Community Car Wash and Supply Drive for the Children of Pine Ridge Reservation

The Lakota Pine Ridge Children's Enrichment Project, a nonprofit corporation Founded by SHS Graduate Maggie Dunne, is running its annual Supply Drive for Lakota Children living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. SHS Pine Ridge Reservation Aid Club (headed by senior Katie Colella), the Scarsdale Congregational Church Youth Action Committee and SHS’s premier a cappella group, For Good Measure, will host a Community Car Wash and Awareness Benefit on October 14, 2012, from 1-3 PM on the grounds of the Scarsdale Congregational Church, to rally community support for the project. Community members are urged to bring items for Lakota children to the car wash, which will also have awareness tables, silent auction, bake sale, refreshments, volunteer opportunities and entertainment.

Through October 20, 2012, Lakota Children’s Enrichment is collecting new or barely used and clean:

• Children's Coats
• Children's Snow Boots
• Waterproof Gloves
• Warm Outerwear
• Books (especially any series of books)
• New or barely used toys (for Halloween and Holiday parties)
• New (or very barely used) running shoes of all sizes (for two schools that are trying to implement proper sports programs for their students grades K-8).

Donations may be dropped off (or brought to the October 14 car wash) at the Scarsdale Congregational Church Parish House, One Heathcote Road, lobby (Red brick building at intersection of Heathcote and Post Roads) by October 20, 2012

OR at Scarsdale High School Post Road entrance (boxes in hallway).

Pine Ridge Reservation is home to the Oglala Lakota Nation and is one of the poorest regions in the USA. Today, mail is not delivered to residences, cell phones, Internet access and computers are not affordable for most, water access and mass transportation are limited, schools struggle to keep teachers, drop out rates are as high as 70%, and health care and housing are sub-standard. The tribe reports a population of between 28,000-35,000 with an average live span of 48 for men and 53 for women; infant mortality rates are as high as parts of the “developing world.”

On September 11 2012, United Nations Human Rights expert James Anaya issued a report on America’s indigenous communities and concluded that unless genuine movement is made toward reconciling misdealings and continuing harms, "the place of indigenous peoples within the US will continue to be an unstable, disadvantaged and inequitable one, and the country’s moral standing will suffer."

The following is an excerpt of a letter published in the UN’s report, which was sent from a child living on an adjacent Reservation.

“Life here is very hand to mouth. Out here, we don’t have the finer things. You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. And I’m going to be honest with you, sometimes I don’t eat. I’ve never told anyone this before, not even my mom, but I don’t eat sometimes because I feel bad about making my mom buy food that I know is expensive. And you know what? Life is hard enough for my mom, so I will probably never tell her. My parents have enough to worry about. I do not know what you can do, but try your very best to help us. Please help us. We can do this. Yes we can!”

Last year the Scarsdale community sent 5000 pounds of donations of mostly new items to the children of Pine Ridge Reservation and the Fall drive supply provided clothing, boots and warm outerwear to thousands of children and families. Lakota Children’s Enrichment thanks the Scarsdale community for its continuing support.

You can follow Lakota Pine Ridge Children’s Enrichment’s efforts on Facebook, Twitter (@Lakota_Children) or its blog at http://lakotakids.blogspot.com/ .