Support Pine Ridge Reservation Families
Donation protected
**UPDATE** - since we have reached our goal, our priority is to now focus on getting as much as we can from various families' wishlists. Donations are still very welcome if you are not able to purchase a gift. For a quick link to all wishlists, click HERE.
Hi there, we are a group of co-workers and friends who specialize in non-traditional casting for movies and TV. We have been working on a movie shot on the Pine Ridge Reservation and surrounding areas for a couple years now. Pine Ridge has become a place that is so dear to our hearts, as are the friends we have made there.
For those who don't know much about Pine Ridge, it is a vast and gorgeous place with a vibrant spiritual energy. Its people are strong and very special. It can also be an incredibly difficult place to live. It is the eighth-largest reservation in the United States and it is the poorest. Unemployment on the reservation hovers between 80% and 85%, and 49% of the population live below the federal poverty level. The adolescent suicide rate has been reported at four times the United States national average. Based on suicide data, Pine Ridge Reservation President Julian Bear Runner declared a state of emergency this August .
This has been a tough year for everyone. However, things have been extreme on the Reservation. Teen suicide was already a devastating issue, but is getting much worse. One young person's suicide often triggers several more; this just happened with a group of boys in the past few weeks. Covid is ravaging elder populations and entire families. It has been harsh and unrelenting.
Some of our friends from the movie (and their families) could use your help. We've listed five families here, all facing their own hardships. Any funds donated will be evenly distributed among these families. We've included their Amazon wishlists as well. If you have the spare funds to donate, we can tell you with confidence that it will go to someone who could really, really use it this holiday season. This is an opportunity to provide direct support to families in need, and offer a little hope for their futures.
FAMILIES:
Stanley is an important spiritual leader in his community. He has a large family, including a newborn grandchild, and they could use your support in getting much-needed survival funds. Stanley does not receive income from his work. His family often struggles to pay for propane to heat the house, diapers, food, and etc. STANLEY FAMILY WISHLIST
The second household has also been hit hard by Covid. They lost their grandfather, a revered traditional elder and Treaty Keeper. Everyone else in the large family caught the virus, including the grandmother, who had to be hospitalized but survived. The single mother of this family has lupus and stayed strong during her battle with Covid, even after her father passed, and while having to care for her very large multi-generational family. ANONYMOUS FAMILY 2 WISHLIST
The third family would prefer to keep their identity private. The family lost their mother and seventeen-year-old sister this year, their father a couple years ago, and a boy in the family just lost two very close friends to suicide in the past few weeks. A third friend of his also recently attempted and had to be hospitalized. They have been hit by Covid as well. These strong young people are raising each other and their own children, with another baby on the way in a few months - all while going to school! We hope this money can give them some stability and help keep them in school. Two of the young women in the family are hoping to become a nurses, and are in school for it now. ANONYMOUS FAMILY WISHLIST - COMPLETE!!
Candy's family has been hit hard by Covid, and she recently lost her father to the virus. In the midst of this difficult time, Candy has also brought a beautiful and healthy baby girl into the world, and has four other children that she cares for in her small trailer along with three other adults. CANDY FAMILY WISHLIST - COMPLETE!!
The fifth household is a family of nine with a single mother. After a significant traumatic event, the mother lost her job of 14 years. Her work refused to give her any time off in order to support her at-risk daughter and forced her out. That same week she lost her car, as the insurance payout from hitting a deer came in less than what she owed. They are struggling financially and won't be able to afford anything for the holidays this year on their own. ANONYMOUS FAMILY 3 WISHLIST
Additional wishlists:
-WOODY FAMILY WISHLIST - COMPLETE!!
-NENA
-ADDITIONAL MISC ITEMS
Please consider lending a few bucks if you can. It'll really brighten someone's day, and help them get through a dark and difficult time. Thank you SO MUCH for your support!
Hi there, we are a group of co-workers and friends who specialize in non-traditional casting for movies and TV. We have been working on a movie shot on the Pine Ridge Reservation and surrounding areas for a couple years now. Pine Ridge has become a place that is so dear to our hearts, as are the friends we have made there.
For those who don't know much about Pine Ridge, it is a vast and gorgeous place with a vibrant spiritual energy. Its people are strong and very special. It can also be an incredibly difficult place to live. It is the eighth-largest reservation in the United States and it is the poorest. Unemployment on the reservation hovers between 80% and 85%, and 49% of the population live below the federal poverty level. The adolescent suicide rate has been reported at four times the United States national average. Based on suicide data, Pine Ridge Reservation President Julian Bear Runner declared a state of emergency this August .
This has been a tough year for everyone. However, things have been extreme on the Reservation. Teen suicide was already a devastating issue, but is getting much worse. One young person's suicide often triggers several more; this just happened with a group of boys in the past few weeks. Covid is ravaging elder populations and entire families. It has been harsh and unrelenting.
Some of our friends from the movie (and their families) could use your help. We've listed five families here, all facing their own hardships. Any funds donated will be evenly distributed among these families. We've included their Amazon wishlists as well. If you have the spare funds to donate, we can tell you with confidence that it will go to someone who could really, really use it this holiday season. This is an opportunity to provide direct support to families in need, and offer a little hope for their futures.
FAMILIES:
Stanley is an important spiritual leader in his community. He has a large family, including a newborn grandchild, and they could use your support in getting much-needed survival funds. Stanley does not receive income from his work. His family often struggles to pay for propane to heat the house, diapers, food, and etc. STANLEY FAMILY WISHLIST
The second household has also been hit hard by Covid. They lost their grandfather, a revered traditional elder and Treaty Keeper. Everyone else in the large family caught the virus, including the grandmother, who had to be hospitalized but survived. The single mother of this family has lupus and stayed strong during her battle with Covid, even after her father passed, and while having to care for her very large multi-generational family. ANONYMOUS FAMILY 2 WISHLIST
The third family would prefer to keep their identity private. The family lost their mother and seventeen-year-old sister this year, their father a couple years ago, and a boy in the family just lost two very close friends to suicide in the past few weeks. A third friend of his also recently attempted and had to be hospitalized. They have been hit by Covid as well. These strong young people are raising each other and their own children, with another baby on the way in a few months - all while going to school! We hope this money can give them some stability and help keep them in school. Two of the young women in the family are hoping to become a nurses, and are in school for it now. ANONYMOUS FAMILY WISHLIST - COMPLETE!!
Candy's family has been hit hard by Covid, and she recently lost her father to the virus. In the midst of this difficult time, Candy has also brought a beautiful and healthy baby girl into the world, and has four other children that she cares for in her small trailer along with three other adults. CANDY FAMILY WISHLIST - COMPLETE!!
The fifth household is a family of nine with a single mother. After a significant traumatic event, the mother lost her job of 14 years. Her work refused to give her any time off in order to support her at-risk daughter and forced her out. That same week she lost her car, as the insurance payout from hitting a deer came in less than what she owed. They are struggling financially and won't be able to afford anything for the holidays this year on their own. ANONYMOUS FAMILY 3 WISHLIST
Additional wishlists:
-WOODY FAMILY WISHLIST - COMPLETE!!
-NENA
-ADDITIONAL MISC ITEMS
Please consider lending a few bucks if you can. It'll really brighten someone's day, and help them get through a dark and difficult time. Thank you SO MUCH for your support!
Co-organizers (3)
Abby Harri
Organizer
Kansas City, MO
Valentina Von Klencke
Co-organizer
Eleonore Hendricks
Co-organizer