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Health & Wellness in
Indian Country

Over the past forty years, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® has worked to transform health and wellness across tribal communities by blending practical aid with deep cultural empowerment. Its impact can be understood through three major lenses: foundational health access, youth-driven wellness leadership, and community-based healing initiatives.

Foundational Health Access

Running Strong works to ensure Native families have essential health supplies—a cornerstone of wellness and dignity.

Hygiene & Maternal Health: Running Strong distributes 6,000 dental kits, 3,228 feminine hygiene kits, and 2,000 maternal care kits in a single year, reducing infection risks and supporting prenatal and infant wellbeing.

Dental Kits Distributed Annually
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Hygiene Kits Distributed Annually
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Maternal Care Kits Distributed Annually
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Tribal Communities
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Youth-Led Wellness and Health Education

Through the Dreamstarter® program, Running Strong has empowered dozens of young Native leaders to improve health in their communities through culturally grounded initiatives.

  • Oral Health & Professional Mentorship: Dr. Cristin Haase (Cheyenne River Sioux) and Dr. Lindsey Montileaux Mabbutt (Oglala Lakota) both launched dental workshops for aspiring Native dentists to mentor Native students pursuing dentistry. These programs helped increase the number of Native dentists in the U.S. from 135 in 2016 to 400 in 2022, improving access to culturally competent oral care.
  • Adaptive Sports and Disability Inclusion: Noah Blue Elk Hotchkiss (Southern Ute, Caddo) founded Tribal Adaptive to promote fitness and independence among Native youth with disabilities. Since 2015, it has served over 1,300 athletes, built the first Native wheelchair basketball team, and created mentorship opportunities for new adaptive athletes. He is now mentoring athlete Devyn Kazhe (Pueblo of Laguna) to become a leader and advocate for Natives with disabilities.
  • Cultural Wellness & Mental Health: Youth like Tia Yazzie (Navajo), Sam Yellow Fat (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe), and Dawn Marie Johnson (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) addressed mental and behavioral health disparities through culturally informed support groups and wellness kits, helping students access resources and develop coping skills grounded in Native tradition.
  • Maternal and Infant Health: Laura O’Leary (Cheyenne River Sioux) built The Bebela Project to support new mothers with baby supplies, car seats, nutrition education, and safe sleep resources. Her work has expanded maternal care options on the reservation and inspired new models of community-based parenting education. Anna Cuffee (Shinnecock Nation) established Wuttahminneoh Birth Work and a community relief fund to support Native birthing families, combatting maternal mortality rates two to three times higher than the national average. 
  • Athletics and Physical Wellness: Ronnie Godfrey (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) launched a local gym to improve access to safe workout equipment, James Pine (Oglala Lakota) held summer running camps on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and Darius Sparks (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) taught youth in foster care how to develop positive life skills through basketball.
Each of these youth-led projects shows how Running Strong’s support turns local ideas into systems of wellness that endure beyond individual grant cycles.
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Community-Based Healing and Cultural Revitalization

Running Strong’s health programs emphasize that wellness is not just physical—it is spiritual, cultural, and environmental.
  • Traditional Healing & Environmental Wellness: Projects like Clyson Igarashi-Marquez’s (Native Hawaiian) “Ka Lei Ke’ia ‘Āina Aloha” in Hawaii connect the health of the people to the health of the land by restoring native plants for healing, lei-making, and reforestation, and like Shakotah Billie’s (Navajo Nation) teaching youth the tradition of “Hozho,” or being at one with and part of the world around you.
  • Healing Generational Trauma: Ku Stevens (Yerington Paiute) created the Remembrance Run, a 50-mile journey honoring residential school survivors and promoting healing through movement. The award-winning documentary Remaining Native, about Ku Stevens and of which Billy Mills is an Executive Producer, increases visibility of the Boarding School era and provides healing for communities and families impacted.
These initiatives reconnect health to cultural identity and community self-determination—hallmarks of Running Strong’s philosophy.
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Across four decades, Running Strong’s impact on health and wellness in tribal communities includes:
  • Hundreds of Native youth trained and mentored in health, wellness, and leadership fields.
  • Thousands of children and mothers supported with dental, hygiene, and maternal kits.
  • A growing national network of Native health professionals, educators, and advocates who carry these initiatives forward.