Lakota Coat Drive 2014
Donation protected
Each year Kevin, travels to South Dakota to visit the people of the Rosebud Reservation and to attend the Sundance Ceremony. Kevin is always struck by the level of poverty of the people he meets and indeed, the poverty on the Lakota reservations is among the worst in our nation. To compound this, the weather there is brutal. The average temperature is 5 degrees below zero in the winter! Children wear what coats they have indoors because the propane heating in their modest homes is so inadequate. The generosity of the people in our community is helping. Each year, we have collected coats at our high school and at our daughter's elementary school, which have made their way to some very grateful children of the Rosebud Reservation! Each summer Kevin has delivered those coats and has seen firsthand the gratitude and relief of the mothers who have received them. He has called me on these occasions, and I have heard the tears of joy first-hand!
Each year, the most difficult aspect about bringing donations is the transportation. This summer, Kevin has the time and the opportunity to drive an entire U-haul van back to the reservation in South Dakota! We are in the process of collecting the most needed items we can find to fill this precious space. Already our students have collected a roomful of coats/jackets and athletic/casual shoes of all sizes to deliver to the people of Rosebud. We are also including gently used books that the children of our community have outgrown. We are also in the process of boxing up unused novels from our school's bookroom to send. The Saint Francis Indian School reports that their students have virtually no books in their homes which, as educators, pains us to hear. With the blessing of this entire trailer to fill, we are hoping to share our children's love of reading with the children of the plains. This is going to be a very special trip for Kevin because it is the largest Lakota Coat Drive that we have ever conducted. The next challenge is to fund the u-haul van and the gas needed to get these precious items to South Dakota. We are asking for $1000 to fund our project.
Each year, the most difficult aspect about bringing donations is the transportation. This summer, Kevin has the time and the opportunity to drive an entire U-haul van back to the reservation in South Dakota! We are in the process of collecting the most needed items we can find to fill this precious space. Already our students have collected a roomful of coats/jackets and athletic/casual shoes of all sizes to deliver to the people of Rosebud. We are also including gently used books that the children of our community have outgrown. We are also in the process of boxing up unused novels from our school's bookroom to send. The Saint Francis Indian School reports that their students have virtually no books in their homes which, as educators, pains us to hear. With the blessing of this entire trailer to fill, we are hoping to share our children's love of reading with the children of the plains. This is going to be a very special trip for Kevin because it is the largest Lakota Coat Drive that we have ever conducted. The next challenge is to fund the u-haul van and the gas needed to get these precious items to South Dakota. We are asking for $1000 to fund our project.
Organizer
Nancy Kennett
Organizer
San Jose, CA
