The Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, is pleased to welcome a new member to its full-time staff. This month, Kellie Jewett officially joined the 23-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization as its development director. The position was made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention.
Jewett will be responsible for providing coordination and oversight of all fundraising activities, including corporate, federal, state and foundation giving; individual and major donor giving; planned giving; event planning and implementation; marketing; donor management and donor cultivation. According to Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director, Jewett was the perfect candidate for the job — and then some.
“We were hoping to find someone with at least five years of demonstrated success as a fundraising and communications professional,” she explained. “We were hoping for someone with a master’s degree. Not only did Kellie recently earn her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a focus on American Indian entrepreneurship, her level of experience in the not-for-profit world is extraordinary.”
Most recently, Jewett served as the associate director of entrepreneurship and enterprise development for First Nations Oweesta Corporation, where she worked with native communities to strengthen tribal economies. In that role, she managed and provided training and technical assistance to more than 40 tribal organizations across the United States.
Prior to that, Jewett served as manager of scholarships for the American Indian College Fund, where she administered more than $4 million in scholarship funds each year. She also worked in the development department for the Native American Rights Fund, gaining knowledge and experience in not-for-profit fundraising while assisting with donor prospecting, grant writing, tribal fundraising and special event planning.
“Kellie is absolutely the right person for this position,” Garreau said. “And given the ongoing challenges of the current economic climate, CRYP needs someone with these skills and this advanced level of education, training and experience. We’ve been an important part of children’s lives on the Cheyenne River reservation for nearly a quarter century, and we need to make sure that all the pieces are in place to guarantee that we’re around for another quarter century and beyond.”
Jewett understands this better than most. While she has made her home in Denver, Colorado, for the last several years, she was born and raised on Cheyenne River. And she still refers to it as home.
“I’m so excited that I’ve joined the CRYP team,” Jewett said. “I’m very passionate about working in the native not-for-profit sector, so I’m delighted to have this opportunity to help contribute to the great work CRYP has been doing for so many years.
“As a member of the Cheyenne River tribal community, I’ve seen and admired the phenomenal work CRYP does for our children,” she continued. “I sincerely believe that organizations like this are critical in providing a safe haven, teaching our youth and building the self-esteem they need to overcome the many obstacles they may face.”
Jewett will work from her Denver-based home office, traveling to Cheyenne River several times each year to work more closely with CRYP staff and volunteers.
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.