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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 […]

Video: 2016 Running Strong Highlights

Wow! What a year it’s been. 160,000 pounds of food delivered Dozens of community gardens yielding harvests for hundreds 3000 coats and boots for children More than 10 homes now have running water 2694 Smile Strong dental kits Standing with the Water Protectors 10 Dreamstarters Watch our end of year video to see all this, […]

Update from Billy’s Trip to Standing Rock

On December 4, Billy Mills reached the water protectors’ camps at Standing Rock. He travelled there with fellow former Olympian, hockey great Henry Boucha (Ojibwe), to voice support for the water protectors. Mills and Boucha arrived at Standing Rock shortly after the Army Corps on Engineers announced that they would not grant the easement for […]

Running Strong for American Indian Youth®: Standing Strong with Standing Rock

Running Strong for American Indian Youth® co-founder and national spokesperson Billy Mills and former professional hockey player Henry Boucha share a lot in common. They are both extremely proud of their Native American Heritage: Mills, Oglala Lakota, grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; and Boucha, Ojibwe, grew up in Northern […]

VIDEO: Native American Inter-Tribal Dances

Year 2 Dreamstarter Ruben Zendejas shared a video highlighting different forms of Native American Inter-Tribal dances that went along with a lesson plan for teachers that he had been distributing. Showcasing different dance styles and sharing Native cultural practices with the broader community is one of the aims for Ruben’s Dreamstarter Project, the Dancing Strong […]

Bring Christmas joy to kids with Toys for Tribes

Toys for Tribes benefits youth on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, in South Dakota. These children are growing up in one of the five poorest counties in the United States, where they must endure poverty, geographic isolation, and harsh South Dakota winters on the plains. Each year, they write letters to Santa, and we […]

Dreamstarter JoRee LaFrance updates us on her Dreamstarter Project

The school year always starts out with our Crow Fair celebration in August. Equivalent to New Years, Crow Fair is a time where we come together with our families to remember and honor those who have come before and our culture. I had the opportunity to meet with some elders who supported my “Apsàalooke Voices […]

Warm Feet Make for Warm Hearts

Throughout the spring, summer and fall all across Indian County Running Strong for American Indian Youth® provides thousands of Native American children with brand new, proper-fitting shoes. During those months, these sneakers – perhaps the only pair of new shoes just for them the child has ever owned – serve them perfectly well for school […]

Billy Mills, on behalf of Running Strong for American Indian Youth

On behalf of Running Strong for American Indian Youth and its national spokesperson, Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills, we stand with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its leadership who are fighting to protect their drinking water, irrigation water, their community health and sacred lands. Our national spokesperson, Billy Mills, just returned from the main […]

Together We’re Helping Native Youth Get Ready For School

In a few short weeks, a new school year will begin and American Indian children living on and off reservations will be returning to school. Unfortunately, for too many American Indian families, notebooks, pens, pencils and other school supplies are simply an unaffordable luxury, especially in families with several school-age children where the multiplied costs […]

Dreamstarter Jacquelyn Nielsen reflects on her Dreamstarter project

When I reflect on the past year of my grant I am in awe. I have been challenged mentally, physically, and spiritually in the journey to fulfill my Dreamstarter project. The opportunity provided to me by Running Strong has definitely supported my own personal growth and and has shown me what I am capable of […]

What’s In a SmileStrong Kit?

Toothpaste: High quality, full size tube of toothpaste. Flossers: These make it easier and more fun for kids to floss! Kids’ Toothbrushes: A smaller size for smaller mouths. Toothbrushes: Two adult-size toothbrushes for older youth. 2-Minute Timer: Brushing for the right amount of time is important! This timer helps kids know how long to brush. […]

Billy Mills: A poll doesn’t give a team the right to use an offensive name

Regarding the May 20 Sports article “Snyder ‘gratified’ by poll, vows name will carry on” in the Washington Post: When considering the serious and contentious issue of the Washington football team’s name, it is important not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Stereotyping is one such mistake. Flawed polling methodology is another. For more […]

Running Strong Summer Food Program to Begin in June

In a few short weeks, classes will end for the summer break on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation and hundreds of children will not be receiving the nutritious and filling breakfasts and lunches they get each weekday when school in is session. That’s why Running Strong for American Indian Youth® supports the Summer Youth Feeding […]

Running Strong Secures $72,594 for Oyate Teca Gardening Project

This spring, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® has helped to secure three grants totaling $72,594 for the Oyate Teca Project’s youth gardening program known as the Medicine Root Gardening Project in Kyle, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The First Nations Development Institute (FDNI) awarded a grant in the amount of $33,072, […]

Dreamstarter Academy: Year 2

April 10-14 we hosted the 2016 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! Sunday On Sunday, 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 […]

Runner’s Spotlight – Rilee Good Eagle

1. When and why did you start running? It was during my elementary school years and an older relative introduced me to some fitness exercises and slowly began running in the open prairies, and it was then my passion for running began. 2. What is your best running memory? It was during my later elementary […]

Thank You Letter from Department of the Interior

In January our field office was able to donate some winter coats and boots to the Pine Ridge Bureau of Indian Affairs coat drive and we recieved this letter of gratitude!

Waterlilly Story Telling Institute

We recognize the vital importance of keeping Native American traditional cultures alive by supporting programs linking elders with young people to pass on their oral history through storytelling. Running Strong is proud to support the annual Waterlilly Storytelling Institute, organized by the Brave Heart Society on the Yankton Reservation in South Dakota in which more […]

Dreamstarters Named By Billy Mills Take Top Honors

Indian Country Today published an article on January 22, 2016 that discussed some of the successes of the Year 1 Dreamstarters. Excerpt: “On October 14, 2014, fifty years to the day since Oglala Lakota runner Billy Mills’s historic gold medal win in the 10,000-meter run, Mills andRunning Strong for American Indian YouthannouncedDreamstarter, a […]

Operation Snowsuit was a success

Operation Snowsuit was a success! Thousands of Native youth will be warm this winter with brand new coats, hats, gloves, scarves & winter boots thanks to your support. Here are some of the things our program partners, who work in Native communities, told us about the winter wear distributions: “Yesterday we received our donation […]

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