December 2021

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CALENDAR


DECEMBER 23 – 24

Foundation office closed for Christmas


DECEMBER 31

Foundation office closed for New Year



SCHOLARSHIPS

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STORYTELLER ALUMNI PROFILE

Danielle Stickman

We are very excited to launch our brand new Storyteller profile series with a spotlight on Doyon Foundation alumni, Danielle Stickman. An environmental scientist with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Danielle was named Alaska State Deputy Director of The Wilderness Society in 2021. She also teaches yoga and runs a small business, Dena’ina Dreams, featuring her beadwork. Danielle's profile is available as an article, video and podcast, so you can read, watch or listen: bit.ly/DanielleStickman.

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Scholarship Workshop at Rural Student Services

Purestyn Milk, our scholarship manager, and Jenna Sommer, our data manager, recently hosted a scholarship workshop at Rural Student Services at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where they visited with students and answered questions in advance of our spring scholarship application deadline last month. If you have questions about Doyon Foundation scholarships, get in touch: scholarships@doyon.com.

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Finals Week Snack Delivery

We know it can be hard to take care of yourself during finals week, so we put together snack bags and notes of encouragement for students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks last week. We delivered the goodies to Taniesha Moses, the Indigenous Wellness Coordinator at Rural Student Services (and one of our alumni!). Good luck to all our students – we believe in you!

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ALUMNI UPDATE

Sierra Evans Leblanc

The Doyon Foundation journey doesn’t end with graduation! We are so proud of our alumni, the amazing places they have gone on to, the achievements they are making, and the positive differences they are having in their communities. Each month, we will feature an update on one of our alumni. This month, we are pleased to highlight Sierra Evans Leblanc. Read more about Sierra: bit.ly/SierraEvansLeblanc.

LANGUAGE

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Molly of Denali Cast Announced

We recently announced the selected cast members for the Molly of Denali Gwich’in episodes we’re producing with WGBH Boston! We will also be producing episodes in Denaakk’e; cast selections are still being made for these episodes. The project was recently featured in a story by KTOO; check it out on their website. Learn more about our Molly of Denali project: bit.ly/GwichinMolly.

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LANGUAGE CHAMPION

Cora Demit

A fluent speaker of Nee’aanèegn’ (Upper Tanana), Cora Demit is an Elder from Northway who contributes to our Doyon Languages Online project. “I grew up when there was an attempt to take my language away from me,” Cora shared. “From my own experience, I know what it’s like to hold onto the language kicking and screaming. I know that if you can’t speak to the Elders, you lose the chance to learn from them. I was determined to keep my language.” A very special thank you to Cora for sharing her story in this month’s language profile: bit.ly/DFCoraDemit.

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Congratulations DLO On the Go Contest Winners

Thank you to all the language learners who participated in our DLO On the Go contest earlier this year! We are so excited to announce the winners of the contest, which was designed to increase the number of students and the amount of time spent learning in Doyon Languages Online. See the list of winners: bit.ly/dlowinners.

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Doyon Languages Online in the Classroom

Allan Hayton, our language revitalization program director, recently visited Effie Kokrine Charter School where students are using our Doyon Languages Online program to learn Native languages of the Doyon region - and earning school credit for it! We are so excited to see Doyon Languages Online being used in the school and look forward to working more with Effie Kokrine to support their efforts. If you're interested in using Doyon Languages Online at your school, please get in touch. We'd love to share about the opportunity for all interested students to access our online language-learning lessons for free! Read more about Doyon Languages Online: doyonfoundation.com/dlo.

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NATIVE WORD OF THE MONTH

December 2021

We are into December and winter solstice is on its way, so in this month’s Native Word, we are pleased to share translations of “December” and “winter.” We’ve included the meaning of the words, where known. We hope you enjoy, practice and share this month’s Native Words: bit.ly/December21NWOM.

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Native Language Activity Book Now Available

The kids will be home for Christmas break soon ... looking for some fun, educational family activities to keep them busy? Check out our brand new language activity book, packed with activities to help you learn and practice the Native languages of the Doyon region together! The Our Languages Everyday Activity Book is available electronically on our website: bit.ly/OurLanguageActivityBook.

SUPPORT

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A Thanksgiving Message from Doyon Foundation

Our work is made possible by many. In this season of gratitude, all of us at Doyon Foundation and the students we serve wish to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU. Ana Basi’. Dogidinh. Baasee’. Maasee’. Hąį’ęę. Mähsi’. Xisigidasidhut. Tsín’ęę. Tsen’anh. Tsen’įį. Quyanaq. Hear from our students in this short Thanksgiving video: youtu.be/BKaOs5tjIss.

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Your End-of-Year Gift Keeps Giving All Year

As we enter the season of giving, we invite you to make a gift that will keep giving back for years to come. A gift to Doyon Foundation provides financial assistance to students pursuing their educational goals. Forwards efforts to revitalize the Native languages of the Doyon region. And is a wonderful way to recognize or remember a loved one. Find out how you can make a gift that makes a difference: bit.ly/DFendofyeargift.

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615 Bidwill Ave., Suite 101· Fairbanks, AK 99701

907.459.2048 · 1.888.478.4755 · foundation@doyon.com

doyonfoundation.com

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