Visit CRYP's Keya Gift Shop...
ONLINE!
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Select items from CRYP's Keya (Turtle) Gift Shop are now available online, and proceeds benefit the nonprofit organization's youth programming and family services.
NOVEMBER SPECIAL:
During the month of November, we've taken more than 30% off our green, long-sleeved CRYP T-shirts! Sizes S, M, XL, XXL and XXXL are available (unfortunately, we don't have L in stock). Simply click the link below, and look for the "sale" icon.
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.
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Volunteer with CRYP This Year!
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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!
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| Sponsor Enrichment Activities for CRYP Youth
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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].
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Sponsor a Birthday Cake at The Main!
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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 this year! Every dollar makes such a difference in the lives of Cheyenne River's children.
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Meet Our
Board of Directors
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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!
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Support CRYP When You Shop Online!
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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.
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| Needs List |
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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!
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| Our Mission |
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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.
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Learn all about CRYP's Annual Christmas Toy Drive, and how you can help bring joy and magic to our children.
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Please Support Our Christmas Toy Drive on This #GivingTuesday
It's November, and not only does that mean we have a national holiday just around the corner, we also have #GivingTuesday coming up on Nov. 27. Here in South Dakota, it's also our state's first-ever Day of Giving.
 This year, we hope you'll consider supporting our annual
Christmas Toy Drive, which brings Santa Claus to more than 1,500 children here on the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation. There are so many ways to help. You can adopt a "Dear Santa" letter and fulfill a child's unique and precious Christmas wishes. You can donate funds, gift cards or wrapping materials. You can sell raffle tickets, or buy them and enter to win an authentic
Lakota star quilt. You can even volunteer, right here in our own Santa's Workshop.
The Christmas Toy Drive is actually a nationwide movement to show our children how very loved and special they are. It honors them, and it's an experience that changes everyone it touches.
You can learn more about how you can help, and make an online donation, through the link below. We're deeply grateful for your friendship and support; every contribution, regardless of size, makes a real difference during the holiday season. Wopila.
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| "Lakota Summer," an authentic Lakota star quilt hand-made by Cheyenne River Sioux tribal member Bonnie LeBeaux. |
There's Still Time: Enter to Win, and Support Our Xmas Toy Drive
With more than five weeks to go until Christmas, there is still plenty of time to participate in our annual Star Quilt Raffle. All proceeds benefit our annual Christmas Toy Drive, which brings Santa Claus to more than 1,500 children here on South Dakota's Cheyenne River reservation.
You can sell tickets for us, buy tickets and enter to win the beautiful, handmade "Lakota Summer" star quilt, or simply help spread the world.
Learn more here!
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CRYP Prepares to Celebrate the Community's Youth on Nov. 19
CRYP will host its annual "Thanks for Kids" celebration next Monday, Nov. 19 at Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life). The special event is open free to the community, and this year, the nonprofit youth organization has a few extra treats for its guests.
"Each year, we host a holiday-themed feast for our friends and neighbors here on Cheyenne River, inviting them to come celebrate the Lakota Nation's greatest resource-its children," says Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director. "This year, because it's the fifth anniversary of our teen internship program as well as the 30th anniversary of CRYP itself, we're going all out to make this an evening to remember."
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Our five "Growing Into Wowachinyepi" champions, who will help organize and emcee the annual Thanks for Kids celebration.
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The fun will kick off at 4 p.m. with a youth art project in the Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Art Park, weather permitting; the activity will be moved indoors if necessary. Visiting artist Sadat will work with CRYP's eight current art interns on the project, while younger children ages 4-12 can enjoy seasonal arts and crafts in Cokata Wiconi.
At 5:30, CRYP will host a special honoring and drum song for its current and former teen interns, along with a Lakota dance exhibition. And t
he evening will conclude with the annual Thanks for Kids feast for the community.
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Award-Winning Main University Returned to CRYP This Fall
One of CRYP's most beloved programs returned this fall, when we held a six-week edition of our award-winning Main University. Recipient of a "Champion for Children" award from the South Dakota Coalition for Children, Main University is designed for 4- to 12-year-olds who attend The Main youth center; it was founded by a long-term volunteer in 2002.
Main University took place every Tuesday for six weeks in September and October, from 4:30 to 5 p.m. at The Main. Students learned about a variety of subjects, including geography, science, math, reading, culture and history. Then, on Tuesday, Oct. 30, the eight children who completed the full program enjoyed a formal graduation celebration, complete with official caps and diplomas.
"Main University gives our kids opportunities to take short courses that mimic those offered in a college setting, allowing them to explore subjects that may not be offered in school," says Jerica Widow, CRYP's youth programs director. "That's at the heart of every program we offer here at CRYP: offering opportunities to which our kids might not otherwise have access. It's so important for their growth and overall well-being."
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Wellness Wednesdays Kick Off with Popular Gymnastics & Dance Classes
While CRYP has been offering Native Wellness Internships for teens since 2014 and a variety of wellness-related children's programs since its founding 30 years ago, we launched an exciting new wellness initiative this month. It's called "Wellness Wednesdays," and it incorporates new wellness programming for both teens at Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life) and the younger children who attend The Main youth center next door.
The program is off to an excellent start, with 20 children ages 4-12 participating in gymnastics and dance classes. It was wonderful for our team to see Cokata Wiconi's public spaces busy, and full of fun and laughter.
The program will continue through this month; upcoming installments include a circuit-training challenge and a wellness survey for teens. Due to the program's popularity, youth programming staff are considering a second round of Wellness Wednesdays after the holidays.
"The program allows us to
introduce our younger kids to our teen facilities, so they have an idea of what to expect when they turn 13," says Jerica Widow, CRYP's youth programs director. "It also gives them opportunities to interact with our Native Wellness interns, who have helped design the programs and are serving as youth mentors for the younger kids. And it gives them something fun, active and healthy to do during the cold, dark weeks of winter."
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Annual Winter Clothing Distribution Serves Hundreds on Cheyenne River
This month, hundreds of Cheyenne River community members were able to get warm coats, snow boots, gloves, hats and other winter clothing items through CRYP's annual Winter Clothing Distribution. Members of the youth project's Family Services program were invited to attend
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 The Winter Clothing Distribution is a major component of CRYP's Family Services Program, created in 2002 to manage the increasing amounts of donated supplies that the youth project provides to local families year-round. To participate in the program, all a local family needs to do is pay a $30 annual membership fee, which covers all of that household's family members for one year.
This year's Winter Clothing Distribution was made possible by Running Strong for American Indian Youth. Wopila to our friends in Alexandria, Virginia! We're grateful for your support.
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Thank you so much for your interest in our youth project, and for your ongoing support as we pursue our mission in the community.
Sincerely,
All of us at the
Cheyenne River Youth Project
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