Billy Mills at TED x Yale
Our National Spokesperson, Billy Mills, recently presented at the TEDxYale Uncharted Conference! He shared his story of overcoming the odds at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and his passion for unlocking opportunities for Native men, women, and children through his work with Running Strong.
Tsalagi Gawonihisdi (Cherokee Language) in the Garden and the Grocery
I knew from the get go that this project would not be easy. Walmart is a big company and I am but one young man on a mission. I began the project by identifying who my partners would be. I already knew that Running Strong and the Cherokee Nation Foundation would be my two strongest […]
Middle School in Lawrence, KS named Billy Mills Middle School
Over the three decades of our partnership with Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills, he has given us many, many reasons to be proud and honored by our association with him! Among them includes being named as a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal (the second-highest civilian award in the United States) in 2013 by President […]
South Dakota Legislature Declares March 6 as Billy Mills Day
We are so proud, and extremely honored to celebrate Billy Mills as the South Dakota legislature declared March 6th as “Billy Mills Day.” On Tuesday, March 6, Billy Mills was honored for his lifetime achievements with a proclamation by South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard designating March 6th as Billy Mills Day, and with resolutions passed […]
We are Proud to Announce the Year 4 Dreamstarters
10 Native Youth. 10 Big Dreams for Change. $10K Each. Olympic Legend Billy Mills Names 10 Native Youth to Fourth Cohort of Dreamstarters Running Strong for American Indian Youth Gives Fourth Round of Awards for Dream Projects in Native Communities Washington, DC: Today, Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills named the fourth annual class of American […]
February E-News
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Running Strong Field Office, Oyate Teca, receives $100,000 from Newman’s Own Foundation
Running Strong for American Indian Youth® is pleased to announce that it was recently awarded a grant in the amount of $100,000 from Newman’s Own Foundation, the independent foundation created by the late actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman. This two-year grant will support the operation of the Medicine Root Gardening Program on the Pine Ridge […]
Brave Heart Society: Reviving Traditional Society for Women & Girls
Since 1994, Running Strong has partnered with the Brave Heart Society on the Yankton Reservation in South Dakota. Brave Heart is a revived traditional society, free of federal funds with a focus on grassroots cultural foundations. The Society, overseen by Kunsi or grandmothers, took the forefront in defending water by standing early against the KXL […]
Volunteers on Pine Ridge: Thank you for all your help!
In January, temperatures on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation can get unbearably low. Recently, the temperature dropped to -18 degrees (not including the wind chill factor.) But when families have to eat, Pine Ridge field coordinator Dave Lone Elk and his dad, Ken, work tirelessly to ensure the distribution of food boxes to their fellow Ogala Sioux Tribe members – regardless of […]
Heat Match: Keeping Families Warm this Winter
With the holidays over, families on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation are hunkering down in their homes trying to stay warm on the cold winter days. For hundreds of families, keeping warm can be a challenge when bills must be paid – including the minimum $175 necessary to have a propane truck come to their […]
Video: 2017 Highlights
We have had quite an amazing year! Check out our year-end highlight video! In 2017, Running Strong connected 34 households on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with the main water service line that runs through the reservation. Each of these families now has access to safe, clean water and no longer needs to travel long distances to haul […]
Yuchi Language Project Strives to Protect Language from Extinction
For several years the Yuchi Language Project, a partner of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, has been working to preserve the Yuchi language. Described by The Washington Post in 2007 as being “on the brink of extinction,” there were only four fluent Yuchi speakers by 2013 – today that number is down to three. […]
November E-News
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November E-News
https://spark.adobe.com/page/Gp5AC8ghip8MU/
Connecting Veterans to Water: an update on our water connections
For more than two years, we have been connecting households to the main water service line to provide access to safe, clean water. As of this month, about three dozen families, consisting of roughly 200 children, adults, and elders, no longer need to walk to a neighbor’s house or drive miles to fetch water. Just […]
7 Things You May Not Know About Native Americans in the Military
1. Native Americans have the highest per-capita involvement in the U.S. military of any population. 2. November 1986 – The first National Memorial Service honoring Native Veterans took place at Arlington Cemetary 3. Native veterans are routinely acknowledged and honored during pow wows, and are often called upon to be flag bearers, retrieve dropped eagle feathers, and are acknowledged […]
Cities & States Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day
There has been a movement shifting away from the annual celebration of Columbus Day in October. More and more cities are recognizing a new holiday on that same date – Indigenous Peoples Day – to recognize and respect the indigenous people who lived in the Americas before Columbus’s “discovery.” Below are some of the over 50 […]
Hokani Maria launches Nahiku, his Dreamstarter canoe
On Saturday, September 23rd, 14-year-old Hokani Maria, together with mentor Amoo Ching Kainoa, community members, elders, master navigators and cultural practitioners gathered at Pelekane Bay near Pu’ukohola Heiau to bless a new canoe in honor of its first voyage. It was built by children in the Kohala community over the summer. The project was inspired […]
Smart Sacks: Because no child should have to go hungry over the weekend
Nearly 100% of children living on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation qualify for the free federal meals program. This means that while in school students have access to breakfast and lunch regardless of cost. But what about the weekends? With an annual median income of just over $18,000, Cheyenne River families are often forced to […]
Gardens Galore
Gardening is a place of pride at Oyate Teca. Running Strong gave a garden grant in May and it has been put to good use. Because of the expansive gardening programs at Oyate Teca the grant was used to hire two full time gardeners! On top of that, in early June gardening lessons began and […]
Big News from Noah Hotchkiss
Noah Hotchkiss is making huge strides for Native people with disabilities. After a car accident in 2009, Noah was left paralyzed from the waist down. After trying a handful of sports post-accident, in 2014 Noah was introduced to wheelchair basketball. Basketball opened so many doors for Noah, he decided to use it as an avenue […]
Virginia Begins an American Indian Tribute
In less than two weeks, American Indians in Virginia will be receiving the respect and honor that is long past due. The Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Virginia Indian Tribute is on June 24th. The event will be hosted by the Virginia Indian Commemorative Commission and the Virginia Capitol Foundation at 1000 Bank Street in Richmond, […]
What can a Dreamstarter Teacher do?
In case you’re wondering what a Dreamstarter Teacher can do with their grant, here are some updates from some of our Spring 2017 Dreamstarter Teachers! JoAnn Bishop used her Dreamstarter Teacher grant to take students to an indoor archery range to practice traditional recurve archery! JoAnn’s students were enthusiastic about archery, but didn’t have the funds […]
VIDEO: Jeremy Dennis featured in video highlighting his Dreamstarter Project
Jeremy was featured by the Big Ten network for his work on his Dreamstarter Project, On This Site, which aims to document important historical and cultural sites of the Shinnecock people. “Self-esteem is a pretty common issue in a lot of indigenous communities, especially in my own life, just a feeling of not belonging. Growing up […]
2017 Dreamstarter Academy
April 22-25 we hosted the 2017 Dreamstarters and their mentors in Washington, D.C. for Dreamstarter Academy. We had a fantastic week of trainings, touring the city, and getting to know each other! Saturday On Saturday, the Dreamstarters and mentors arrived in Washington, D.C. and we got to know each other on a meet-and-greet in the evening. At the meet-and-greet, the […]
VIDEO: Dreamstarter Ruben Zendejas talks about his Dancing Strong Youth Powwow
Year 2 Dreamstarter Ruben Zendejas talks to PBS/KUED about his Dancing Strong Youth Powwow!
Jenna Smith on performing a ballet based on Osage cultural knowledge
During Native American Heritage Month we were invited to perform a part of our Osage ballet, Wahzhazhe, for two groups. We travelled to Seminole College in Seminole, OK and to Red Rock, OK to perform for the entire elementary through high school system at Otoe Nation. At Seminole College the President of the college happened […]
4 Stories About Native Women for International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. Today and every day we celebrate Native women. Read about our work to support women’s health Learn about the Brave Heart Society programs we support Read about three Native women you might not know but should Read about the events focused on Indigenous women as part of the Native Nations […]
Providing Food to More Native Youth Over the Weekend
In schools where most or all of the students qualify for free lunch and breakfast programs, kids are guaranteed to have at least two nutritious meals each weekday. But what about over the weekend? Years ago, after hearing from teachers who had noticed their students were going hungry over the weekend, Running Strong started our […]
Dreamstarter Blaze Burrows walks us through Stick Game Training
My 2016 Running Strong Dreamstarter project is to teach young boys how to play the traditional Wailaki stick game. Before we have a stick game training, we have a Trainers meeting. At the meeting we get a commitment of who can attend the training. We also go over what we will do during the training […]
