For many years, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, and Alexandria-based Running Strong for American Indian Youth® have worked together to provide valuable programs and services on the remote Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. And, after the 2013-14 fiscal year closed on June 30, the 25-year-old youth project announced that the partnership once again successfully served the local community through the Heat Assistance and Home Improvement programs; scholarships to assist groups with renting facilities at CRYP’s East Lincoln Street campus; a food grant; and a variety of much-needed, in-kind donations.
The Heat Assistance Program, which took place in February and March, assisted local families with their propane and electric bills or with their firewood purchases. Through this program, Cheyenne River families may request matching funds up to $100 to help cover their fuel costs when they most need it. CRYP processes the requests and works with local providers to ensure that each family receives assistance as soon as possible.
All a family member needs to apply for the matching funds is a $25 minimum contribution and an annual membership in CRYP’s Family Services. This year, thanks to $20,000 in grant funding from Running Strong, CRYP was able to provide matching funds to 1,318 individuals in 216 families — 795 of those individuals were children.
“It was a very cold winter, with very high propane costs, so the heat-match funds were greatly appreciated here on Cheyenne River,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “Some families told us that they would have run out of propane without the support.
Next, in this year’s Home Improvement Program, the youth organization was able to assist 15 families with the $15,000 Running Strong grant for home repairs. These families included 72 individuals, 32 of which were children.
The youth project began accepting applications in February and closed out the program in June. The program provides grants up to $1,000 per family for making basic repairs to improve overall quality of life, which might include repairs to plumbing, heating units and water heaters; replacing doors, windows, siding, and floors; and removing mold growth.
“Our home is old and solid, but due to a broken water pipe, it suffered mold and mildew problems in the kitchen and the adjoining room, which is my daughter’s bedroom,” said Medina Matonis, a Cheyenne River resident. “The floors and subfloors had to be removed to eliminate the mold. For a short time, my daughter’s floor was a danger to her; she would stub a toe or get a splinter from the plywood. With the mold and mildew removed and new floors laid down, her room is much safer and cleaner. My family and I are deeply thankful for (CRYP’s) help and involvement with the improvement of our family’s living conditions.”
As with Heat Assistance, the Home Improvement Program is offered through CRYP’s Family Services, created in 2002 to manage the increasing amounts of donated supplies that the not-for-profit youth project provides to local families year-round. To participate in the program, all local families need to do is pay a $30 annual membership fee. That small one-time payment covers all family members for the entire year, and the proceeds support the program infrastructure so Family Services can remain a reliable community resource in the years to come.
Although the annual membership fees cover many of the department’s operational expenses, Garreau advised that CRYP wouldn’t be able to offer such critical services as heat matching and home improvements without Running Strong’s support.
“The Running Strong grants allow us to offer these programs year after year, and we’re deeply grateful,” she said. “Matching grants can mean the difference between staying warm and freezing during a brutally cold South Dakota winter. And the home improvement grants give families the help they need to really take ownership of their homes and feel good about where they live.”
To further support the Family Services department, Running Strong provided more than $125,000 in in-kind donations. These items included sheets, blankets and other bedding; winter clothes and shoes; diapers; hygiene items; laundry detergent; fully loaded elementary-school kits for the annual School Supplies Drive; and toys for the annual Christmas Toy Drive and other special distributions.
Surveys have shown that most member households use CRYP’s Family Services once per quarter, although a sizable group does come in once per month. Most also participate in the organized distributions — including the Christmas Toy Drive, which served more than 1,200 children in 19 reservation communities this past year.
Outside of Family Services, Running Strong grants also support rental scholarships to cover fees for using CRYP facilities. As Garreau observed, in remote north-central South Dakota, facilities for large-scale group meetings, special events, workshops, seminars and sports camps are in short supply. That’s why CRYP makes its state-of-the-art, 26,000-square-foot Cokata Wiconi teen center available to other organizations.
The youth organization relies on rental fees to help support its ongoing programming, services and day-to-day operations, Garreau said staff members also recognize that other community groups, particularly not-for-profits, might not have room in their budgets for such fees. Enter Running Strong — in the last year, its $15,000 scholarship fund has allowed the grassroots, not-for-profit youth project to accommodate a variety of local groups who wouldn’t have otherwise been able to conduct their classes, camps and special events.
“Thanks to the Running Strong scholarships, we rented our facilities to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s Headstart program once for its powwow and 32 times for recess during inclement weather,” Garreau said. “We also welcomed a large basketball tournament hosted by ICWA, and the Mni ‘Water Is Life’ presentation.”
Other events included the Word Carrier Trading Post’s book fairs, the Canli Coalition’s anti-smoking presentations, Girls Traveling Basketball Team practices, the Soiled Hands Society membership drive, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte cheerleading practices, and Mitzis Ballet practices.
Cokata Wiconi’s facilities include a full-size gymnasium, a formal dance studio, a large library, a computer lab, a classroom and the Keya Cafe, which provides Internet access and a commercial kitchen. CRYP also has a large movie screen and projector for presentations. Groups may rent all or some of the available facilities, depending on their events’ parameters. The nearly 5,000-square-foot Main youth center also is available for rental.
“We’ve always intended Cokata Wiconi to serve as a gathering place, and as a shared resource, for community organizations and groups here on the Cheyenne River reservation and throughout South Dakota’s West River country,” Garreau said. “Thanks to Running Strong, we can make that vision a reality.”
Finally, Running Strong’s food grant supports CRYP’s ongoing efforts to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks and meals at the Cokata Wiconi teen center, and it has provided funds for food purchases through Lakota Thrifty Mart in Eagle Butte and the food bank in Pierre.
“Once again, we’re deeply grateful to Running Strong for helping us meet so many needs in our community,” Garreau said. “With their assistance, we’re better able to support our families and our children, and we’re looking forward to continuing all of these programs in the new fiscal year!”
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.