Together, DQ & CRYP Hope to Raise $2,000 to Support Youth Programming
Once again, the Cheyenne River community is preparing to rally around the nearly 25-year-old, not-for-profit Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte. This month is the annual “Sweet Tooth for Youth” fundraiser at the local Dairy Queen, which means $1 from every Blizzard, shake and malt will benefit CRYP youth programming and services.
The fundraiser is scheduled for Sunday, May 13 to Sunday, May 20. CRYP staff and DQ owners Lonnie and Jackie Heier are hoping to raise $2,000 in the weeklong event.
“There is no sweeter fundraiser than a heartfelt community effort,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “Lonnie and Jackie proposed the idea to us a few years ago, and they’ve always embraced it 100 percent. We’re thrilled that they’ve been willing to host the fundraiser every year; it means so much to have a local business show this kind of support. They honor us with their friendship.”
Garreau observed that “Sweet Tooth for Youth” will give local families — and children of all ages — an opportunity to show their own support for the grassroots organization, which has now served the Cheyenne River reservation for nearly a quarter century.
“We want the community to know that the money raised through the DQ fundraiser will go directly to our youth programming,” she said. “Every Blizzard treat, malt and shake purchased during the week of May 13 will help offset our costs for popular activities such as Midnight Basketball, Main University, the monthly birthday parties, our special Carnival and Luau events, field trips and so much more.”
While many of CRYP’s fundraising efforts are national and even international in scale, Garreau emphasized that community fundraisers play a crucial role.
“A community fundraiser goes beyond simply raising money for a cause,” she explained. “It fosters tremendous goodwill. Whether it’s ‘Sweet Tooth for Youth,’ a bake sale, a basketball tournament or volunteers donning Gorilla suits and singing at schools and offices, community fundraisers bring people together.
“The Cheyenne River community is so generous and supportive,” she added. “People feel strongly about participating in something worthy, and they give what they can. A fundraiser like ‘Sweet Tooth for Youth’ may seem small at first, but it’s yet another example of a community working together for the sake of its children.”
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 visit www.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.