Native American Connection

New Web Site

Bill Dickson — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:59:26 +0000

Welcome to our new website. Over the next couple weeks we will be delivering updated news and information regarding what it is that we do, how we do it and what we need from you to help our needs so we may continue helping others to learn to help themselves. After everything is set up and ready to go, we will allow members to join us for discussions and comments. We probably will not open it up for anyone to make a comment due to the massive amounts of spam that’s associated with web sites these days. But we will allow legit people to register. Our overall-look-and-feel will be changing also during our transition.

Thanks for your patience and check back often.

Christmas 2009

Pat — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:00:06 +0000

Just like the rest of us, the people on the reservation are struggling even more than usual right now because of the economy. Organizations who usually donate gifts and/or money do not have it to give because their funding is down. We are all struggling…NAC can definitely testify to this! For the past several years, we have been fortunate enough to receive or be able to purchase enough gifts so about 1200 children get one larger gift and one small gift. Marion and I personally buy as many as we can afford in order to supplement the donations. Our target is children from six months to 15-17 years. They love the same things our children and grandchildren enjoy: skateboards, CD players and CD’s, small electronic items, personal grooming items, books, school supplies, clothes, jewelry, bikes, trikes, wagons, baby dolls, art supplies, and so on. What we have done for the past few years is invite grandparents to come and choose two gifts for each of their grandchildren. They must register their name and their grand- children’s’ names so we can keep track of who has received gifts. They do not have to buy them. We also accept used toys that are clean and in good condition. We do not monitor the number of used toys distributed. We try to get to the reservation a week or two before Christmas, sometimes making two or three trips. Call Marion at (303) 665-7303 or Pat at (303) 702-1869 if you have any questions.

(Note: First Christmas truck leaves 12/21/09.)

Thanksgiving 2009

Pat — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:00:25 +0000

Collection of turkeys for this year’s Thanksgiving Dinner on the Reservation will begin at Atonement Lutheran Church in Boulder the first Saturday of November (call Marion to confirm – (303) 665-7303). We can also use food donations such as potatoes, green beans and/or corn in gallon cans, black and green olives, pickles, canned pumpkin, whipped cream, pie crusts, spices, sugar, oil, eggs, apples, celery, walnuts, Kraft Miracle Whip dinner rolls and butter.

Financial contributions are welcomed to help with the above

The dinner will be served to all residents of the Cheyenne River Reservation on Sunday, November 22 at Noon; it is held at the Senior Nutrition Center in Eagle Butte. SD. A group of volunteers from Minnesota will bring their turkey roaster, which can roast 40-50 turkeys at one time! Marion has been providing this dinner with turkey and all the trimmings for 20 years. A group of young adults from Marquette, Michigan has helped prepare the dinner for 10-12 years, along with the Nutrition Center staff, Marion and NAC volunteers. It is a wonderful social gathering, with people starting to arrive at 10:30 a.m. just for the enjoyment of visiting. (This year we ARE taking a turkey sandwich along with us to the motel after the dinner is over!! We learned the hard way last year!) It is a lot of work, but it is so rewarding to see people enjoying themselves. Give Marion a call at 303-665-7303 or Pat at 303-702-1869 if you have any questions.

Summer 2009

Pat — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:00:49 +0000

Marion Clifford, NAC Director, continues to need our prayers and support. After all the events reported in the Winter/Spring newsletter, Marion suffered a severe episode of Vertigo in mid-June and ended up in the hospital for several days. From there she went to Life Care Center in Longmont, CO for two weeks. Since that time, she has been unable to drive and has had to use a walker in order to avoid falls, due to continuing dizzy spells caused by Vertigo. Not “having wheels” and being ”grounded” in her apartment causes Marion much frustration/anxiety about being in control of her life and living it as usual. The good news is that this is hopefully a temporary situation and, other than anxiety/panic attacks, she is a very healthy and determined woman! Please keep Marion in your prayers for continued improvement. NAC needs your prayers for financial assistance. In these tough times, donations have fallen off greatly and we are still trying to continue NAC’s mission.

Two Trips to Cheyenne River Reservation

Marion’s son, Richard, and her friend, Sharon, drove one truckload of supplies to the reservation in late August. That truckload went to Eagle Butte and was met by many volunteers from the CRR Tribal Council, who unloaded and sorted the donations. There were people with pickup trucks loading up goods for distribution to each of the villages on the reservation. Richard’s friend, Duane, and Marion’s friend, Sharon, took another truckload up to the town of Dupree a week or so later; the Sheriff and many volunteers were on hand to unload the truck and sort the donations in order that all CRR villages would benefit. Those two trips managed to empty two of six storage units!

Pat and a friend and co-worker, June, spent a day and a half sorting donations and packing boxes just before the second truck headed to the reservation. We are so thankful for those who can give their time, as well as those who can give monetary support.

The CRR Tribal Council has volunteered to meet future trucks with volunteers to sort and box items and ensure that each village on the reservation gets a fair share of the donations. We have been wishing for their involvement for a long time! This will eliminate the numerous hours Marion and a volunteer spend at the storage units going through each box or bag, sorting the good items from those not so good, then packing, taping and labeling each box. Volunteers right at the reservation say they will do that for us. This will enable us to get donations out of the storage units more quickly and we will not have to pay for as many storage units once we get the current ones emptied.