For the eighth year in a row, the local Dairy Queen in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, is planning to host a very special fundraising event to benefit the Cheyenne River Youth Project®. From Sunday, June 18 to Saturday, June 24, $1 from the purchase of each Blizzard, shake or malt will be donated to the local nonprofit, grassroots youth organization.
During “Sweet Tooth for Youth,” the youth project’s staff and DQ owners Lonnie and Jackie Heier are hoping to raise $2,000 to benefit summer youth programming at The Main, CRYP’s youth center dedicated to 4- to 12-year-olds. These programs include Bike Club, Summer Literacy, Garden Club, arts and crafts, and other innovative daily activities; the funding also will support summer field trips for the younger children.
“Our partnership with the Heiers goes back nearly a decade, and today Lonnie serves on our board of directors,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “We’re deeply honored that he and Jackie, and the entire DQ team, have been so willing to support us once again. “We look forward to this every year. It’s a fun week in town, and it’s always special to see how our entire community pulls together to make sure our younger children have a summer to remember.”
Some of these younger children are second-generation participants at CRYP, which has been serving children and families on South Dakota’s remote, 2.8-million-acre Cheyenne River reservation for nearly 30 years. Garreau acknowledged the importance of community fundraisers like this one, which do more than simply raise money for a cause.
“Community fundraisers forge valuable partnerships and bring members of the community together for a common purpose,” she explained. “That’s important for all of us.”
When the fundraiser kicks off on Sunday, June 4, CRYP will post fundraising updates through social media. To follow the fundraiser’s progress as it marches toward its $2,000 goal, join CRYP’s online community and log on throughout the week.
To stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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.