JoRee LaFrance has had a profound and transformative impact on the Crow Nation and across Indian Country, empowering Native youth to reclaim culture, heal their homelands, and build systems of self-determination rooted in ancestral knowledge.
LaFrance’s journey began in 2016 as a Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter, where her project “Crow Voices” united Crow elders and youth to preserve Apsáalooke oral traditions through storytelling, creative writing, and art. Her work created an enduring bridge between generations — reviving the oral storytelling tradition and inspiring new ways to blend modern tools with ancient knowledge.
What began as a cultural preservation initiative has since evolved into a comprehensive movement for sovereignty, environmental justice, and food independence on the Crow Reservation and beyond.
JoRee LaFrance’s Leadership: Apsáalooke Immíio
As Chair of Apsáalooke Immíio (“Crows Being Independent”), LaFrance leads a powerful grassroots organization grounded in Apsáalooke values of self-determination, community readiness, and environmental stewardship. Her vision focuses on restoring the Crow people’s relationship with the land through food sovereignty and workforce development.
Under her leadership, Apsáalooke Immíio is launching a project to grow fresh produce on the Crow Reservation — where just one grocery store serves an area larger than Rhode Island. Her goal is to cultivate fields and greenhouses, operate a local food co-op, and train community members in farming and entrepreneurship. This work will not only provide healthy food access but also reclaim traditional foodways, revitalize local economies, and create sustainable employment.
These initiatives are part of a broader Land Back effort — returning stewardship of land and resources to the Crow people while tying food security to ecological restoration and economic independence. In doing so, LaFrance’s work models sovereignty in action, showing how community-driven development can thrive when guided by cultural values and ancestral wisdom.
Intergenerational Empowerment and the Ripple Effect
The Dreamstarter network was built to create a “ripple effect,” where one Dreamstarter inspires the next. LaFrance has embodied this principle through her mentorship of KamiJo Whiteclay (Crow), a 2024 Dreamstarter, and Tillie Stewart (Crow), a 2023 Dreamstarter and cofounder of the Biawaatchaache (“Good Woman”) Collective which uplifts young Apsáalooke women by reconnecting them with the land and empowering them to lead in environmental justice.
The Biawaatchaache Collective provides workshops and gatherings that teach Apsáalooke women to understand the connection between environmental health and cultural identity — strengthening their voices in addressing climate and ecological crises that impact tribal lands. Through mentorship and partnership, LaFrance and Stewart exemplify the Dreamstarter ripple effect, where initial investment in youth leadership cascades into generational change.
Her work demonstrates how Native youth, when resourced and trusted, can create systemic change — rebuilding tribal sovereignty not just politically, but culturally and economically.
Legacy and Continuing Influence
What began as a Dreamstarter project to document stories has grown into a movement that nourishes bodies, communities, and spirits. LaFrance’s leadership through Apsáalooke Immíio embodies the Dreamstarter philosophy: “invest in Native youth, and you invest in the future of Indian Country.”
Through her leadership and the support of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, JoRee has built sustainable systems that empower her people and inspire Native youth across the continent to lead their own cultural and ecological revitalization efforts.
“By cultivating the land, reclaiming our foodways, and empowering our people, we are proving that the future of Indian Country is Indigenous, sustainable, and sovereign.” — JoRee LaFrance
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