The number of Calista Regional Native Corporation shareholders is expected to balloon next year from 13,000 shareholders to 40,000 as descendants and other qualified applicants enroll. To prepare, Calista is hiring temporary workers to handle the influx and getting the word out on how to sign up as a shareholder.
Enrollment will begin in January for two eligible groups: descendants of original shareholders and people who missed the original shareholder enrollment in 1971.
Susan Charles, who works at the Bethel Calista office, says that the easiest way to apply is online. When the website goes live, you'll find it at www.enroll.mycalista.com.
"There you’ll be able to create a profile, and complete and submit an application online for yourself or as a legal sponsor for an eligible minor or adult,” Charles explained.
Descendants will need a birth certificate to apply. A descendant who’s been adopted will need documentation proving that as well.
People who are applying because they missed the original shareholder enrollment will need those same documents, plus documents showing their at least one-quarter blood quantum and showing their birth, residency, or lineal descent from the YK Delta.
Calista is ready to help applicants figure all this out. People can go to the Calista offices in either Bethel or Anchorage to apply, or get help with finding documents. Next year, Calista will also send out teams to the 45 villages in the Calista region to help people sign up. The corporation is accepting job applications for these temporary positions on its website.
Calista wants people to enroll early in the process, and Calista Communications Manager Thom Leonard says they really want people to apply online, because it saves the corporation money. Calista is giving out prizes to online applicants as incentives.
“For the first month, there will be prizes of $500. For the second month, those prizes are going to equal $250 per winner. The third month, there’ll be $100 prizes. The fourth month there’ll be $50 prizes,” Leonard said.
The thing many people think of when they think of their native corporation is dividends. New shareholders will keep any shares they’ve been gifted or inherited. In addition, new shareholders will receive 100 shares each. Those new shares cannot be gifted to or inherited by others.
Also, with more shares splitting the dividend money pot, Leonard says dividends are expected to decrease.
Calista shareholders voted to expand enrollment last year. The board will adopt eligible applicants as shareholders in late 2017.
