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For the 10th Anniversary of Running Strong's Dreamstarter Program, this year's projects are not confined to one focus area.

2025 Dreamstarter Projects encompass traditional medicines, food sovereignty, education access, language preservation, and arts and culture revitalization.

Aaron Baumgardner

Aaron Baumgardner

Catawba Indian Nation

Wąsa Wasáp KačachęɁ

Rock Hill, South Carolina

Aaron’s dream is to restore the reciprocal relationship between Catawba artists and their natural resources by preserving rivercane, revitalizing traditional basketry, and reconnecting community to their land and culture.

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Aidan Whitedeer

Aidan Whitedeer

Otoe-Missouria Tribe

Jiwere Elder Intelligence AI

Broomfield, Colorado

Aidan’s dream is to preserve Native American Languages by developing an interactive Jiwere language preservation tool, powered by Artificial Intelligence, that incorporates Tribal stories and linguistic systems.

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Anna Cuffee

Anna Cuffee

Shinnecock Indian Nation

Community Gathering Space
and Relief Fund

Southampton, New York

Anna’s dream is to ensure tribal families have access to culturally relevant, personalized, and autonomous health care and to improve maternal and infant health outcomes by providing pregnancy- related education, resources and support.

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Celeste Syas

Celeste Syas

Shinnecock Indian Nation

Indigi Arts

Southampton, New York

Celeste’s dream is to uplift and promote wellness in her community by providing healing and skill-building opportunities through art therapy. She is founding an art studio where youth have a safe space to express themselves freely and experience traditional cultural art forms.

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Elizah Dominy

Elizah Dominy

Tlingit & Haida

Haa léelk'w hás jooníx̱ haa sitee

Kent, Washington

Elizah’s dream is to uplift and empower Tlingit & Haida youth living in Washinton State, to heal and create a stronger community, and to providing them with the opportunity to engage in cultural practices and learn the traditional language through community workshops.

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Gabrielle Pike

Gabrielle Pike

Ute Indian Tribe, Navajo Nation

Nah-Nây
To Grow

Fort Duchesne, Utah

Gabrielle’s dream is to see her community thrive by developing a a sustainable traditional Ute medicine garden that offers a place of healing, growth, cultural preservation, and renewed environmental stewardship within her community.

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Josiah Jones

Josiah Jones

Chickasaw Nation

The Next Storytellers

Stonewall, Oklahoma

Josiah’s dream is to give the tools and resources to the next generation of Native filmmakers, showing them a path to their own success through a series of hands-on filmmaking workshops.

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Karli Moore

Karli Moore

Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

Lumbee Food Collective

Red Springs, North Carolina

Karli’s dream is to is to uplift and steward Lumbee food traditions that honor and provide for the Lumbee people and teach the next generation by building a community practice where food knowledge can be shared and recorded for generations to come.

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Nizhóní Begay

Nizhóní Begay

Navajo Nation

Pathways: College Readiness and Career Exploration for Native Youth

Marina Del Rey, California

Nizhóní’s dream is to empower Native youth to envision brighter futures and overcome barriers in accessing higher education by fostering college readiness through mentorship, leadership development, and storytelling.

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Phyllis Gardner

Phyllis Gardner

Northern Arapaho Tribe

The Wind River Pathways Project

Fort Washakie, Wyoming

Phyllis’s dream is to support up and coming tribal leaders and empower Native Youth to pursue higher education by creating a support network for those transitioning into adulthood through guidance, mentorship, resources, and vocational training.

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