Japanese Volunteers Plan Evening Filled with Food, Music, Dancing & Cultural Exchange
On Wednesday, August 1, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® will host an exciting new fundraiser that promises to be a cultural adventure for staff, volunteers and guests alike. From 5 to 9 p.m., the nearly 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization will welcome members of the Cheyenne River community to its first-ever Japanese Bistro.
According to Megan Guiliano, CRYP’s youth programs director, the idea for the bistro dinner came from one of the youth project’s strongest supporters, Debra Wills of St. Charles, Missouri.
“Debbie is an organizer of what we fondly call the St. Louis branch of CRYP,” Guiliano said. “She and her fellow organizers conduct important fundraising campaigns that are critical to our youth programs development as well as to Family Services distributions such as the annual Christmas Toy Drive. She also leads youth service groups to Eagle Butte every year.”
Next week, Wills will again arrive on the Cheyenne River reservation with hard-working, enthusiastic young volunteers in tow. This time, however, the volunteers comprise a group of college students from Japan rather tan Missouri.
“They’ve come up with a menu and will purchase all the food they need before their arrival on the 30th,” Guiliano said.
For the evening of August 1, CRYP staff and volunteers will work with the Japanese students to transform the Cokata Wiconi Teen Center cafe into an authentic Japanese Bistro, complete with appropriate decor and traditional Japanese music and dancing. The menu will include a choice of chicken or pork entree with rice, plus soup, salad, rolls and beverages. Guests also will be able to taste free samplers, including sushi.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to experience some of the flavors, traditions and culture of Japan,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “It’s also a chance for our young people and their families to interact with the Japanese students. That type of cultural exchange is one of my favorite aspects of our project — our youth and our volunteers become ambassadors for their respective homelands. They learn more about each other, and then they are able to share what they’ve learned with their friends and families.”
Each ticket is priced at $9 per person and $14 per couple, and all proceeds will benefit CRYP’s youth programming and services. To purchase tickets, or to find out how you can help sell tickets for the special August 1 fundraising event, call the CRYP office at (605) 964-8200.
“Call soon, as seating is limited,” Garreau advised. “This is an evening you won’t want to miss!”
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 visitwww.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.