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
Peggy Gallipo
Jeffrey Meyer
Karla Abbott
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, 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.

December 2014 News

One Week Left to Support the Christmas Toy Drive!

Christmas is just a week away, which means the staff and volunteers at the Cheyenne River Youth Project� are in the home stretch for the 2014 Christmas Toy Drive.

It's not too late to help: The 26-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization is reporting that many "Dear Santa" letters remain to be adopted so it can meet its goal of making Christmas wishes come true for 1,500 children across South Dakota's remote Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.

"Those who are interested in being part of this year's Christmas Toy Drive simply need to contact us to get their 'Dear Santa' letters," said Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director. "Or, if they would prefer to contribute funds, they can donate via our website or Crowdrise campaign. Then we'll do the shopping on our end."

Click here to learn more about how you can help support CRYP's Christmas Toy Drive this holiday season. Every contribution, no matter the size, will ensure that Cheyenne River's children receive what all children should have: a very merry Christmas.

There's Still Time to Win an
Authentic Lakota Star Quilt

There's still time to win one of two authentic Lakota star quilts through CRYP's annual star quilt raffle. Proceeds will support CRYP's brand-new Waniyetu Wowapi ("Winter Count") Art Park, which was dedicated in September.

Tickets are already on sale and may be purchased until Wednesday, December 24. CRYP will conduct the drawing and announce the two winners on Friday, December 26; the organization will then ship the quilts to the winners free of charge.

In this year's raffle, ticket-holders will have a chance to win a distinctive, queen-size Lakota star quilt (see above) that will mimic a dramatic graffiti mural by acclaimed Minneapolis-based artist Peyton Scott Russell. Peyton, as the artist is known professionally, created the original piece of street art this year.

Cheyenne River Sioux tribal member Bonnie LeBeau is hand-crafting the first quilt. Bonnie Sachatello-Sawyer, executive director of Montana-based Hopa Mountain, donated the second quilt.

To purchase tickets, send cash, checks or money orders to: Cheyenne River Youth Project, Attn: Art Park Star Quilt, P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625. You also may pay online. Simply click the "Donate Now" button below, and the corresponding button on our home page, and put "Art Park Star" in the notes section when paying with a credit card. Do not write the word "raffle" anywhere in the payment.

Eight Students Graduate from CRYP's Main University

Earlier this month, CRYP held a special graduation ceremony for the eight youngsters who completed Main University's fall semester. Held on Tuesday, December 2, the festivities included commencement exercises and a hearty meal for students and their families.

Twenty children participated in Main University, which kicked off its fall semester on November 3. Participants who completed 16 total classes were eligible to graduate. Thomas Lucero was this semester's valedictorian, and Jeremiah Lucero was Salutatorian.

"Thomas gave a speech about his favorite class, which was Smoothies 101," said Tammy Eagle Hunter, CRYP's executive director. "We were thrilled by his enthusiasm, since we designed the class to encourage healthy snacking."

In addition to Smoothies 101, students also took part in "Get Moving" (also known as Walking Club), "Acrylic Painting," "Fish," "Safety," "Traditional Art" and "Graffiti Art." Learn more here!

73 Community Members Enjoy Annual "Thanks for Kids" Dinner

CRYP welcomed 73 members of the Cheyenne River community to its annual "Thanks for Kids" celebration and dinner. The festivities took place on Tuesday, November 25 at the Cokata Wiconi teen center.

A visiting volunteer group from Wisconsin's Marquette University High School prepared the traditional, homemade, holiday-inspired meal. Much of the fresh produce came directly from CRYP's 2-acre, naturally grown, pesticide-free Winyan Toka Win garden, and Running Strong for American Indian Youth donated the turkeys.

This year, the 26-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization extended a special invitation to Cheyenne River elders. Sandy Frazier, Carmelita Eagle Chasing, Debbie Day, and Sylvester Waloke attended the evening event and shared stories with participating children.

The Cheyenne River Youth Project, Eagle Butte, SD

Consider Our Project for Your End-of-Year Giving

It's hard to believe, but the end of the year is upon us in just a couple of weeks. Although we're still in the throes of our annual Christmas Toy Drive, seeking to bring Santa Claus to 1,500 deserving children across the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, we're also reflecting on the year that's past.

With the support of friends like you, we were able to celebrate our young women through Passion for Fashion, encourage our teens to learn more about higher education through our College Night Series, pursue our vision for real food security and sovereignty through our

Winyan Toka Win garden and Leading Lady Farmer's Market, launch our farm-to-table Keya Cafe and innovative Waniyetu Wowapi Graffiti and Street Art Park, and support our community through our school supplies, winter clothing and Christmas Toy Drives. We were able to continue much-loved programs like Garden Club, Main University, Midnight Basketball, Walking Club, and we once again hosted our annual Run of the Turtles, Haunted House, Harvest Festival Dinner, and Thanks for Kids Dinner. And there was so much more.

We couldn't have done it without you. And now, as we look ahead to 2015, we hope you'll consider sharing an end-of-year gift with our grassroots youth organization.

Together, we're accomplishing so much toward providing our youth - and their families - with access to a more vibrant, secure and sustainable future. Despite limited resources, we work hard to be resourceful and creative so we can provide the culturally sensitive, educational and fun programs our kids want and need. Yet we still need you! As this year draws to a close, please consider sending an end-of-year gift to our project; every contribution, no matter the size, makes a big difference in the lives of our children.

December Partner of the Month:

Running Strong for American Indian Youth

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. We'd like to take this opportunity to recognize Running Strong as our December Partner of the Month.

Each year, Running Strong successfully serves our local community through scholarships to assist groups with renting facilities at CRYP's East Lincoln Street campus; a food grant; a variety of in-kind donations; and important youth-programming support.

Each winter, it also provides critical support for CRYP's Heat Assistance Program, which assists 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. Learn more about Running Strong's contributions to CRYP and the Cheyenne River community 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