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.

CRYP works hard to introduce the youth who attend our centers to the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle. As part of these efforts, we will be offering weeklong lacrosse workshops in the upcoming months for both children and teens. In order to hold these classes, we will need to purchase lacrosse balls, sticks, padding, and goal sets.

The art program at CRYP is also looking to expand in the upcoming months. We are looking to introduce kids to many different forms of artistic expression, including graffiti art, pottery, and painting. To allow the kids to experiment with these new art forms, we will have many diverse needs including canvases, paint, paint brushes, clay, glazing supplies, pottery supplies, acrylic paint, spray paint, exterior paint, and sealant.

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.

Sponsor a Birthday Cake at The Main!

Few days in a child's life are as precious as his or her birthday. Unfortunately, for far too many underprivileged children, that day passes with little celebration - if any at all. CRYP wants to make sure that the young children who attend The Main youth center have the birthday festivities they deserve.

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 in 2014-15! Every dollar makes such a difference in the lives of Cheyenne River's children.

Meet Our

Board of Directors

VICE PRESIDENT
Jeremy Patterson

TREASURER
Guthrie Ducheneaux

DIRECTORS
Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy
Betsy Mitchell
Peggy Gallipo
Jeffrey Meyer

For more info and bios, click here!

Support CRYP When You Shop Online!

What if CRYP earned a donation every time you searched the Internet? Or, what if a percentage of every online purchase you made supported our cause?

Amazon, for example, 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.

Needs List

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!

Our Mission

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.

August 2014 News

Support the 2014 School Supplies Drive, Serving 500+ Children

Although summer fun remains in full swing, August marks the countdown to the start of a new school year - and that means CRYP staff and volunteers are hard at work on their annual School Supplies Drive. As it has throughout its 25-year history, the grassroots, not-for-profit youth organization will distribute much-needed school supplies to community schoolchildren prior to Labor Day weekend.

"For us, the school year is right around the corner," said Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director. "These last weeks are critical for us as we gather all the donated supplies, purchase additional items with contributed funds, and then host the actual distribution at our Cokata Wiconi teen center. This year, we're celebrating 25 years of supporting Cheyenne River children as they head back to school." We encourage all of our friends and supporters around the country, and around the world, to join with us as we seek to serve more kids than ever before."

In 2013, 530 children on the Cheyenne River reservation picked up their eagerly anticipated supplies at the scheduled August distribution, and in the days and weeks to follow, at CRYP's Cokata Wiconi teen center.

To support the 2014 School Supplies drive, please send in-kind donations: backpacks for grades 1-12, protractors, compasses, calculators, mechanical pencils, writing tablets for preschoolers and kindergartners, regular and colored pencils, crayons, markers, folders, pencil cases, notebook paper, kid-friendly scissors, erasers, glue sticks, pencils, pens and rulers. Fat crayons and fat pencils also would be greatly appreciated for our younger schoolchildren.

Contributors also may send funds, which the staff will use to purchase any additional items needed. "We're asking our supporters to please send their contributions no later than Wednesday, August 20," Garreau said. "We need time to organize the supplies and get ready for hundreds of excited children!"

In-kind donations and checks may be sent to: Cheyenne River Youth Project, East Lincoln St., P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625. To donate online, click here!

Leading Lady Farmers Market Continues Successful Season

Now in its second season, the Leading Lady Farmers Market has reached new heights - and continues to grow. To date, the market has raised more than $1,000 to support CRYP programming and services, it has educated 15 teen interns, and it's giving participating community members a valuable revenue stream.

And more good news is on the way. According to Ryan Devlin, CRYP's sustainable agriculture manager, it involves more teen internships, more community vendors, and even a veggie of the week.

"Our garden internship program has been a great success," reported Devlin, an advocate of sustainable community-based agriculture who earned his bachelor's degree in agricultural science from New York's Cornell University. "For eight weeks this summer, 15 teen interns have harvested and washed more than 300 pounds of fresh produce from our 2-acre, non-GMO, pesticide-free Winyan Toka Win garden, and then sold that produce to members of the Cheyenne River community through the Leading Lady Farmers Market. We're looking forward to welcoming even more teen interns at the end of August for the late summer and early fall harvest season."

He also noted that the Leading Lady Farmers Market has space for more community vendors who are interested in selling their homemade crafts, baked goods, or home-grown produce. There is no fee to participate; interested entrepreneurs simply contact Devlin at (605) 964-8200 to reserve their tables, each of which will be equipped with a tent and chairs.

To learn more about becoming a Leading Lady Farmers Market vendor, read the full article. And to learn more about the Veggie of the Week program, click here! Last week, CRYP staff and volunteers kicked off the program with zucchini, and they have quite a success story to tell. This week's featured veggie: BEETS!

Fall College Programming Begins With August 7 College Night

On Thursday, August 7, CRYP welcomed students from St. Charles, Missouri-based Lindenwood University for a special edition of the 2014 College Night Series. This free College Night event, officially launched the 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth project's Fall College Programming.

According to Tammy Eagle Hunter, CRYP's youth programs director, the Lindenwood University students came to Eagle Butte, South Dakota, in conjunction with the SWAMP-IN volunteer group. Also based in the St. Charles-St. Louis region, this volunteer group has been serving Cheyenne River youth and families through the youth project for many years and, in fact, is known as "the St. Louis Branch of CRYP."

"The Lindenwood University group, for the most part, comprises international students," Eagle Hunter said. "We invited them to share their experiences with starting school in an entirely new place and culture, which we feel will resonate with our young people here on Cheyenne River.

"We're using this special international edition of College Night as a kick-off to launch our Fall College Programming," she added. "We hope to offer a college fair, as well as various job fairs, to help reinforce the importance of secondary education."

Eagle Hunter also noted that CRYP would like to see its higher-education informational programs continue to expand beyond the spring season. To learn more, click here.

Junior Volunteers Attend 2014 UNITY Conference in Portland

This summer, five Cheyenne River Sioux teens had the opportunity to join more than 1,400 native youth ages 14 to 24 from around the United States at the 38th annual National UNITY Conference. This year's conference, held June 28 to July 2 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, focused on "Healing and Empowering Aspiring Leaders with Tradition and Heritage."

The National UNITY Council, comprising youth representatives from affiliated youth councils, hosted the event and developed the packed five-day agenda. After the ceremonial lighting of the UNITY Fire, attendees plunged into leadership development through educational keynotes, activities, and workshops.

Representing Cheyenne River were Elijah Brown Wolf, Kipp Reddog, Snowy Fire Cloud, Justice Fire Cloud, and Warren Swan, all participants in CRYP's Junior Volunteer Program. A sixth junior volunteer, Selena Swan, elected to attend the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduates Program (GEARUP) in Rapid City, South Dakota, but she will continue with the CRYP youth leadership program this fall.

The students' trip to the National UNITY Conference was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), which provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. According to Jerica Widow-Rivers, youth programs assistant, the trip was a major milestone for Cheyenne River's junior volunteers.

"It was the kids' first time flying in an airplane, and for some of them, it was the first time they'd traveled out of state," she said. "Going to Oregon to join their counterparts from all over the country was huge for them."

Together, CRYP and Running Strong Support Cheyenne River Families

For many years, CRYP and Alexandria-based Running Strong for American Indian Youth� have worked together to provide valuable programs and services on the remote Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. And, after the 2013-14 fiscal year closed on June 30, the 25-year-old youth project announced that the partnership once again successfully served the local community through the Heat Assistance and Home Improvement programs; scholarships to assist groups with renting facilities at CRYP's East Lincoln Street campus; a food grant; and a variety of much-needed, in-kind donations.

The Heat Assistance Program, which took place in February and March, assisted local families with their propane and electric bills or with their firewood purchases. Through this program, Cheyenne River families may request matching funds up to $100 to help cover their fuel costs when they most need it. This year, thanks to $20,000 in grant funding from Running Strong, CRYP was able to provide matching funds to 1,318 individuals in 216 families - 795 of those individuals were children.

Next, in this year's Home Improvement Program, the youth organization was able to assist 15 families with the $15,000 Running Strong grant for home repairs. These families included 72 individuals, 32 of which were children.

To learn more about these and other programs supported by Running Strong, as well as the various groups who were able to rent CRYP facilities thanks to Running Strong scholarships, click here.

Thank you so much for your interest in our youth project, and for your ongoing support as we pursue our mission in the community.

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, follow the youth project on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Sincerely,

All of us at the
Cheyenne River Youth Project