Our Mission Never Stops

This community of tribal members, youth, elders, volunteers and supporters keep our efforts to serve Native communities in motion year-round. 

Here are three recent snapshots of our mission in action:

​1. Material aid & side-by-side service on Pine Ridge

Our August food box delivery to the Pine Ridge Reservation was full of sweetness! In addition to the distribution of food boxes to 25 Lakota families, a van was donated by a young volunteer to a beloved Indigenous elder. An afternoon spent unloading a flatbed full of firewood (split by students at the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning/RMSEL!) alongside Gen7 youth from Pine Ridge, non-Native volunteers and elders brought lots of laughter and cross-cultural connection to life. 

Wage-earning opportunities like these for tribal members not only offer important income for local families, but also help move reconciliation forward! Our volunteers look forward to delivering September's food boxes across the reservation this weekend.
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2. Local students learn and serve Native communities

Speaking of RMSEL, school partners and local students have been hard at work to continue serving Native communities alongside us! RMSEL students continue to split firewood after school each Monday - every piece of which will be utilized by Lakota families throughout the fall and winter for warmth. Students from the Dawson School in Lafayette recently helped us load construction materials for homes on the Hopi & Navajo reservations. Other local schools and Gen7 youth continue to visit our Hub to engage with horse medicine, learn about Native communities and histories, and serve Indigenous families. We love seeing these Gen7 changemakers make a difference!

3. Volunteer magic on the Hopi & Navajo Reservations

The week of August 22nd-28th was jam-packed with service, learning, and connection on the Hopi & Navajo Reservations! A dozen volunteers from all over the country worked side-by-side with Hopi and Diné tribal members to build a tiny home for an elder, repair a roof at the 1,000 year old Village of Walpi, and create meaningful cross-cultural relationships. We're so grateful to the volunteers from D.C.'s National Community Church and beyond who helped make a difference for Indigenous families.

Even as we evolve to meet the challenges faced by Native communities, our mission continues!

See how the tipi raisers is evolving