Smart Sacks: Providing Children with Healthy Meals Over the Weekend
The spring semester has started, and students of Takini School District in South Dakota and Menominee School District in Wisconsin will go back to class ready to focus on learning free from hunger thanks to Running Strong for American Indian Youth’s Smart Sacks. The Smart Sacks program was developed in 2011 to provide students at […]
Running Strong for American Indian Youth Launches Major Push for 2020 Census
Beat the Drum. Be Counted! You have read about the challenges faced by so many on Native reservations. You have supported programs to help Native children and their families, and built sustainable programs that will help communities for generations. So you will understand what we are about to share is so important. We are excited […]
CNN Visits Running Strong On Pine Ridge
Bringing Hope Through Water: Transforming Lives on Pine Ridge Reservation “They bring that glimpse of hope… of change.” 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 […]
Navajo Hopi Honor Riders Distribute Turkeys for the Holidays
Motorcycles & Turkeys: Navajo Hopi Honor Riders Deliver Holiday Cheer Starting around October each year, Running Strong partners can apply for small holiday grants for community gatherings, seasonal operations, or use at their discretion for the local population in the name of holiday cheer. Some organizations host Christmas celebrations or youth activities. This November the […]
Road to Tokyo: Arriving at Camp Pendleton
It is January 3, 1964 and I can’t get the St. Sylvester Midnight Run on December 31, 1963, (running out the old year and running in the new year) out of my mind. Running with a very bad cold, being tripped at the start of the race and losing a shoe was devastating to me. […]
Keeping Kids Warm over the Winter in Oklahoma
Winter in Tahlequah: Preparing 500 Cherokee Youth for the Cold In Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the forecast is calling for a “wintry mix” with low temperatures in the low 20s next week. But thanks to the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth® 500 children and adults are prepared to withstand the coming frigid weather, next […]
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 […]
Billy Mills at Brave Heart Society 25th Anniversary
25 Years of Empowerment: Celebrating the Brave Heart Society December 16th, 2019 marked the Brave Heart Society’s 25th anniversary. Located in Lake Andes, SD, the Brave Heart Society has been one of Running Strong’s longest partnerships – dating back to 1994 when the Society was still the Yankton Sioux Women’s Society. The Brave Hearts historically […]
Yuchi Language Project Building a New Generation of Yuchi Speakers
Reviving the Yuchi Language: Preserving a Culture for Future Generations In addition to providing basic needs – food, coats and boots, school supplies, and more to Native people throughout Indian Country, a core mission of Running Strong for American Indian Youth® has long been to support programs that preserve languages and culture before they are […]
RS Field Staff on KILI Radio sharing about Food Distribution, Winter Wear, Heat Match and more!
In-kind and food distribution Winter is not just coming to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, it’s arrived with a vengeance. “We survived the winter onslaught that was too early,” reported Running Strong for American Indian Youth® field staffer Ken Lone Elk from our Pine Ridge warehouse, Tipi Waste Un Zanipi (Wellness Through […]
Update from 2019 Dreamstarter Joshua Smith about Ekowah Coffee, His Osage Owned and Operated Coffee
2019 Dreamstarter Joshua Smith is using his $10,000 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter grant to create a coffee roasting company for the purpose of building tribal legacy, empowering his community and creating capital that can be used to lift others up. In addition to producing Native American, socially conscious and delicious coffee, Joshua […]
1,032 People Provided with Water on Pine Ridge, Navajo Nation in Past Five Years
Transforming Lives with Clean Water: Running Strong’s Impact on Native Communities 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 […]
Running Strong Supports Education Programs Children About Native American Traditions and Languages
This fall, thanks to people like you, hundreds of children have received education in their traditions and language so that their culture will not be lost to the ages. For example, in New York Running Strong for American Indian Youth® supports the Ohero:kon “Under the Husk” rites of passage ceremony where for the past 15 […]
Lots of Fresh Produce Available on Pine Ridge Thanks to Oyate Teca Project
From Garden Surplus to a New Car: The Economic Power of Medicine Root Thanks to the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth® and the hard work of the Oyate Teca Project’s staff, thousands of residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota had access to fresh vegetables and fruits, a scarce […]
Dreamstarter Hope Gamble Shares Navajo Creation Stories through Comic Strips
The Best Blog H1 (Creative & Emotional Hook) 14-year-old 2019 Dreamstarter Hope Gamble’s dream, H.O.P.E. (Heroes Of Positive Endurance) began as a way to create new Navajo creation stories in the form of comics to be sold in local gas stations and grocery stores, but has expanded much more then she thought it would over […]
Toys for Tribes Brings Big Smiles this Holiday Season!
All children deserve to make meaningful memories during this holiday season; time to be shared with family, friends, with fretting forgotten for the time being. Some of our favorite memories are receiving presents from any occasion – a gift, just for me, with no hand-me-downs? You never forget your first gift from Santa! Yet even […]
Agriculture as a Business Career: An Update from Year 5 Dreamstarter Taylor Eddie
Inspiring Future Farmers: Taylor Eddie’s Dreamstarter Journey Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Taylor Eddie may only be 17, but she is making a big impact in her community by realizing her dream of introducing agriculture as a business career to the Nebo Title VI Indian Education program in her community of Spanish Fork, Utah. The […]
Save the Date for Giving Tuesday! #OperationSnowsuit on December 3!
Winter has already arrived in the Great Plains. On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the average low temperature is 13 degrees with the high barely above freezing – and that doesn’t account for the wind chill on blustery days. Winter is one of the most difficult times for families living in areas […]
Social Media Challenge: Native American History is American History
In 1990, November was declared Native American Heritage Month, dedicated to celebrating the rich and diverse cultures of the Native peoples who lived for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived on these lands that would eventually become the United States of America. At Running Strong for American Indian Youth® we recognize the contributions Native […]
Heat Match: Help Keep Families Warm This Winter on Pine Ridge
Surviving -30° Winters: The Critical Role of the Heat Match Program Last Thursday, the National Weather Service forecasted 170 potentially daily record cold temperatures across the northern Plains and upper Midwest beginning Monday and continuing through Wednesday. To some this sounds like the welcome beginnings of a winter wonderland; to others, a warning sign of […]
Ohero:kon “Under the Husk” : 15 Years of Rites of Passage Ceremony
Under the Husk: A Rites of Passage Ceremony for Haudenosaunee Youth For the past 15 years, starting at puberty, more than 1,000 Onkwehonwe (Indigenous) youth have registered for “Under the Husk” – a four-year Haudenodaunee rites of passage ceremony guided by tribal Aunties, Uncles and elders. Under the Husk empowers youth desperately seeking holistic development, […]
A Time for Thanks
The classic story of the first Thanksgiving is one of generosity, community, and celebration of life. This story, taught to all Americans at a young age, is woven through with realistic themes of charity and unity albeit with an unreliable point of view. Certainly we see echoes of this narrative today; when the Wampanoags saved […]
The last sample news post
Soufflé fruitcake tiramisu muffin apple pie gingerbread. Powder sweet topping croissant chupa chups apple pie bear claw lollipop. Cake cupcake croissant croissant. Pie pudding chocolate cake pastry. Cotton candy topping apple pie candy canes chupa chups. Pudding oat cake donut muffin icing sweet roll ice cream donut ice cream. Muffin danish jelly beans croissant muffin. […]
Another Example News Post
Soufflé fruitcake tiramisu muffin apple pie gingerbread. Powder sweet topping croissant chupa chups apple pie bear claw lollipop. Cake cupcake croissant croissant. Pie pudding chocolate cake pastry. Cotton candy topping apple pie candy canes chupa chups. Pudding oat cake donut muffin icing sweet roll ice cream donut ice cream. Muffin danish jelly beans croissant muffin. […]
An Example News Post
Soufflé fruitcake tiramisu muffin apple pie gingerbread. Powder sweet topping croissant chupa chups apple pie bear claw lollipop. Cake cupcake croissant croissant. Pie pudding chocolate cake pastry. Cotton candy topping apple pie candy canes chupa chups. Pudding oat cake donut muffin icing sweet roll ice cream donut ice cream. Muffin danish jelly beans croissant muffin. […]
Running Strong Helps Repair Veteran’s Home on Pine Ridge
Each year the Oglala Sioux Tribe Partnership for Housing helps low-income households on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with resources to repair their homes from storm damage (common on the Great Plains of South Dakota) and normal wear and tear with assistance from Running Strong for American Indian Youth®. “The primary need of many families is […]
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: Honoring Culture and Tradition November is Native American Heritage Month dedicated to celebrating rich and diverse cultures, traditions and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. At Running Strong for American Indian Youth® we support cultural programs to preserve languages, cultures and traditions throughout Indian Country. Among them is the Yuchi […]
Families Receive Turkeys and Food Boxes for a Festive Holiday Meal
Delivering 1,700 Turkeys: Holiday Food Distribution on Pine Ridge & Cheyenne River Families on the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Indian reservations in South Dakota are looking forward to what has been a tradition for many years – receiving a turkey and food box at holiday time. This year 952 frozen turkeys and 1,000 food boxes […]
Largest Number of Graduates from the Oyate Teca Project’s Gardening Program
50 Graduates Complete the Medicine Root Gardening Program On October 16, the 50 participants of the Oyate Teca Project’s Medicine Root Gardening Program graduated from the nine-month course. Everyone celebrated their achievement at a special student appreciation dinner. Certificates were presented to all of the graduates, along with a final distribution of items to assist […]
Hundreds of Pumpkins Distributed on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The 11-Year-Old Entrepreneur: Jazlyn Grows 193 Pumpkins on Pine Ridge Over the past few days, lots and lots of pumpkins were distributed to children on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for Halloween. It’s all thanks to Oyate Teca Project Director Rose Fraser’s 11-year-old granddaughter, Jazlyn. She asked her grandmother if they could grow pumpkins. Rose told her […]