This holiday season, as we have done for at least a quarter century, thanks to the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, hundreds of Native American children on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and elsewhere in Indian Country will experience the joy of Christmas at holiday parties where they will meet “Santa” and receive gifts.
The Running Strong Santa will be ‘traveling’ to visit our Native partners in Iowa, Maryland, Oklahoma, Arizona, South Dakota, and more this holiday season!
🎄 In Sioux City, Iowa, our longtime partner, Indian Youth of American and director Patricia Gordon, will host its Annual Christmas party for 300 Native American children and family members from the Winnebago Tribe, Omaha Nation, Ponca Tribe, Santee, and Yankton Sioux Tribes as well as members from 29 other tribes that live in the area. The holidays are tough for families struggling without sufficient income to cover their basic needs, let alone the extra pressure and expense of buying gifts for their children.
“There is a chill in the air and before we know it the holiday season will be here,” says Patricia. “For the past 43 years, IYA has relied on the generosity of caring people to help us and add an extra touch of joy for Indian children during the holiday season,” she said in her request for grant funding for this year’s 44th annual Christmas event.
“The holidays are tough for families struggling without sufficient income for their basic needs let alone the extra pressure of buying Christmas gifts for their children. “IYA’s Christmas Party is an annual tradition Indian children and parents look forward to each year.”
🎁 On Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, “Santa” will drop off hundreds of toys at our Oyate Ta Kola Ku Community Center to then be distributed, by sleigh, truck, or by foot, to children throughout the reservation, as well as being driven to remote families by our Mobile Market ‘turned’ Mobile “Santa’s Sleigh” (complete with antlers on the roof and a cheery red nose on the dash).
🎁 Also on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, our partner, Sacred Healing Circle (SHC) operates its holiday gift program to help Lakota families and surrounding areas in South Dakota “in a manner that respects and honors our traditional Lakota leadership structure,” says executive director Dr. Yvette Running Horse Collin.
With support from Running Strong, SHC will be providing “special holiday aid” in the form of meal baskets including ingredients for a healthy, holiday meal, winter appropriate gifts such as electric blankets, heaters, fuel and small gifts for elder traditional leaders, mobility equipment such as canes and walkers, gifts for the elderly in assisted living situations and the staff who care for them – and, of course, gifts for families with small children.
🎄 In Maryland, Through Piscataway Eyes (TPE), will host a holiday party for its 1500 tribal members, to gather the community’s youth as well as honor the tribal elders.
“It is important to keep the youth interested in their culture, as well as used to gathering with family they don’t get to see on a regular basis,” stated TPE CEO Jesse Swann. “Additionally, we would like to hold an annual elders’ dinner. We have not been able to do so since Covid. We are losing our elders daily and we need to honor them while we still have them.”
Other holiday partners include the Brushy Cherokee Action Association (BCAA) in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and Today We Follow – Tomorrow We Lead (TWF-TWL), in Chinle, Arizona.
BCAA chairman Gary Bolin notes that their holiday event will include a gathering of Brushy community families and that “each year we honor our teachers for all they do for the youth in our community” at its annual “Community Christmas with Santa featuring a Native American Christmas Story.”
“Teachers, students and their families will gather with members of the community as they enjoy a warm heathy meal and fellowship,” said Gary. “The feast is a Native American tradition that allows participants to meet and greet and share stories with other community members.”
Traditional holiday music and decorations will light the outdoors for all the children to enjoy and the children will gather around the tree for the reading of An Indian Christmas: A Legend of the Camp by the Spring from “Tales and Trails of Wakarusa” by A.M. Harvey. Following that, “the children will anxiously await the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and each child receives a gift from Santa Claus and his helper – a night of celebration and traditions…”
In Arizona, TWF-TWL has been receiving holiday grant funding for at least a decade to purchase gifts for children and elders with the goal being “just to see the children happy and full of laughter,” says president Anita Begay.
And as IYA’s Patricia puts it, “The holiday season is a time for celebrating, sharing and reaching out to help others. In the true spirit of Christmas, we do just that with our Christmas Party.”
This holiday season, we count on our supporters to ensure that “Santa” doesn’t pass hundreds of Native American children and families by.
