Schools, Organizations, Businesses and Families Come Together to Fulfill Hundreds of “Dear Santa” Letters in the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s Annual Christmas Toy Drive
The American actress and singer-songwriter Dale Evans perhaps said it best when she noted, “Christmas, my child, is love in action.” And nowhere else is that more true than in Colorado, where schools, businesses, community organizations, families and individuals all along the Front Range have come together to take part in the Cheyenne River Youth Project®’s Christmas Toy Drive, which serves more than 1,200 children on South Dakota’s remote, 2.8-million-acre Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.
While the Christmas season should be a glorious time for children everywhere, many Cheyenne River families find that their budgets simply cannot stretch to cover holiday gifts. Here, where the unemployment rate hovers around 75 percent, roughly 50 percent of households fall below the poverty level. Of the reservation’s two counties, Ziebach is the poorest in the United States, with Dewey in the top 10.
Thanks to CRYP’s annual Christmas Toy Drive, each participating child receives one or two gifts from his or her Santa list, plus much-needed winter clothing. And with more than 1,200 children eagerly waiting for Santa, that means staff and volunteers in Eagle Butte must sort, wrap and distribute literally thousands of presents.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that many of these children would otherwise have nothing on Christmas morning,” observed Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “For them, donors and volunteers are literally making Christmas happen — they’re bringing all the joy and magic of the holiday into these families’ homes. That knowledge inspires all of us, especially when we’re working such long hours for days and even weeks prior to the holiday.”
Garreau acknowledged that CRYP would not be able to provide a happy Christmas for so many children without the generous donations of gifts, funds and wrapping supplies that pour into Eagle Butte from around the country. Already, CRYP has welcomed truckloads of Christmas presents from Running Strong for American Indian Youth in Alexandria, Virginia, and from a dedicated group of donors in Chesterfield, Missouri.
On Wednesday morning, December 19, CRYP will welcome a third truck from Boulder, Colorado. There, students at Fairview High School have led the community-wide charge to fulfill the “Dear Santa” wishes of roughly 500 children. The school’s student council has been a valuable CRYP Christmas Toy Drive partner for more than a decade; each year, teacher Darrell Billington and a student coordinator make sure that gifts for hundreds of Cheyenne River children are assembled at the school and loaded onto a delivery vehicle in time for the holidays.
Senior Taylor Kessock is this year’s student leader, and she worked closely with CRYP staff to arrange the gift pick-up at Boulder’s Fairview High School at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, December 18.
This year, the Fairview High School delivery truck is going to be even bigger than usual. Joining the hundreds of gifts from the Boulder community will be 10 bicycles, donated by Doug Emerson of renowned University Bicycles in Boulder; gifts collected by the Louisville, Colorado-based law firm Fredericks Peebles & Morgan; and gifts for an additional 138 children provided by organizations, families and individuals in the Denver and Colorado Springs metro areas.
Deborah L. Smith supervised the Denver and Colorado Springs collections, and she is driving a trailer filled with gifts to Boulder to meet the delivery truck. An enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Smith and her husband, Steven, have been involved with CRYP for years, providing funds, food, cleaning supplies, school supplies, arts and crafts supplies, winter coats, hats, gloves, boots, dress clothes and even prom dresses for the springtime Passion for Fashion event. This is the first year, however, that they’ve gotten involved in fulfilling “Dear Santa” letters.
“I’m the first generation born off the reservation, an urban Indian who is trying to help my community,” Smith explained. I’m also one of six children whose father never learned to support his family off the reservation. I can empathize with the kids and families living on the reservation who are struggling with income; we were lucky if we got a Christmas present.
“I was raised by my grandmother to believe that, as an Indian, I am rich by what I give away, including my time to my community,” she continued. “I’m trying by example to raise my children and grandchildren to understand and maintain the same values. We must all give back to have a future in Indian country.”
Smith acknowledged the generous support of the employees of Colorado Architectural Millwork Supply in Colorado Springs; the owners of that company, Darryl and Debbie Brant, who also got a group from Woodmen Valley Chapel involved; the congregation of the Eastside Church of Christ; Coral Cornish and the Full Spectrum Art & Glass Supply & Gallery; Pikes Peak Christian School; employees and friends of Stephanie Smith, Deb Smith’s daughter, who works for LINCARE DME; Jared Galleria of Jewelry; Cheyenne Mountain High School; Taylor Elementary School; and the Ladies of Harley, Pikes Peak Chapter No. 405, all in Colorado Springs. Smith also recognized the employees at the CBOPC Veterans Administration Center in Denver, where she also works.
“We had no understanding of what is possible to achieve,” she reflected on this year’s experience. “Next year, we want to attempt an even larger circulation of ‘Dear Santa’ letters!”
Christened Rudolph One, the Colorado Christmas truck will make an enormous difference in CRYP’s Christmas Toy Drive. But there’s still more to be done — and there’s still time to help. To learn more about the Christmas Toy Drive, CRYP and its many programs and services, call (605) 964-8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
“I always remind people that they’re giving our children something much more important than toys,” Julie Garreau noted. “You’re giving them a sense of normalcy, letting them know that they deserve this holiday, just like other kids. You’re giving them happiness, a feeling of being loved and treasured. And you’re giving them hope.”
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project® and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visitwww.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, visit the youth project’s Facebook “Cause” page. All Cause members will receive regular updates through Facebook.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project®, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.
There are several ways to help CRYP with its 2011 Christmas Toy Drive:
Make a tax-deductible donation by sending cash, a check or a money order to: The Cheyenne River Youth Project, P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625.
Make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal on the CRYP Web site at www.lakotayouth.org.
Donate a gift. Click here for the most-requested-gift list or, to request a specific “letter to Santa,” contact CRYP Family Services at (605) 964-8200 or via e-mail at familyservices@lakotayouth.org.
Donate gift cards, gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue paper, tape or anything else that might assist in toy-drive preparations.
Consider donating a Santa suit, as CRYP’s existing suits are getting somewhat dated.
Spread the word. If you have friends or family members who might like to make a donation, please let them know how they can help.
Click here for a list of the most-requested gift items.