May 13th, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. As the death toll from COVID-19 in the United States nears the 1 million mark, members of the Choctaw tribe are trying to cope with its devastation, learn how a study found large humanoid figures carved on the ceiling of an Alabama […]
Water is Life. 18 more families have been connected to water this spring!
Today, hundreds of families on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation are still living without running water at their homes meaning they must walk up to 8 miles to a neighbor’s or family member’s home to haul water, or drive miles to a community water site for all their daily needs. Thanks to the supporters of […]
13,000 Smart Sacks distributed this school year.
School will soon be out for children on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservations in South Dakota, and thanks to the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth® since August we have been able to provide nearly 13,000 “Smart Sacks” to students ensuring they and their family members will […]
Smiling Strong
Throughout Indian Country Native American children suffer from a concerning lack of dental care resulting in a high rate of cavities, severe tooth pain and even at a very young age, extractions. While no doubt a diet of sugary foods and soft drinks plays a significant role in tooth decay, much of it could be […]
May 6th, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. As Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Awareness Week comes to a close, see what is being done as advocates continue to call for more support at all levels of government, learn what goals are being set at the 21st United Nations Permanent […]
April 22th, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. This week, stay up to date on the story of the hotel owner in Rapid City, South Dakota who banned Native Americans from staying there, learn how Haida Eagle Clan elder Jiixa and Julia Weder are using rap to help preserve the […]
April 15th, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. This week, learn why tribal communities will soon have access to $46 million in funding to combat impacts of climate change, read more about Women of the White Buffalo; a documentary about the Lakota people and their history, and more in this […]
April 8, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. This week, learn about how Native Americans are reacting to Pope Francis’ apology for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the mass abuse and mistreatment of Native children in Indian residential schools, read how the Rappahannock Tribe, a Native Tribe in Virginia, […]
April 1, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. This week, learn about how a shooting, social media posts, ostensible racism and a feud with local government have disrupted quiet Rapid City, South Dakota. In addition, read about the documentary Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting, which features […]
Expanded Food Pantry at Tipi Waste To Open This Spring
This spring, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® announced our new partnership with Feeding South Dakota to greatly expand our food pantry services at our field office, Tipi Waste Un Zanipi (Wellness Through a Good Home), available for residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. For decades, Running Strong has helped Pine Ridge families and elders […]
70-year-old California Man Plans to Run Across the U.S. to Benefit Running Strong for American Indian Youth®
Robert Eilek of Temecula, California, was a middle school math teacher for more than 40 years before his retirement in 2019. During all those years, Robert, now 70, also stayed true to his passion for long-distance running, “cranking out at least 80 miles a week,” reported Carl Love, a contributing columnist to The Press-Enterprise of […]
Oyate Ta Kola Ku Community Center Construction Continues Full Steam Ahead
Work has been steadily progressing on the Oyate Teca Project’s Oyate Ta Kola Ku (Friend of All Nations) Community Center on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for several months and we are pleased to report that even during the challenges posed by the frigid winter weather on the Great Plains of South Dakota our contractors […]
Afraid of Bear – American Horse Tiospaye Conducts Rites of Passage Ceremonies
With grant funding made possible by the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, the Afraid of Bear – American Horse Tiospaye (extended tribal family) was able to hold Rites of Passage activities and ceremonies for Afraid of Bear granddaughters and create film records of the ceremony and its preparation. “We feel urgency around […]
Sydney Mills Farhang Named New Executive Director of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®
Alexandria, VA — Running Strong for American Indian Youth® is pleased to announce that Sydney Mills Farhang (Oglala Lakota) has been named as Executive Director. Sydney is a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe grew up in Sacramento, California. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and has […]
Partnerships help connect families to water.
We are thrilled to have formed a partnership with Holland Rotary Club and After Hours Rotary Club, both of Holland, MI, Cedar Springs Rotary, District 6290, Boulder Rotary, and WEHOP (Water, Environmental, and Humanitarian Outreach Projects). These incredibly generous Rotary clubs have committed $15,000 to our Mni Wiconi (Water is Life) Connection program. For generations, […]
Growing season starts for one of the oldest Native gardening projects in the country
The Slim Buttes Agricultural Development Project (SBAG) has been assisting gardeners on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation continuously for more than 35 years thanks to the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®. In the spring and early summer of 2021, SBAG was able to till a total of 73 gardens for families throughout […]
March 18th, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. This week, we learn that 5.6% of American Indians and Alaska Natives living on reservations were undercounted in the most recent Census. As the Ukranian war rages on, many Native Americans continue to show support from their sovereign nations to another sovereign […]
March 11th, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. This week, learn why Indigenous people have been showing their support of Ukraine by wearing what is known in many communities as “kokum scarves,” read about Minnie Hollow Wood, a Lakhota woman, who resisted the U.S. Calvary and fought courageously amongst her […]
Celebrating the Women of Running Strong
At Running Strong, we acknowledge and revere the strength and power of all women, particularly those Native women we work closely with and depend on to be our eyes and ears throughout Indian Country. It is through these women that we are able to help meet the needs of Native American children, families and elders […]
March 4th, 2022, | News You Can Use From Indian Country For This Week
Today, catch up on some of the stories we’re following from Indian Country. This week, learn how the pandemic created a ‘perfect storm’ that worsened food access on reservations. Also, discover why Native leaders in the U.S. are speaking out to condemn the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and more in this week’s News […]
Running Strong for American Indian Youth® 2022 Dreamstarter Mariah Plummer
Dreamstarter Mariah Plummer https://vimeo.com/744300933 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® 2022 Dreamstarter Mariah Plummer, 24, (Navajo), of South Jordan, Utah, Dreamstarter idea is the Utah K’é (Navajo Kinship and Relations) Project. This project is an indigenous woman led initiative that strengthens the unity of inter-tribal communities in the state of Utah, specifically the Salt Lake […]
2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Zoe Landin
Dreamstarter Zoe Landin https://vimeo.com/744305630 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Zoe Landin, 19, (Standing Rock Sioux), of Bismarck, North Dakota has a dream”to help Native American youth break down the ideological and technical barriers to running for local city, statewide and national offices.” Zoe encourages youth to consider running for office by educating […]
2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Shayla Manitowabi-Huebner
Dreamstarter Shayla Manitowabi-Huebner https://vimeo.com/744291794 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Shayla Manitowabi-Huebner, 25, (Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory), of Marquette, Michigan dream is “Running into Culture,” a culturally tailored Native youth running program that incorporates a holistic and community approach to promote healthy behaviors. With her $10,000 Dreamstarter grant, Shayla will be hosting workshops and […]
Running Strong for American Indian Youth® 2022 Dreamstarter Mariah Gladstone
Dreamstarter Mariah Gladstone https://vimeo.com/744299066 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Mariah Gladstone, 28, (Blackfeet, Cherokee), of Babb, Montana, dream is to create an “indigikitchen” recipe box using traditional indigenous ingredients from her community with easy to follow along video instructions. “By combining this with in-person classes and food harvested from local vegetable gardens, […]
2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Laura O’Leary
Dreamstarter Laura O’Leary https://vimeo.com/744293561 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Laura O’Leary, 25, (Cheyenne River Sioux), of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, dream is “to provide young families with infants with diaper bags filled with baby essentials including diapers, wipes, clothing, wash, bottles as well as educational literature on nutrition, safe sleep practices, and […]
2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Kyle Swann
Dreamstarter Kyle Swann https://vimeo.com/744306631 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Kyle Swann, 22, (Piscataway Conoy), of White Plains, Maryland, Dreamstarter idea is to create a detailed survey of the 3,500 enrolled Piscataway Conoy tribal members, exploring not just their demographic information but also their priorities, strengths and needs. “I will use this feedback […]
2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Ku Stevens
Dreamstarter Ku Stevens https://vimeo.com/744308273 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Ku Stevens, 18, (Yerington Paiute), of Yerington, Nevada, dream is to host a second “Remembrance Run.” The first run he held was in 2021 from the Stewart Indian Boarding School in Carson City, Nevada, through the desert and mountains to the Yerington Paiute […]
2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Jasmyne Jack
Dreamstarter Jasmyne Jack https://vimeo.com/744297773 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Jasmyne Jack, 25, (Muscogee (Creek) Nation), of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, has a dream to provide homeless or struggling Native American youth and young adults with free hygiene kits and period packs. “My dream idea is called “Street Outreach” which would allow homeless or struggling […]
2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Cameron Troxel
Dreamstarter Cameron Troxel 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Cameron Troxel, 18, (Catawba), of Rock Hill, South Carolina, dream project is “For the River,” which aims to address plastic pollution in the Catawba River and accompanying waterways. “The project will involve educating the community on why recycling is important and the many different […]
Running Strong for American Indian Youth® 2022 Dreamstarter Alfredo Quintana
Dreamstarter Alfredo Quintana https://vimeo.com/744303848 2022 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Alfredo Quntana, 20, (Navajo), of Spanish Fork, Utah, Dreamstarter idea is “to bring awareness to the invisibility and erasure of Indigenous people and their contributions, while also highlighting the importance of continuing our culture through our youth. “I want to add to and […]