The Cheyenne River Youth Project has launched its annual Family Services Membership Drive, giving local families an opportunity to join the Family Services program or renew their membership for a discounted rate of $25. This opportunity is available through Saturday, Oct. 31.
One Family Services membership covers an entire household for 12 months, providing access to monthly assistance with household supplies, baby needs and personal hygiene items. Member families also are eligible for CRYP’s signature seasonal distributions, including school supplies, winter clothing and shoes, and personalized holiday gifts through the long-running Wo Otúh’an Wi (Moon of Giving Away Presents) Toy Drive.
Beginning Nov. 1, the annual membership fee will return to $30.
For CRYP, Family Services is an important extension of its work with children and teens across the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. By helping families meet everyday household needs, the youth project can help ease some of the pressures facing parents and caregivers.
“Young people are at the heart of everything we do, and over the years, we’ve learned that one of the best ways to serve our children is to support their families,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s founder and chief executive officer. “If we can make life just a little easier by helping with household supplies, diapers, hygiene products, school supplies or warm clothing, that makes a difference for the whole family.”
The fall membership drive also comes as CRYP prepares for Wo Otúh’an Wi, its annual holiday toy drive. Family Services members receive Wish Lists for the children in their households, which CRYP then shares with supporters across the country.
Each year, the program serves approximately 1,500 children across the 2.8-million-acre Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, each of whom receives several wrapped gifts carefully selected from their personal Wish List.
Local families may join Family Services or renew their memberships online at lakotayouth.org/programs/family-services/membership/ or visit CRYP’s Eagle Butte office, located within the Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life) Teen Center, to sign up in person.
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 lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Vimeo and YouTube.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River Sioux 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.