Presents for Pine Ridge: Crazy Horse
Donation protected
This will be, sadly, our last campaign, as Mackenzie is graduating in May. We are receiving some assistance from Castle View High School and Castle Rock Connections, but the need is great.
This year we are focusing on 2 schools on the Reservation: 130 K-12 youth from the dormitories at Pine Ridge school, and 250 K-12 youth at the Crazy Horse School in Wanblee.
Did you know that:
· Pine Ridge Reservation is the poorest county in the United States.
· 97% of the population lives far below the U.S. federal poverty line with a median household income ranging between $2,600 and $3,500 per year.
· There is no industry, technology or commercial infrastructure to provide employment for its residents, contributing to the 90% unemployment rate.
· The average life expectancy on the Reservation is 47 years for men and 52 years for women.
· Teenage suicide rate is 150% higher than the U.S. national average.
· There is a 70% high school dropout rate.
· Infant mortality rate is the highest on this continent, and about 300% higher than the U.S. national average.
· There’s an estimated average of 17 people living in each family home, a home that may only have two to three rooms. Some Reservation families are forced to sleep on dirt floors.
· Over 33% of homes have no electricity or basic water and sewage systems, forcing many to carry (often contaminated) water from local rivers daily for their personal needs.
· At least 60% of homes on the Reservation need to be demolished and replaced due to the infestation of potentially fatal black mold; however, there are no insurance or government programs to assist families with replacing their homes.
· Weather is extreme on the Reservation. Severe winds are always a factor. Summer temperatures reach well over 110 degrees and winters bring bitter cold and can reach -50 degrees below zero or worse.
Under those conditions, the great majority of parents cannot afford to give Christmas presents. When requesting what the high school students wanted for Christmas at Crazy Horse, most wanted shampoo, soap, deodorant, and a hat. We find this incredibly sad.
Can you help us by donating to this cause so we can bring gifts to these children? They deserve so much more, but if we can bring a smile to a face, it will all be worth it.
If you would rather purchase a gift on Amazon, we have an Amazon gift list set up, titled Pine Ridge Holiday Gifts 2019: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/dl/invite/6WEZ4LS?ref=cm_sw_em_r_wl_dp_FpcVxGbs3Tjdd
Gifts should be sent to Brianna Bettelyoun, PO Box 226, Wanblee SD 57577. She will be wrapping all the gifts at the school.
Thank you for kindness. Merry Christmas and blessings to you and yours
This year we are focusing on 2 schools on the Reservation: 130 K-12 youth from the dormitories at Pine Ridge school, and 250 K-12 youth at the Crazy Horse School in Wanblee.
Did you know that:
· Pine Ridge Reservation is the poorest county in the United States.
· 97% of the population lives far below the U.S. federal poverty line with a median household income ranging between $2,600 and $3,500 per year.
· There is no industry, technology or commercial infrastructure to provide employment for its residents, contributing to the 90% unemployment rate.
· The average life expectancy on the Reservation is 47 years for men and 52 years for women.
· Teenage suicide rate is 150% higher than the U.S. national average.
· There is a 70% high school dropout rate.
· Infant mortality rate is the highest on this continent, and about 300% higher than the U.S. national average.
· There’s an estimated average of 17 people living in each family home, a home that may only have two to three rooms. Some Reservation families are forced to sleep on dirt floors.
· Over 33% of homes have no electricity or basic water and sewage systems, forcing many to carry (often contaminated) water from local rivers daily for their personal needs.
· At least 60% of homes on the Reservation need to be demolished and replaced due to the infestation of potentially fatal black mold; however, there are no insurance or government programs to assist families with replacing their homes.
· Weather is extreme on the Reservation. Severe winds are always a factor. Summer temperatures reach well over 110 degrees and winters bring bitter cold and can reach -50 degrees below zero or worse.
Under those conditions, the great majority of parents cannot afford to give Christmas presents. When requesting what the high school students wanted for Christmas at Crazy Horse, most wanted shampoo, soap, deodorant, and a hat. We find this incredibly sad.
Can you help us by donating to this cause so we can bring gifts to these children? They deserve so much more, but if we can bring a smile to a face, it will all be worth it.
If you would rather purchase a gift on Amazon, we have an Amazon gift list set up, titled Pine Ridge Holiday Gifts 2019: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/dl/invite/6WEZ4LS?ref=cm_sw_em_r_wl_dp_FpcVxGbs3Tjdd
Gifts should be sent to Brianna Bettelyoun, PO Box 226, Wanblee SD 57577. She will be wrapping all the gifts at the school.
Thank you for kindness. Merry Christmas and blessings to you and yours
Organiser
Kara Boyd
Organiser
Castle Rock, CO
