Lakota Friends Circle Fall 2021 Newsletter
Happy Fall from Lakota Friends Circle! Pine Ridge is still experiencing a number of new Covid cases, so far the youngest reported was 4 months old and the oldest was 101. Pine Ridge Reservation has lost 63 residents, Rosebud 32 and Yankton 26 residents to the virus since the pandemic began. The transmission rate is currently “High” on all three reservations.
Lakota Friends Circle and our partner groups Sew For Kids, For the Children of Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservation, Pine Ridge Elders and Halfknits continue to help wherever there are needs. These groups really make a difference to our assistance areas by donating ($30-$40,000 per year) the day to day needs of programs including school supplies, clothing, shoes, toys, books, bedding, toiletries, snacks, etc, but LFC depends on the monetary donations we receive from you to help cover their many other needs.
Scholarship Program
Last year LFC started a scholarship program for Lakota youth that wish to continue their education after high school. Our first recipient, Dustin, received a scholarship that he used to purchase tools and books for his studies at Dakota Tech; this year’s recipient, Jarron, was awarded a scholarship for his studies in civil engineering at the College of Mines. Thanks to your generous donations to the Education Program these two young men are on their way to a successful future.
Elementary Schools
LFC and partner groups are assisting 3 elementary schools; Marty Indian School on the Yankton Sioux Reservation, Wolf Creek School on PRR and Rosebud School on Rosebud Reservation. We also help supply Head Start classes with new books to help build their libraries. Your donations provide healthy snacks for students, especially in the afternoon as some may not eat again until breakfast at school the next day. Your donations allow us to purchase bulk school supplies, backpacks, shoes, books- including bilingual Lakota/English, arts/crafts supplies so kids can learn about their culture through traditional crafts. Children on the Rez don’t have access to books, especially at home, and this is one of the reasons for low test scores. Your donations make it possible for us to set up libraries in schools, our partner groups provide the books and LFC purchases bookcases, tables and other needs. Our goal is to instill the love of reading in each student which will hopefully improve their reading scores and encourage them to stay in school. Providing books for children is a priority with all the programs we support. Books are provided to nurses making home visits, we encourage donors to include a book in their Christmas gifts to kids, we support “Read Across America” day in schools and build libraries at the foster home and domestic abuse shelters where kids may stay for extended periods of time.
Baby Programs
Rosebud Sioux Tribe (RST) Maternal and Child Health serving women with high risk pregnancies and Bright Start on Pine Ridge Reservation that follows women during their pregnancies and their babies after birth through 3 years of age through home visits. Home visits give nurses the opportunity to help clients develop good parenting skills, make sure their babies are immunized, identify any health or developmental issues early so they can be properly treated, and look for any signs of postpartum depression which is prevalent on Indian reservations where women are isolated and lack resources. Your individual and recurring monthly donations to LFC’s special baby fund allows us to make monthly purchases of diapers, formula, and toiletries for these two programs and for any area that has babies in need. We share March of Dimes’ goal of ending preventable health risks and death for mothers and preventable preterm birth and infant death. Premature birth is the #1 cause of infant death in the US, we have a 9.8% preterm birth rate which is among the worst of high resource nations.
Domestic Abuse Shelters
LFC has been helping supply resources to domestic abuse shelters; Sacred Shawl Society on PRR and White Buffalo Calf Woman’s Society on Rosebud Reservation. Women and children use the shelters at WBCWS and Sacred Shawl and abused men on Rosebud are counseled at WBCWS but housed separately. In addition to providing safe housing for clients, these shelters give educational classes to clients on parenting, budgeting and home skills, building healthy, personal relationships and encouragement to enroll in GED programs if needed. Your donations purchase diapers, formula, toiletries, sanitary items, and cleaning supplies and furniture such as beds and dressers when needed. Generous members of our partner groups provide clothing, bedding, school supplies, toys, books, Christmas gifts and many other needs to both shelters. One of our groups recently donated funding for purchasing a new freezer for the Sacred Shawl Society which will allow them to buy in bulk and save money on food and also transportation costs.
Foster Homes
Maggies House, our newest donation area, opened in 2018 and serves youth and young adults aged 17- 24, maximum stay is 22 months. Many of these youth are homeless, come from dysfunctional homes, or have been part of a foster care system that has failed them. Some end up homeless, living on the streets and get involved with the drug scene, some even end up being trafficked or murdered. Unfortunately Maggies House had to close due to the pandemic in 2020 but they have continued to help homeless youth on the street by providing them with food, clothing and toiletries made possible through a CARES grant. The home will reopen in early November 2021 and will provide classes on budgeting, finding a job, getting back into school and benefits they may be entitled to such as food stamps and medical care. Clients pay $150 rent per month, if they’re unemployed, they can work at the home doing maintenance work. When clients receive food stamps they’re required to purchase their own food and cook their meals. Maggies House stresses a helping hand up not a hand out.
Your donations purchased 5 dressers, 6 lamps, 2 queen beds and 3 twin beds complete with new mattresses and covers. Partner groups are helping supply the home with towels, bed linens, blankets, pillows and kitchen items and clothing for clients. A generous donor recently sent funds to purchase a new freezer and microwave for the home.
Children in Need of Care is a foster home for children ages 0-12 located in Porcupine on Pine Ridge Reservation. Finding families/relatives to care for children who’ve been abused or neglected is not an easy task. Before the foster home opened many children would be placed in homes off the Rez and getting them back was difficult. Many children come from dysfunctional homes, usually one or more in the household are abusing drugs and/or alcohol resulting in violence and sexual abuse in some cases. This home provides a safe haven for these children and we really need your help to keep it open, it is currently LFC’s number one priority. They are operating on a shoestring budget and need help with utility bills, food, transportation costs, salaries and all the other needs children have. Grants are being applied for but they take time to be approved. They do receive a stipend of $17 per child per day from Child Protective Services which helps pay employee salaries, the Director and assistants receive no compensation.
Your generous donations have given LFC the funds to purchase a new washer and dryer, new mattresses, outdoor tables and play equipment, playpens and high chairs for babies, a bookcase, storage bins for clothing, a kitchen pantry shelf and a security system and office supplies such as ink and paper for all the applications they fill out for Child Protective Services. We purchase gas cards to help as nothing is right around the corner on the Rez, every destination requires traveling great distances which means if people don’t have the money to buy gas they must stay home from work or miss appointments. The foster home needs a van in good working condition to transport children to medical and court appointments, hopefully they can find one soon. Our monthly baby donation program provides diapers, formula, toiletries, and laundry detergent, partner groups supply clothing, toys, snacks, bedding, blankets, school supplies and many other needs.
Wanblee Community
LFC continues to help Wanblee with some of their needs but since there are several other nonprofits operating in the area our assistance is no longer critical. NAHA makes monthly and sometimes twice monthly deliveries, Running Strong helps with food and other needs, Families Working Together is located in Wanblee and there are other nonprofits there as well. You have donated so generously to Wanblee in the past that we feel Jerome and Theresa are in good shape for the future as they continue their work in the community.
LFC could not do any of this important work without the financial and moral support of our donors and all the members of our partner groups working with us. We hope you will continue to support Lakota Friends Circle so together we can help Lakota families in need. LFC will once again be participating in South Dakota Gives and Giving Tuesday, both held on November 30, a day when the world opens their wallets and their hearts to help others in need. These two events help us raise most of our funding for the year on that day. We welcome donations of any amount, no donation is too small, every little bit helps. Please consider making a donation that day. We will be posting information about the event on our LFC Facebook page over the next month. Another way to help us is by using Amazon Smile and choosing Lakota Friends Circle as your charity. We receive a small percentage of your purchases as a charitable donation from Amazon with no cost to you.
Thank you for your kindness and support over the years! The kids need us, the future of the Lakota Nation is their youth.