any reason. We are here to serve you!

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!


Jesucita Hernandez
Program Manager
(480) 966-3656