Thank you from Running Strong!
Thank you for helping us to accomplish so much this year! Together we can do even more in 2016!
Dreamstarters Share What Native American Heritage Month Means to Them
From Cristin Haase Native American Heritage Month is a chance to celebrate our living culture but also to educate the broader community to the fact that we’re still here. Its important to do this not only for ourselves, but also for the larger society. From Noah Hotchkiss Native American […]
Operation Snowsuit. It’s about the 10,000 kids
Life is harsh on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where 49 percent of the residents live below the federal poverty level, 61 percent of them under 18 years old. Parents on Pine Ridge do all they can for their children but face great challenges just putting food on the table, a roof over their heads, and […]
Turning Miles into Miracles: 2015 Team Running Strong Marine Corps Marathon Weekend
On October 25, 2015, 20 runners from across the country came together and represented Team Running Strong at the 40th Marine Corps Marathon and 10k in Washington, DC. Team Running Strong is the official charity team for Running Strong for American Indian Youth and 2015 marked their 11th running in the Marine Corps Marathon. Members of this year’s […]
Running Strong grants $10K to help connect elders & youth
Running Strong has granted $10K to the nonprofit organization, Native Americans for Community Action (NACA), to help connnect elders and youth from the Navajo & Hopi tribes. The Navajo-Hopi observer reports: “The program is an elder/youth program where NACA hopes elders and others in the community who have trades, skills and information would add to the cultural […]
A History of Water of Pine Ridge: From Truckload, to Wells, to Water Lines and Returning to Our Root
Our History When Running Strong for American Indian Youth® was formed in 1986, getting clean, safe drinking water to Native Americans on Pine Ridge was among its first top priority. Running Strong founder Gene Krizek can still recall loading up a truck with 500 gallons of water and dispensing it to families who would fill […]
Dreamstarters Attend First White House Tribal Youth Gathering
Yesterday, July 9, 2015, was the inaugural White House Tribal Youth Gathering. Over 1,000 Native youth, representing 48 states, and over 275 different tribes were in attendance and had the opportunity to engage in dialogue about issues impacting Indian Country. There were panels and presentations by several Cabinet officials, the White House Council on Native American Affairs, […]
Native Runners, Families Came Together for Billy Mills Honor Run in Albuquerque
On June 13, there was a Billy Mills honor run in Albuquerque, NM. The morning was overcast and a little chill in the air. This was a perfect morning for hundreds of people to come together and gather as a community to celebrate Billy Mills. From waiting in the long line of cars entering the […]
May Is National Physical Fitness And Sports Month
May Is National Physical Fitness And Sport Month. It is an exciting month for Running Strong! This month, Billy Mills was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN). The President’s Council Lifetime Achievement Award is given to up to five people each year “whose careers have greatly contributed […]
Dreamstarter Academy Review
Last week Running Strong staff hosted the 2015 Dreamstarters and their mentors in Washington, DC for Dreamstarter Academy. It was an amazing week of trainings, touring the city, and getting to know each other! See more photos from the week in our Facebook photo album! Here is a little summary of what we did during […]
South Dakota Tribes & Families Win Major Victory in Indian Child Welfare Act Case
South Dakota tribes & families just won a major victory in a case concerning the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the practices of South Dakota state officials. What the case was about American Indian parents & guardians, along with the Oglala Lakota Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, challenged practices related to South Dakota […]
Barefeet Program Helps Kids Have New Shoes
Right now, we are in the midst of planning a shoe shopping spree for American Indian youth in South Dakota and beyond. Shoes can be expensive, and kids often have worn out hand-me-down pairs from older siblings. A new pair of shoes is a necessity, and new shoes can give kids so much happiness and […]
Olympian Billy Mills Names First-Ever “Dreamstarter” Grantees
Today, Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills announced the first class of American Indian youth to receive $10,000 Dreamstarter grants for projects that help them bring their dreams to life. Each of the ten Dreamstarter recipients, who are all American Indian youth under age 30, will work together with a community nonprofit on a project to […]
25th Annual Women’s Memorial March Commemorates Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
This Valentine’s Day, the 25th annual Women’s Memorial March will take place in Vancouver, Canada, to commemorate missing and murdered Indigenous women. The Vancouver march is expected to draw thousands of people. The Facebook group for the event has over 1,400 members. The march will begin with speeches from family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and […]
Obama Administration requests $1 Billion for American Indian Education in FY2016 Budget
The Obama Administration released a budget proposal on February 2, requesting $1 billion for American Indian Education in FY2016. How would the money be spent? Here are some of the ways: Reforming the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE): Approximately $150 million, according to Politico Pro. School construction: About $133 million, which is an increase of […]
Native Great Plains Group Calls on President to Veto Keystone Pipeline
With the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress working to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, Great Plains tribes are calling on President Obama to veto any legislation passed to authorize its construction. On January 11, the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association (GPTCA) sent a letter to Obama signed by its Chairman, John Steele, President of the Oglala Sioux […]
Pine Ridge Residents Apply for Heat Match
On Wednesday, January 7, the wind chill factor was nearing -30°F on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Running Strong for American Indian Youth® field coordinator Dave Lone Elk told us his young daughter was bundled up that day in “a full-on snowsuit” with long johns and snow boots . Left: Over 30 residents lined […]
Slim Buttes Agricultural Program Profiled in In-Depth Article
An in depth profile of the Slim Buttes Agricultural (SBAG) Program was recently written by Elizabeth M. Hoover for the website From Garden Warriors to Good Seeds: Indigenizing the Local Food Movement. If you’re interested in learning more about the program, this piece is a great resource. The piece explores the history of the program, as well […]
“I Was There 50 Years Ago” – Billy Mills’ 50th 10k Olympic Anniversary
Dear Friends, 50 years ago today, I stood in the stands and watched as my husband, Billy Mills, achieved his dream of winning Olympic gold in the 10,000 meters in Tokyo. I didn’t think I could ever be more proud. But it’s what Billy and I have done together since his race that fills me […]
Culture and Language – Strength in the Traditional Ways
The Euchee (Yuchi) Language Project is dedicated to teaching their tribe about Euchee language, culture, and history. The project has three components: an after school language program for children ages 3 to 18, a Master-Apprentice program for young adults and instructors, and a community language class offered one evening a week. A new addition to […]
Summer Food Boxes are Feeding Families on Pine Ridge
Last month, 800 Pine Ridge families received dry food boxes from Running Strong! Usually we send frozen food boxes, but in the hot summer months it is difficult to unload the frozen boxes before they melt in the South Dakota sun. To solve this problem we are trying out the dry boxes this summer. If […]
Running Strong Staff Visits Summer Youth Feeding Program & More in South Dakota
Recently, Running Strong staff members Audrey and Julia went to the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Indian Reservations to see the Summer Youth Feeding Program in action, and plan for the 25th Anniversary Running Strong Reservations Tour. The Summer Youth Feeding Program runs from June through August, when kids are out of school for the […]
The Food Programs You Support Keep Children Healthy and Happy Through School Year and Summer!
In May, Running Strong staff members Audrey and Julia visited the Menominee Indian School District, where Running Strong funds the Smart Sacks Program. Through the Smart Sacks program, you help provide kids in pre-K through 5th grade with healthy food to take home on the weekends, so that they can return to school ready to learn on Mondays. […]
Brave Heart Society “Calling Back the Spirit”
The Brave Heart Society is the revival of a traditional cultural society for women and works tirelessly at “calling home the spirit of the culture.” Due to government intervention, the boarding school system, and the breakdown of families due to poverty, the Dakota people lost much of their traditional knowledge. In 1994, the Brave Heart […]
