When severe cold weather hits the reservations, families pull together and try to keep each other warm.
In this time of economic difficulty, many families cannot afford the utilities they need and the well-being of families, children and elders often depends on our help to make it through these cold winter months.
Running Strong provides utility assistance to American Indian families to help them meet their heating and electricity needs by providing funds to help families purchase propane, electricity, firewood and gas.
This is our 13th year offering heat assistance on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Running Strong matches the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s contributions to struggling families dollar-for-dollar.
Every year, we help hundreds of Oglala families living on Pine Ridge to heat their homes.
Running Strong would like to extend grateful thanks to the Onondaga Nation for a $10,000 donation to Running Strong’s emergency heat program on Pine Ridge to be used for firewood distribution.
With this generous donation keeping firewood plentiful, Running Strong can concentrate funds on keeping electricity running and propane tanks filled.
On the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, Running Strong and the Cheyenne River Youth Project are going to provide $30,000 in utilities assistance to help families heat their homes this winter.
“It’s important to us that we do as much as we can to assist our friends and neighbors. The emergency heat assistance is a great start, and we’re continuing to look for new ways we can help,” says Julie Garreau, Executive Director of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
HELP US keep American Indian families warm and safe this winter.
EMERGENCY WINTER RELIEF
Residents of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation continue to struggle in the aftermath of a ferocious ice storm that left them without power and water for weeks at a time, causing the Tribal President to declare the Reservation a disaster area.
Running Strong has pledged $12,500 to help the Bush Foundation reach its goal in a $25,000 challenge grant. The foundation has established a Cheyenne River Emergency Support Fund and will match every dollar that is donated up to $25,000, allowing for a possible total of $50,000.
Down power lines and subzero temperatures threatened the people of Cheyenne River.
Thanks to a relief effort led by the dedicated staff of the
Cheyenne River Youth Project, Running Strong and CRYP have been offering assistance throughout the crisis.
In the days immediately following the storm, the Cheyenne River Youth Project provided:
• blankets to residents and the Indian Health Service hospital
• hygiene packets and pampers to residents
• diabetic supplies and bandaids for the command center to distribute to shelters
While Running Strong distributed 600 free boxes of fresh food to Cheyenne River residents.
“The silver lining to natural disasters like the ice storm is that they can bring a community together,”
Julie Garreau said. “People go above and beyond the call of duty to help one another, and together we prove that we can meet Mother Nature’s challenges and come out stronger for the experience.”
Much remains to be done.
HELP US get the people of Cheyenne River back on their feet!
SCENES FROM THE RECENT WINTER STORM THAT DEVASTED THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX INDIAN RESERVATION
Power line poles were broken in half by the ice storm
Utility poles lay splintered on the ground
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PINE RIDGE AND CHEYENNE RIVER IN THE NEWS
Thousands without water after stormRapid City Journal - January 26, 2010
Ice storm leaves 15,000 without power in DakotasRapid City Journal - January 24, 2010
Tribal officials put dent in propane shortage, but more cold expected.
Rapid City Journal - January 4, 2010
As countless winter storms, endless snow and below zero temperatures continue to plague the Northern Plains, too many American Indian children and families have been left vulnerable.
