Visit CRYP's Keya Gift Shop...
ONLINE!
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Select items from CRYP's Keya (Turtle) Gift Shop are now available online, and proceeds benefit the nonprofit organization's youth programming and family services.
OUR MARCH ONLINE SPECIAL:
All RedCan merchandise is currently 50% off (except the books), and you'll get a free signed RedCan poster of your choice with your purchase!
This online special is good through Mar. 31.
By supporting the Keya Gift Shop, you're also supporting
local artists and craftspeople; our youth artists, who are learning how their creative passions might translate to possible career opportunities; and our teen interns, who work in our gift shop every day, developing valuable skills in customer service, financial literacy and business management.
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Volunteer with CRYP This Year!
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CRYP is actively seeking volunteers to work at our Eagle Butte campus.
If you are interested in applying for our volunteer program, please click here to learn more!
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| Sponsor Enrichment Activities for CRYP Youth
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The Main youth center and Cokata Wiconi teen center are looking for sponsors to support art and athletic enrichment activities for our after-school and summer programs.
We are actively looking for people willing to make monetary or in-kind donations to fulfill these needs. You can donate online by clicking the link below or by mailing donations to the Cheyenne River Youth Project, P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625.
If you'd like to see a Needs List for our enrichment programs, please contact us at (605) 964-8200 or send us an email at [email protected].
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Sponsor a Birthday Cake at The Main!
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Each month, The Main hosts a birthday party for the children whose birthdays fall during that month. To offset the cost of each party, CRYP seeks monthly sponsors to contribute $40 for the birthday cake. Please consider sponsoring a birthday cake this year! Every dollar makes such a difference in the lives of Cheyenne River's children.
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Meet Our
Board of Directors
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PRESIDENT
Jeremy Patterson
VICE PRESIDENT
Karla Abbott
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Jeffrey Meyer
DIRECTORS
Kibbe Conti
Peggy Gallipo
Lonnie Heier
For more info and bios, click
here!
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Support CRYP When You Shop Online!
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What if CRYP earned a donation every time you searched the Internet or made an online purchase?
Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to CRYP when you shop at smile.amazon.com. To make shopping even easier, you can add the AmazonSmile 1 Button to your web browser.
Then there are GoodSearch and GoodShop.
GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up.
GoodShop.com is an online shopping mall that donates up to 30% of each purchase to your favorite cause. Hundreds of great stores have teamed up with GoodShop so that every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause.
And, if you download the
"GoodSearch - Cheyenne River Youth Project - CRYP toolbar," our cause will earn money every time you shop and search online EVEN if you forget to go to the GoodShop or GoodSearch sites first! Click here to add the toolbar.
While you're online, you even can make a secure donation with your Capital One credit card. Simply click here. You even can add an easy-to-use widget for future contributions.
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| Needs List |
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CRYP relies on in-kind donations as well as funding to continue our mission. If you'd like to help, please check out our
Needs List. You also may contact us at (605) 964-8200 if you'd like a copy of our most up-to-date list and price quotes for particular needs. Thank you for your support!
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| Our Mission |
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The Cheyenne River Youth Project is dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities, ensuring strong, self-sufficient families and communities.
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Guest instructor Scape teaches can-control skills in CRYP's Waniyetu Wowapi Art Park.
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CRYP Expands Arts Programming
CRYP has announced a significant expansion in programming at its Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Lakota Youth Arts & Culture Institute. This expansion has added a prerequisite course and a full arts fellowship to the Waniyetu Wowapi curriculum.
Starting this spring, art students will be able to take a three-week "Arts Basics" course, which serves as a prerequisite for an arts internship. The course includes
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Traditional Lakota arts are an important part of the Waniyetu Wowapi curriculum.
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sketching and drawing; painting; Lakota arts, such as traditional geometric shapes, symbolism and traditional materials; and a selection of core classes, including CPR and First Aid.
According to CRYP Executive Director Julie Garreau, this prerequisite course will be helpful to students and instructors alike.
"Until now, anyone could be admitted into our teen arts internship program, even without prior experience," she explains. "That meant we had classes filled with students who were at different skill levels. Now, the students will all have the same foundation, and the instructors will know exactly where they can begin with the internship coursework."
To learn more about the teen internships and the upcoming art fellowships, click here!
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Six Students Graduate from Winter Session of Main University
Six students have celebrated their graduation from the Cheyenne River Youth Project's award-winning Main University. The program's winter session took place from Jan. 15 to Feb. 19, and it was open free to 4- to 12-year-olds who spend time at CRYP's "The Main" youth center.
Recipient of a "Champion for Children" award from the South Dakota Coalition for Children, Main University was founded by a long-term volunteer in 2002. During this most recent session, instructors Kirsten Stone and Natalia Peraire Pont guided students through diverse subject matter that included science, math, geography and Lakota culture.
Then, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, the six children who completed the full winter program enjoyed a formal graduation celebration, complete with official caps and diplomas. According to Youth Programs Director Jerica Widow, Main University was another resounding success with its young participants.
"When we offer Main University, the kids remind us every week that they truly love to learn," Widow says. "They're excited to have new opportunities, and have access to material that might not be offered in school."
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Nearly 100 Community Members Attend Masquerade Ball & Dinner at CRYP
In partnership with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe's Indian Child Welfare program, CRYP hosted a Masquerade Ball & Community Dinner at Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life) on Feb. 22. The evening event, which was open to children of all ages as well as adults, drew nearly 100 members of the Eagle Butte community.
Guests were able to play a variety of games for prizes in the Cokata Wiconi gymnasium, including fish pond and cake walk, and decorate their own masquerade masks. Then, following a traditional Lakota blessing, they enjoyed a community meal of sloppy Joes, hot dogs, salad, chips and cake.
For the Masquerade Ball attendees, the evening provided  young people with what CRYP is famous for: new opportunities to learn, grow and simply have fun, while also embracing Lakota values and strengthening the bonds within their community and their own families.
"Thank you guys for everything you do for our community-it means a lot," wrote a young party-goer named Zianne in a colorful thank-you note. "I used to come here (because it is) a place to have fun and be safe. You guys have helped me a lot, and still continue to. Keep up the great work! Love you all."
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CRYP Starts Cooking Classes for Children at The Main
Last year, the Cheyenne River Youth Project started a fifth internship track in response to teens who were asking for a dedicated cooking curriculum. The program has been so popular, the nonprofit youth organization has gone a step farther and is introducing a special cooking class for 4- to 12-year-olds at The Main.
Cooking classes begin next Thursday, Mar. 21 and will take place every Thursday until May 2. Students will be eligible to earn incentives each month, provided they attend two classes in March, four classes in April and the final class in May.
"To keep things manageable for these younger children, we're focusing on cook-free, bake-free, mess-free menu items," says Jerica Widow, youth programs director. "On the first day, the kids will be putting together peanut butter and traditional jam sandwiches, using both plum and chokecherry jellies that we've made right here at CRYP."
In the following classes, students will make turkey BLT pinwheels, frozen-fruit parfaits, cheesecake mini-sandwiches, apple and peanut butter stackers, veggie pinwheels, and "energy bites" that are made with oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chips and honey.
NOTE: Originally scheduled to start on Mar. 14, the cooking classes were pushed back one week to accommodate Passion for Fashion, which was rescheduled for Mar. 16 due to inclement weather.
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Volunteer Spotlight:
Natalia Peraire Pont
My name is Natalia. I'm 26 years old, and I'm from Barcelona, Spain. I arrived at the Cheyenne River Youth Project in October 2018, and I'll be leaving this month-I have completed five months of volunteer service with CRYP.
I started working when I was 16 years old, and most of my jobs prior to college involved children. I prepared activities for both adults and children in a camping area, taught children to roller skate, and helped them with their homework.
In college, I earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in supply chain management. I went on to work in a bank, and then I was a supply chain manager for a takeaway food company. Most recently, I served with youth-focused volunteer projects in Germany, Kenya, Nepal and Spain.
One day, I was searching online for a new volunteer opportunity in America. I found the Cheyenne River Youth Project listed at www.gooverseas.com. I checked out CRYP's website and decided to contact them.
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Thank you so much for your interest in our youth project, and for your ongoing support as we pursue our mission in the community.
Sincerely,
All of us at the
Cheyenne River Youth Project
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