Our new Wo Otúh'an Wi documentary is here...

CRYP is proud to make select items from the Keya (Turtle) Gift Shop available online, and proceeds benefit the nonprofit organization's youth programming and family services.

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.

Volunteer with CRYP This Year!

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!

And to meet a few of our former volunteers, check out our Volunteer Spotlight.

Sponsor Enrichment Activities for CRYP Youth

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].

Sponsor a Birthday Cake at The Main!

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.

Meet Our

Board of Directors

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!

Support CRYP When You Shop Online!

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.

In-Kind Donations

CRYP relies on in-kind donations as well as funding to continue our mission. If you'd like to help, please click here and scroll down to "In Kind Donations," where you'll find links to our Amazon wish lists. 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.

January 2020 News

Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the

Wo Otúh'an Wi Toy Drive

The Cheyenne River Youth Project's annual Wo Otúh'an Wi Toy Drive

CRYP has released its first-ever documentary film showcasing the annual Wo Otúh'an Wi (Moon of Giving Away Presents) Toy Drive, which served nearly 1,500 children on South Dakota's remote Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in December 2019. The film provides a behind-the-scenes look at how this herculean undertaking comes together each year. (Read more here.)

All of us at CRYP extend a heartfelt thanks to the American Indian College Fund; Costello Companies; Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation; Leeds School of Business students at the University of Colorado in Boulder; Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado; Fredericks Peebles & Patterson LLP; Friends of Lakota Youth in St. Louis; International Dream Achievers at Haven Middle School in Evanston, Illinois; Lennar Custom Homes; Rapid City Woodworkers Association; Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community; South Dakota State Girls Volleyball Tournament; Spirit of Sovereignty Foundation; Square; University of South Dakota Native American Law Students Association; and countless individual donors and volunteers for their support. We couldn't have brought Santa Claus to 1,474 children without each and every one of you.

We're deeply grateful, also, to our Cheyenne River community. Your support means everything to us. Wopila.

As We Look Back at 2019...

Philámayeye to YOU!

This past week, as we reviewed the impact of Wo Otúh'an Wi, we also reviewed our other facilities and programs to determine overall impact in 2019. Take a look.

Last year, almost 1,100 children ages 4 to 12 participated in youth programs and activities at "The Main" youth center.

Next door, at Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life), 372 teens

enjoyed dedicated programs created just for them - and 130 completed robust internships in art, native wellness, social enterprise, native food sovereignty, and indigenous cooking.

Nearly 300 families from 20 Cheyenne River communities were CRYP Family Services members, which allowed them to participate in Wo Otúh'an Wi and other major distributions for school supplies, shoes, and winter clothing. They also could access much-needed household supplies and baby items on a regular basis.

The organically grown, 2.5-acre Winyan Toka Win (Leading Lady) Garden produced more than 7,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious produce during the 2019 growing season. CRYP incorporated that produce into meals and snacks at both centers, menu items in the Keya (Turtle) Cafe & Coffeeshop, and gift items at the Keya Gift Shop; it also made the produce available to the community through the seasonal Leading Lady Farmers Market.

Finally, nearly 1,600 people attended last summer's RedCan invitational graffiti jam, with more than 650 participating in scheduled art activities. A whopping 87 percent of those were young people.

We've always said that CRYP is special because it's by Cheyenne River, for Cheyenne River. But it's more than than. We are special because we have you. We could not have done any of this without your steadfast support and your belief in us.

We are honored by your faith and friendship every day.

Philámayeye. Thank You.

More Than 50 Teens Ring in the New Year with CRYP Staff at Cokata Wiconi

CRYP threw its doors open to Eagle Butte youth on New Year's Eve. More than 50 teens converged on the grassroots, nonprofit youth project's campus for a night of games, great food and refreshments, and even a scoreboard countdown to 2020.

Partygoers organized basketball pickup games, practiced their shooting skills, played volleyball, got New Year's Eve tattoos and manicures, and had a chance to win premium Nike gear in the evening's raffles. They also enjoyed Indian tacos, fresh fruits and vegetables, lemonade, and New Year's Eve-themed sugar cookies.

"Everyone had a blast, and not just the teens," said Jerica Widow, CRYP's youth programs director. "As a staff, it was the best possible way to ring in the new year. We are a family here - staff, volunteers, and our kids."

AmazonSmile Reports Donations to CRYP

This past quarter, CRYP raised $80.20 through AmazonSmile - that means all of you have raised $1,344.54 to date through your Amazon shopping! Thank you so much for designating CRYP as your charity of choice.

If you haven't used AmazonSmile yet, learn more here.

And if you'd like to make a contribution directly to CRYP, please visit our website!

January Hall of Fame:
Meagan Little Wounded

This month, CRYP staff joyfully welcomed our children back to "The Main" youth center and the Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life) teen center. While we are grateful to focus on our Wo Otuh'an Wi (Moon of Giving Away Presents) Toy Drive throughout the month of December, we miss our kids, and the day of their return is a happy one.

One of those bright sparks is 7-year-old Meagan Little Wounded, a second-grader who has been attending programs at The Main for about a year. Meagan says she loves The Main because it's a fun place to be.

What does she like best?

"Getting presents and getting new Barbies," she says, the holiday season still fresh in her mind. "And doing activities! My favorite activity is coloring."

Read more of her story 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 CRYP and its programs, 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, Instagram and Twitter.

Sincerely,

All of us at the

Cheyenne River Youth Project