Sew For Kids along with partner groups “For the Children of Pine Ridge Reservation“, “Pine Ridge Elders” and “Halfknits” made great strides last year supporting programs in Marty, SD on the Yankton Sioux Reservation and in Martin, Wanblee and Pine Ridge, SD on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Sew For Kids operates under Lakota Friends Circle , a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working with Lakota community members on reservations in South Dakota. In addition to the thousands of dollars spent by members of all partner groups to make or purchase and ship donations to areas across South Dakota we were able to raise $18,775 in cash donations through Lakota Friends Circle that was used to purchase food, fuel, diapers, appliances, a garden tiller, and many other needs listed below. It is truly amazing what a group of generous people can accomplish when they work together all committed to the same goal of helping children and their families.
Wanblee and surrounding communities
- Provided funds to purchase fuel for food pickups from food bank in Rapid City, Running Strong and Nation to Nation in Colorado. Food boxes were delivered to families most in need in the community and also for holidays.
- Provided fuel for trucks that delivered wood to families in the area that have wood stoves.
- Sent warm clothing, accessories and boots to the “Woodchucks”, local men that work hard cutting wood from rancher’s creek beds year round. Their only pay is a hot meal at the end of the day and the knowledge that they’ve helped some of the most vulnerable in their community stay warm.
- Sent warm coats, hats, gloves, scarves, socks and blankets for children, elders and their families.
- Sent summer and school clothing including shoes, socks, and underwear for children. Girls wait for the beautiful summer dresses to arrive made by members of Sew For Kids.
- Purchased a tiller for the community tractor so plots can be prepared for those wanting to grow their own vegetables. More than half of the $2000 raised was provided by a generous donor in honor of her mother’s 97th birthday, another $500 was provided by Brian N who liked our programs and the rest came from donations from SFK and partner groups. Thanks Jan, Brian and everyone who helped with this project. Some people donated vegetable seeds. Healthy veggies are on the way!
- Purchased 3 handicap toilets and 6 CO/Smoke detectors for the new community center.
- Purchased a new freezer to store food from the food bank and other areas.
- Provided food for Easter and Christmas parties and the community clean-up day in Wanblee. Also furnished plastic bags and funds for fuel to take refuse to the dump. They planted flowers to beautify the community, seeds provided by our members.
- Won a $1000 Walmart grant through Lakota Friends Circle used for food deliveries and purchasing food for the weekend backpack program at Crazy Horse School.
- Sent many books to the library in the community center to be used there or for children to take home to start their own library.
- Provided cookware and other supplies for the kitchen in the community center. SFK members made aprons for kid’s cooking classes in “Grandma’s Kitchen”.
- Bought lots of new pillows and members made colorful pillowcases for kids along with a pair of pajamas and stuffed animal.
- Provided school supplies for back to school in August and again in January, some members made backpacks and pencil cases.
- Members made or purchased 40+ blankets for the 5th grade class at Crazy Horse school. Two SFK members, Sharon L and Laurie A, are room parents for this class and provide supplies, books, etc. Thanks ladies!
- Wheelchairs for elders provided by Laurie A which she got for free just by asking, Thanks Laurie!
- Provided toiletries, sanitary and incontinence supplies and cleaning supplies.
- 3 sewing machines were donated for future sewing classes at the community center.
- Provided sheets and towels for the community center dorms and for local people in need.
- Sent over 500 Christmas gifts for Santa to give children at the annual party. Special thanks to Penny N for directing the doll project and to Joan D and her group from H.I.S. who dressed teddy bears, to Children of PRR and all the elves for their many beautiful gifts, teen bags, warm accessories, toys, etc.
Bright Start
Mary M, Bright Start nurse, works with at risk mothers and their babies 3 months prior to birth and through 3 years of age. Prior to our direct help Mary had to travel to Martin to pick up baby supplies from donations sent to the CDC office which was not always possible. Now we’re sending directly to Mary so she has all the supplies she needs to help her clients during her home visits. Many donors from all partner groups have sent pacifiers, diapers, wipes, diaper bags, carriers, blankets, toiletries, towels, sleep sacks, books, baby toys and plenty of toddler clothing and gifts for older siblings in the family as well. One donor sent an ultrasound, others first aid kits and baby meds. Mary answers womens questions about feeding, breastfeeding and other maternal questions and enrolls them in programs that benefit both mom and baby. She provides emotional support as well and may even serve as a stand in mother to these young women. Our groups of supporters have made a difference in the lives of these young mothers and also to Mary as well as she no longer has to go to her visits empty handed. Having resources and Mary’s mentorship and support helps relieve some of the pressures that come with raising a child. Babies are getting a good start in life and a bright one as well, thank you all!
Marty Indian School
Is located in Marty, South Dakota on the Yankton Sioux Indian Reservation. Sew For Kids members are in their third year of serving as room parents for children in grades K to 5. It seems school budgets are dwindling every year along with teachers salaries so our volunteers are trying to bridge the gap and help provide teachers with needed supplies, teaching aids, books, etc. for their classrooms. “Room Parents” may also provide snacks, party supplies, and birthday and Christmas gifts for their students. Many thanks to Elaine, Julie, Shannon, Becky, the 2 Carol B’s, Janet, Ruthie, Mellisa, Diannah, Penny, Ruth and Christina for all your help!
Our main group helps stock the two Feather Stores at the school by donating toiletries, school supplies, toys, and cleaning/household supplies for one and towels, blankets, clothing, shoes, coats, underwear and socks for the other. Students earn feathers for exhibiting Lakota values and good behavior and may shop in either store along with their parents using earned feathers as currency.
Our entire group supports Paulita D and her sewing classes (grades 3-5) which teaches students, boys and girls, how to make traditional ribbon skirts. Janet S donated 4 sewing machines for the class and brought a replacement machine (lost needle screw) on her visit this year. We have all contributed fabric, thread, lots of ribbon, rotary cutters and boards, irons and ironing boards and anything else Paulita needs. Some students wore the skirts they made to their graduation ceremony last May, boys taking the class gave their skirts to their mothers, sisters or aunties. SFK member Sharon L helped Paulita make skirts for girls and shirts for boys in grades K-5 for their graduation ceremony
Group donations to Lakota Friends Circle provided the school with $500 to buy snacks for students during testing. The school likes to have food on hand to give students arriving late in the morning and missing breakfast and for tucking in the backpacks of students that may not have anything to eat at home.
Two SFK members, Penny N and Janet S, visited the school this fall and brought their stories and pictures back to the group making us all feel we were part of the experience too. Penny N makes two trips a year (she lives in SD) to the school and always brings back marvelous pictures and videos which really makes it special. Thanks Janet S and Penny N!
My Space Youth Center in Martin
- Purchased a washer and dryer with funds donated by a man holding a raffle and by a non-profit foundation, both who heard of the need for laundry facilities at the youth center. Kids can now do their laundry once a week and have clean clothes to wear to school.
- Provide laundry pods and perishable food such as milk and eggs through SFK monthly donor program.
- Swim Bags filled with sunhats, towels, sunscreen, lip balm, flip flops and goggles made by Julie S for kids using the town pool. They loved them, thank you Julie! Many others sent in bathing suits, the kids use the pool until school starts. Thank you!
- Provided seeds for the vegetable garden.
- Provided books, crafts and school supplies for the center.
- Provided hats, mittens, scarves and coats for kids at the youth center and the local school.
- Dresses and other summer clothing. Sew For Kids dressmakers made beautiful dresses for the girls, Kimmie saw them all around town last summer, some of them wouldn’t take them off and wore them to bed, thanks ladies!!
- Provided sewing machines to use for making traditional dresses for girls coming of age ceremony Isnati.
- Provided make up and toiletry gift bags for girls participating in the Isnati ceremony. Thank you Cyrilla, your group and other members of SFK and For the Children of PRR for the wonderful gift bags!
Head Starts in Martin
- Provided a blanket, book and stuffed animal for each student. Many of the blankets and stuffies were made by our members, thanks ladies!
- Provided mittens, hats and scarves for the students.
Elders in Martin /White Clay
- Provided toiletry bags to elders
- Provided blankets, shawls, clothing, slippers, etc.
- SFK member Cyrilla H and her church group donated 82 Christmas gifts for elders and cosmetic bags for ladies at the shelter. Thanks ladies for your generosity, elders are often forgotten and we know they were thrilled to receive your gifts!
Sacred Shawl Women’s Shelter in Martin
- Provided comfort bags for women in crisis, diaper bags, and going home bags for families leaving the shelter.
- Provided clothing, shoes, underwear, toiletries, school supplies, toys, books and other needs for women and children.
- Provided diapers, wipes and laundry pods for clients in the shelter and at the CDC office. We will expand this to include formula if our donations increase in 2019.
- One generous donor provided more than half of the $1000 food budget for a month for the shelter and youth center. Thank you! Angela B.
- All groups worked to provide more than 400 Christmas gifts for the community.
- Another generous donor donated funds to buy dressers and a bunk bed for the newly finished room above the garage.
- Provided pillows, towels, blankets, pillowcases, pots and pans and other household items for use at the shelter and for clients use after leaving the shelter.
- Provided craft items, games, puzzles and books for women in the shelter
- Provided financial assistance to a shelter employee with cancer to help pay her living expenses while undergoing chemo.
Oglala Family in Need
Our groups have helped the 5th grade teacher in Oglala before with books and other things for her class but last year after being evicted from her home, we helped the teacher renovate her grandparents home that had been vacant for years to make it livable for her family of 10. We helped the family get water, electric service, windows and a shower through group donations. We also helped get baby clothes and other needs to a new mother in the family and provided everyone with warm blankets.
Sew For Kids works with many generous and talented members of other groups, without our partnership the list of accomplishments above would be a much shorter list. Many of us are members of multiple groups but we all have the same goal, making life better for children and their families on reservations. Some of these groups have projects all their own and we’d like to tell you about some of them.
For the Children of Pine Ridge Reservation
- Veterans – members sent a backpack to each veteran filled with clothing, gloves, hat, socks, toiletries and snacks. One member sent an ongoing donation of fresh fruit throughout the year. The previous year donations were collected for the purchase of a barbecue grill for the men to use.
- Bright Start – Many boxes of clothing were sent to Mary M. for her clients and for Christmas each mother received a bag with a quilt, book, stuffed animal, and washcloth for her baby.
- Rosebud school – School supplies, hat, scarf, pair of mittens, socks and underwear for 300 children. 200 pairs of boots were sent as well as blankets, and warm clothing.
- Youth Center – a few hundred Christmas gifts from dolls to games, and warm hats, mittens and scarves.
- Sacred Shawl Society – Many boxes of clothing, hundreds of toys for children and toiletry bags for young girls.
- Wanblee – Sheets, towels, warm clothing and hundreds of Christmas gifts from dolls to activity bags.
Halfknits
Is a volunteer group that knits and crochets blankets, hats, scarves, baby sweaters and other items for people in need. We have worked with Kat and her volunteers for years and they’re always ready to meet any request we have whether it’s warm blankets for families, shawls for elders or afghans for students at Marty. Last year they provided over 200 blankets of all sizes and hats and shawls to the areas we serve. Every area on the Rez has been the recipient of their kindness, thanks ladies!
Pine Ridge Elders
Began in 2007 and since then, although small in numbers, their members have sent countless afghans, hats, mittens, sweaters, clothing, diapers, etc and this year was no different. Their members made many beautiful hats, mittens and blankets last year for the women’s shelter in Martin and for the Wanblee community. Many Sew For Kids members began their journey with Pine Ridge Elders and are still members of the group. It would be impossible to list all the goods they’ve sent and monetary donations they’ve made to Pine Ridge through the years. Thank you all for your continued generosity to those in need!
We look forward to working with all our partner groups in 2019 and hope we can reach out to more children and families in need. Sometimes the needs seem overwhelming but we’re up for the challenge of trying to improve conditions on the Rez. We need our partners on the Rez to distribute our donated goods to those that most need them and educate people about and enroll them in government and local programs that can help with food, medical and heating assistance and help them enroll in GED programs if needed. We rely on our partners to alert us about areas in critical need as Kimmie did last month when she told us about the needs at the Oglala foster home. Our groups heard the call and responded with a tank of propane, new freezer and clothing, diapers, bedding and many other needs for the children and babies there.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
― Margaret Mead
Thank you all for a great year! Join us on our Facebook group Sew For Kids Volunteers or make a donation to Lakota Friends Circle to help purchase food, diapers and other urgent needs for areas we serve. For those seeking more information about Native Americans today, please read David Treuer’s new book “The Heart Beat of Wounded Knee”.
Thanks from Sew For Kids
