Relatives Ride for Native student scholarships

Welcome to Relatives Ride, the Virtual Run/Bike/Walk fundraiser for Native students in the health field at the University of Arizona.

I am Guarina Lopez. My father Fileberto Reynaldo Lopez III, was one of the founding members of the American Indian and Indigenous Health Alliance (AIIHA) while a public health student at the University of Arizona. After his passing in 2015, the Dr. Fileberto Lopez III Scholarship was created by AIIHA to provide funds to native undergraduate and graduate students in the health professions. AIIHA is a student organization for both undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Arizona.

The purpose of the club is to enrich and promote quality educational and professional experiences for native students with the goal to increase the representation of Indigenous in the health disciplines.

Since 2016, 16 native public health and health professional students have received $200-500, proceeds from snack sales and a silent auction at the annual Indigenous Day of Health.

With COVID-19, AIIHA was unable to hold their annual fundraising event and provide scholarships in 2020.

The Relatives Ride Virtual Run/Bike/Walk Fundraiser will help raise funds for the Dr. Fileberto Lopez III Scholarship. The 2021 scholarship to be distributed in August and provide native students with funds for rent, books, utilities, testing materials, conference attendance, food and essential supplies.

How you can help? From July 1-31, 2021 you can:

1. Donate to Relatives Ride GoFundme

2. Challenge yourself or your team to run/bike/walk during the month of July

3. Follow @Native_Women_Ride on Instagram

4. Send your race pictures to @Native_Women_Ride Instagram account to be reposted

5. Use the IG hashtags #relativesride #nativewomenride #nativejoy #aiiha #nativepublichealth 

6. Post your walk/run pictures to @aiihaua on Instagram and @aiihac on Facebook

Thank you. Guarina Lopez, Native Women Ride with Agnes Attakai and Kesley Yonnie, American Indian and Indigenous Health Alliance.