October 8, 2021, | News You Can Use!
This Friday, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. Native American advocates are taking the U.S. Census Bureau to task for failing to include American Indian and Alaska Native poverty, income and health insurance data in their latest reports; as the Native American population grows to the largest in modern […]
September 24, 2021, | News You Can Use!
This Friday, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. The lockdown for schools due to COVID-19 on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ends; frustrated people in Wyoming say the media ignores an epidemic of missing and murdered Native American women in the state; as the U.S. Census finds almost a quarter […]
“I’ve lived without water before, and I don’t want my child to have to go through the same thing.”
On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation we have been working since 2015 to connect Oglala Lakota families and elders who live within a reasonable distance – roughly up to 1,000 feet – from the Oglala Sioux Rural Water Supply System water line which runs through the reservation and even in some cases through their own […]
September 16, 2021, | News You Can Use!
This Friday, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. Meet the Native leaders and educators who want Americans to know about Indian boarding schools; learn how tribal nations in Oklahoma continue to protect themselves against COVID-19; listen to two Navajo broadcasters make history announcing a college football game in the […]
Voice Your Vote! Help us pass Native American Voting Rights Act today!
Sign the petition here! In March 2019, the Native American Voting Rights Act (NAVRA) was re-introduced in Congress by co-authors then-U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) and then-U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), now a U.S. senator who succeeded Udall, to make the long-awaited bill the law of the land. The proposed bill was described as […]
September 10, 2021, | News You Can Use!
This Friday, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. Native Americans now have the highest vaccination rates of any major racial or ethnic group in the United States; a Christian pastor and member of the Euchee (Yuchi) tribe has launched “The Apology,” calling for the White House to formalize an […]
Sacred Healing Circle Organizes Rites of Passage
From May through this November, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® partner, the Sacred Healing Circle, is organizing Rites of Passage ceremonies for Oglala Lakota youth on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to connect them with their traditions and ancestors. “We feel urgency about reviving not only the sacred ceremonies but reviving our youth,” says […]
September 1, 2021, | News You Can Use!
This Friday, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. Tribal citizens are being encouraged to call their elected officials in Congress to ask them to protect their freedom to vote; tribes in Louisiana are evaluating the damage done by Hurricane Ida; the Delta variant’s impact continues to unfold, and mandatory […]
Diné Naabeehó Tó: An Update from Tohatchi
Ending 40-Mile Water Hauls: A New Start for a Family in Tohatchi John and Shaunna live on the Navajo Nation in the small community of Tohatchi (Tó Haachʼi in Navajo) located in McKinley County, New Mexico. For three years, the family is “still waiting” on the tribal list for water through the Indian Health Service […]
The Running Strong Dreamstarter Fellowship: An Introduction by Darius Sparks
When I first heard about Running Strong, I had just got out of basketball practice at my local college, the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. When I was growing up it was hard for my mother to get me to basketball camps in the summer because she couldn’t afford it. I always had […]
2016 Dreamstarter Blaze Burrows, Round Valley Indian Tribes, Covelo, California
Empowering Native Youth: Blaze’s Journey to Revive Tradition and Inspire Dreams Blaze, a 16-year-old sophomore in his Native American studies program, came to the mind of his Native American Studies program teacher in 2015 as the ideal Dreamstarter candidate with an already-impressive resume: President of the Round Valley High School Native American Club; a community […]
Winter Wrap Up 2020
Before Running Strong for American Indian Youth switches gears to our spring schedule of programs, we will take one more account of the final reports of our winter programs from November to February. Though some areas of the country are already seeing signs of warmer weather and new growth, in many places there will still […]
Running Strong Continues Water Projects During Winter
Despite record low temperatures, frozen ground, and winter storms, our field staff on Pine Ridge managed to complete 10 water line projects throughout November, December, and January. Among these projects were the Anpo Wicahpe Pine Ridge Girls School and the home of Grace Rooks, who is a featured subject in the CNN GoThere mini documentary […]
Beat The Drum. Be Counted! Find Out the Latest about our Census Campaign
Make Indian Country Count: The Fight for Fair Representation The Census makes a huge impact on people’s lives. In the 2010 Census, Native Americans were under counted by about 4.9 percent — that’s more than double the undercount rate of the next closest group. This inaccuracy meant that Indian Country missed out on millions of […]
A Love of Native Cultures
Celebrating and Preserving Native American Culture: A Legacy of Love “Without your language or your land, you are not who you say you are.” Loretta Afraid of Bear, Oglala Lakota The month of February is a celebration of LOVE, and Running Strong for American Indian Youth® LOVES Native American culture! Like any great love story, however, it’s not […]
Our Mni Wiconi program continues on Pine Ridge!
No More Hauling Water: A Single Father’s Fresh Start on Pine Ridge Anthony is a young single father who lives on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with his 3-year-old daughter. Father and daughter have not had running water at their home for over a year. In order to get water, Anthony had to haul water […]
1,032 People Provided with Water on Pine Ridge, Navajo Nation in Past Five Years
Running Strong for American Indian Youth® was founded 30 years ago with the mission of helping Native people who struggle to get the simple basic necessities of life – which foremost includes water. Thanks to friends like you, we have been able to provide water to the people of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, drilled […]
Running Strong in 2019
The new year is soon upon us, and to welcome 2020 we’d like to take a look back at all we’ve achieved with the help of our friends this year. We rang in 2019 with our annual Heat Match program, which ensured over a thousand Pine Ridge Indian Reservation families kept their propane and electricity […]
CNN Visits Running Strong On Pine Ridge
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has the lowest life expectancy of any region in the United States. For many residents on the reservation their daily reality still involves a multi-mile or multi-mile trek to access water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. Overcoming water scarcity on the reservations takes enormous dedication and resiliency by Native residents […]
Backpack Food Program
“These are new coats and hats with the tags still on! They are not second hand coats that someone else has already worn like we always get? This is the best gift we’ve gotten.” Native YouthOklahoma The Menominee Indian School District, Keshena, WI: “Our school district suffers from a high rate of poverty. As a […]
New School Supplies Make A Difference
Bringing 5 Communities Together: Anita Begay’s School Supply Distribution Testimonial Thank you Running Strong and the people who work there, tell Billy Mills thank you. Now I have a brand new backpack with everything I need for school. My mom don’t have enough money to buy everything I need. But now I have everything and […]
At the End of the Rainbow…There’s a Greenhouse!
Growing Hope: Can Wigmunke’s Impact on Pine Ridge Reservation Testimonial It’s so wonderful to have fresh vegetables and the native wild fruits available right here. I’m tired of people having to buy food from convenience stores and gas stations. Your market, the gardens and this greenhouse you all did is such a gift. It’s great […]
Moving Forward the Healing Paths for Families and Communities
Katsi Cook: Aboriginal Midwife and Environmental Justice Leader Testimonial A new generation of girls and young women in Indian Country must now be educated within, and renew for ourselves, ancient ways of thinking so that the powers of their womenhood can be better utilized to move forward the healing paths of our families and communitites. […]
Spring Food Boxes Bring Nutrition and Assistance
Testimonial These are new coats and hats with the tags still on! They are not second hand coats that someone else has already worn like we always get? This is the best gift we’ve gotten. Native Youth Oklahoma Our spring food boxes arrived in Indian Country in April. In addition to the menu of ham, vegetables, […]
2,300 Summer Food Boxes Sent to Indian Reservations!
Providing Hope and Nourishment: Impacting Native Youth and Families Testimonial These are new coats and hats with the tags still on! They are not second hand coats that someone else has already worn like we always get? This is the best gift we’ve gotten. Native Youth Oklahoma Thanks to the generous support of our donors, […]
Keeping Our Youth Warm
“Tags Still On”: The Dignity of New Winter Coats for Oklahoma Youth Testimonial These are new coats and hats with the tags still on! They are not second hand coats that someone else has already worn like we always get? This is the best gift we’ve gotten. Native Youth Oklahoma During the cold winter we […]
Gardening Classes Begin at Oyate Teca
Reducing Food Poverty: Produce Coolers Coming to Pine Ridge Stores The Oyate Teca Project is getting back to work after a successful holiday season from Pine Ridge and preparing for the upcoming spring schedule. The Medicine Root Gardening classes, one of the Oyate Teca Project’s most highly anticipated programs of the year, returns February 1st. […]
Exciting Updates from Our Dreamstarters
From Santa Fe to the Screen: How 3 Dreamstarters Are Changing the Narrative JEREMY DENNIS AT SANTA FE ART INSTITUTE Jeremy Dennis, 2016 Dreamstarter, has just been awarded a residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute. The Institute gathers artists, innovators, and creative types from across America to consider what vitality, prosperity, and sustainability might […]
Welcome to the Newest Members of the RunStrong Family!
This January the RunStrong family grew by two members as Fox River Mills welcomed Joseph Gray and Christian Gering to their team of trailblazers in the running community and proud wearers of RunStrong socks. Joseph Gray is a world class elite athlete with 19 national and world championships in mountain running, ultramarathons, trail, road running, […]
Beat The Drum. Be Counted! Update on Census Campaign
No Length Too Far: Reaching Hard-to-Count Native Communities For many Americans, the 2020 Census won’t matter until the last week of March. But for residents of Toksook Bay, a small village of 661 people in western Alaska, the census began counting today by boat, plane, and ATVs. The Census Bureau is taking advantage of the […]