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Founder Eugene Krizek with one of Running Strong's first water wells.
October 1964
Billy Mills wins the Gold Medal in the 10K at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, an upset called 2nd greatest moment in Olympic history by Runners’ World.
July 1984 Running Brave, the movie of Billy Mills’ life is released.
April 1985 The Slim Buttes Agriculture Development Program starts with 6 family gardens. Today it serves over 250 families each year.
July 1986 Billy Mills meets Eugene Krizek and together they create Running Strong for American Indian Youth®. Billy Mills becomes Running Strong’s National Spokesperson.
October 1987 Running Strong drills its first water well on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD. Today, Running Strong drills a new well every month to bring the gift of water to over 370 Oglala families.
October 1989 Running Strong constructs its first of 20 log homes on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD.
July 1990 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® is incorporated.
September 1990 Running Strong offers its First Annual Tour of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, an annual tour that is still held each September.
May 1992 Future Running Strong Field Coordinator Julie Garreau is named a “Point of Light” by President George H. Bush for her work with the Cheyenne River Youth Project®.
December 1993 Running Strong helps build the Porcupine Dialysis Clinic on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD. This clinic is the first American Indian owned and operated dialysis clinic in the United States.
October 1994 Tom Kanatakeniate Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk) joins the Running Strong field staff.
December 1994 Running Strong helps build a second dialysis clinic in Eagle Butte on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation.
February 1995 Billy Mills testifies before the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs about issues confronting American Indian Youth.
August 1995 The Oglala Lakota Nation honors Running Strong for 10 years of service to the tribe.
September 1997 Running Strong opens a warehouse and field office in Porcupine, SD on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
December 1997 Running Strong starts its Annual Emergency Heat Matching Program which provides heating assistance for propane, electricity or firewood to families on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
February 1999 Running Strong field coordinator Tom Cook is appointed to the Nebraska commission on Indian Affairs by Governor Johanns.
May 1999 Running Strong opens a new 4,224 sq. foot youth center, known as “the Main” (Billy Mills Youth Center) on Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, SD.
July 2000 Julie Garreau (Cheyenne River Lakota) joins the Running Strong field staff.
June 2001 Billy Mills is inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Hall of Fame in Washington, DC.
April 2002 Cheyenne River Youth Project® is named the 2002 “Champion for Children” by the South Dakota Coalition for Children.
October 2002 Running Strong helps open a new dialysis clinic in Pine Ridge Village, SD.
January 2003 Running Strong helps build the SuAnne Big Crow Boys & Girls Club on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD. Teens work in the café and children have a place to go for regular hot meals.
Billy Mills with Ashley, the 2009 recipient of the Billy Mills-Running Strong for American Indian Youth scholarship.
February 2003 Running Strong provides the endowment for the Billy Mills Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Scholarship at the University of Kansas for American Indian students who major in education.
July 2003 The Cheyenne River Youth Project® on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, SD becomes a Running Strong affiliate.
June 2004 Billy Mills dedicates the A LI MI A (A place to go to get help to help yourself) youth center, part of the Center Pole, at its grand opening on the Crow Reservation, MT. Running Strong provided the majority of the funds to build the 44’ x 44’ center.
September 2004 Running Strong joins in the grand opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. Running Strong made a 5 year commitment to help build the Museum in 2003.
Billy Mills leads the Running Strong staff at the Grand Opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
June 2005 Julie Garreau testifies before the US Senate on Indian Affairs about the problems of youth suicide and Cheyenne River’s efforts to combat suicide through their new teen center.
April 2006 Billy Mills receives the inaugural Christian Relief Services Charities Humanitarian Award.
August 2006 Billy Mills cuts the ribbon at Cheyenne River Youth Project®'s new teen center, named Ċokata Wiċoni, on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, SD. Over half of the funds to build the 24,362 sq. ft. teen center were donated by Running Strong.
September 2006 Peggy White Wellknown Buffalo (Crow) joins the Running Strong field staff.
January 2007 Running Strong celebrates 10 years of its Emergency Heat Match program.
November 2007 Running Strong's sister charity, Running Strong für die Indianerjugend, opens in Germany. This charity allows German citizens to engage their passion for Native American culture by volunteering at and supporting Running Strong projects.
June 2008 Running Strong joins with six of the country's leading American Indian non-profits to form the Native Ways Federation to better serve Native communities and to ensure that nonprofit organizations working on behalf of Native communities observe the highest levels of ethical standards and fiscal responsibility.
October 2008 The Cheyenne River Youth Project® celebrates its 20th Anniversary and is recognized for two decades of providing extraordinary services to Cheyenne River children.
February 2009 Peggy White Wellknown Buffalo receives an award for Youth Entrepreneurship of the Year from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.
June 2009 Peggy White Wellknown Buffalo (Crow) is awarded a Petra Fellowship for her work and leadership at the Center Pole in Montana.
September 2009 Running Strong celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the Running Strong Reservations Tour - two decades of inspiration and friendship. This annual tour is open to the public and visits Running Strong programs, staff and volunteers on the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Indian Reservations each year.
October 2009 Julie Garreau (Cheyenne River Lakota) is awarded the Spirit of South Dakota Award for her leadership and work with the Cheyenne River Youth Project®.
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