Photo by Aaron Huey
One of my regular charities is the Red Cloud School on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I learned about the school from photographer Aaron Huey, who did a National Geographic story about the Pine Ridge and gave an impassioned TED Talk about his experiences there. Aaron said that the Red Cloud Indian School is one of the beacons of hope on the reservation and one of the best ways to contribute to the Lakota people. I've given several times since, albeit modestly.
Red Cloud School graduates have gone to Princeton, Stanford, Dartmouth, Columbia, Creighton and Marquette; six former Red Cloud students have earned Ph.D.s; and Red Cloud School leads the country in Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship students for a school its size (about 50 students per graduating class). Great accomplishments on a reservation that encompasses the two poorest counties in the United States.
Or find another native cause to help! The United States has 550 recognized indigenous tribes and 310 reservations, rancherias, pueblos, and Indian colonies.
For an engaging look at life on the "rez," you might try The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, even though it was written for young adults. It's by Sherman Alexie, a multitalented writer who grew up on the Spokane Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington.
Mike
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Featured Comments from:
John Krumm: "Everything helps, and it's important. My wife works on the receiving end of programs like this as a director of a college med school program that recruits Native American students and supports their efforts once enrolled. She went through the same program herself in the '90s. Sherman Alexie is great too. We have given many copies of his books away and I used to use his stories when I taught H.S. American Lit."
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