Year-End Report To Donors
Friends,
Hope. Progress. Possibility.
We hoped this year would bring us back to some version of normal, and in many ways it did. While maintaining various protocols to promote the health and safety of our volunteers, and the Pine Ridge Reservation community, we were able to resume hosting regular volunteers for the first time since 2019. We missed the camaraderie and bonds that form with new volunteers, but we are more grateful than ever to those friends and donors whose gifts enabled our staff to keep working on behalf of the people of Pine Ridge. Your belief in us was so helpful as the entire world grappled with this pandemic. Thank you.
This is a place where we invite ourselves and others into a daily discomfort zone, where some days we face seemingly insurmountable challenges and obstacles before we can make a difference. But we do make a difference, a difference that gives people hope for a better today. With hope comes progress. It can be tenuous at times. But momentum is building. None of this would be possible if not for the vision and determination of our staff, and generous donors like you who remain committed to our work. I hope we can count on your support again in the closing days of this year.
The hope that drives our staff is based on simple beliefs. We believe that no child should be cold or hungry simply because they were born in the wrong zip code or because their parents are unable to care for them. We believe that regardless of someone’s personal circumstances, they have value as a human being and member of society. We believe that if we can get wood to one more family in the winter, we should do it. If a little more dignity can be afforded to someone by providing an outhouse, we should dig the six foot hole. We believe that blame and shame have no place in the things we build or the purpose for which we were founded. We know we cannot fix systemic problems by ourselves, but we can add comfort and joy to one life or a family. And when we do, we start a bigger conversation about hope and progress, and the possibility of better things to come.
But, whatever we do, we cannot do it without you.
Every dollar offered by a donor makes a difference. Because of donors like you, eyes are opened and hearts begin to heal - one person at a time, one home at a time, one conversation at a time. Whether you are helping us provide fresh produce from the garden at Feather II or furnishing a ramp for the dad whose leg was amputated due to diabetes. The ramp doesn’t solve the disease, but to that man’s family, it matters. It really matters.
And, the Oglala Lakota people help us, too. We are guests of the tribe and mindful of their directives and priorities for how best we can serve them. We cannot undo the errors of history, but we can ask ourselves and volunteers to leave personal comfort zones to listen and learn. To do that for even a few days is the gift one receives while giving of themselves with no expectation. The impact that follows is magic. Volunteers leave here with that magic. It allows them to see beyond the problems and the poverty – and to begin to see the possibilities. It allows them to discover things about the human spirit, their own and those who live here on Pine Ridge.
As we move into our 25th anniversary year in 2023, we remain mindful that the work we do is possible only because of volunteers and donors. We close this volunteer season with a brief report on our efforts to date and our sincere hope that you will continue to support our work.
Together, we end a season with hope for the future. Together, we dream of the possibilities of the next 25 years of Re-Member. Together, we are Re-Member.
YOU make our work possible
The return of our volunteers in 2022 contributed to an astounding increase in the amount of services we were able to provide to the residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Your support goes a long way, and we are asking for your help again as we close out this calendar year.
Because of YOU…
2021-22 winter heating season:
Firewood: 564 loads delivered
Miles driven by our two delivery trucks: 7,995
Propane and home heating oil purchased: 5,750 gallons
Power bills paid: 11
2022 volunteer season:
Volunteers: 486
Work completed: 272 jobs from 157 requests
112 beds | 68 sets of deck/steps | 45 outhouses | 29 handicap ramps | 18 skirt jobs
280 pending requests as of November 1, 2022
During our two-plus year pandemic closure, our staff worked hard. Without volunteers, we were able to complete 158 jobs in 2021.
With volunteers back in 2022, we completed 272 jobs.
YOU are Re-Member!
At Feather II we…
Planted our 2.5-acre community garden
Began production in our two high-tunnel greenhouses utilizing a new drip irrigation system
Distributed approximately 550 pounds of produce
Served more than 75 community members
This year’s plantings included: cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, beets, peas, green beans, onions, hot and sweet peppers, yellow squash, cabbage, garlic, basil, zucchini, pumpkins, and assorted herbs.
From Our Kitchen To Yours…
Nyla and her daughters have been cooking up hearty dinners and preparing our nightly salad bar for seven years. On summer Wednesdays Nyla also prepares her family recipe: Lakota frybread and wojapi—a pudding-like fruit dip.
Nyla prepares frybread in the Re-Member kitchen
She has perfected the frybread mix into a small-batch recipe that we make in house and can ship directly to you. Bring a little Pine Ridge into your kitchen this winter. Visit our online store to purchase some of Unci’s (Grandmother’s) Kitchen frybread mix. Makes a great gift as well!
2022 Leadership Staff
William Bass
Senior Construction Supervisor
Kimberly Black Elk*
Office Manager & Donation Coordinator
Sidney Jealous of Him*
Construction Assistant
Lane Miller*
Construction Assistant
Devorah Mlotkowski
Garden Coordinator
William Paese
Operations Manager
Nyla Red Cloud Frazier*
Kitchen Manager
Michelle Roberts
Program Manager
Paula Sibal
Trip Coordinator
Jennifer Sklener
Director of Finance
Cory True
Executive Director
*Indicates enrolled tribal member