WHO WE ARE |
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I have been involved with The Tipi Raisers since 2019 when a call to our church brought a request for support of a horseback ride to South Dakota. That initial contact developed into volunteering for many interesting projects. I’ve participated in 12 multi-day trips with some time spent on Pine Ridge Reservation, Hopi and Dine lands.My dedication to service is deeply personal, rooted in a family story where a kind Indigenous girl helped my shy, Finnish mother—a newcomer struggling to learn English—adjust to school. Growing up near the Colville Reservation, learning about the historic loss of tribal lands, and the impact of the Grand Coulee Dam on the sacred salmon, solidified my awareness of both kindness and harm, and my responsibility to connect and help as I can. This commitment led to 14 years volunteering with Girl Scouts and seven seasons as a Red Cross Certified Canoe Instructor.
My professional work involved bookkeeping for small businesses, a church, and The Nature Conservancy, followed by establishing a small herbalism business after studying at the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism, where I focused on harvesting and teaching about wild plants. My husband, Jim, and I live in Boulder, and can often be found volunteering at the Tipi Raiser’s Hub. We enjoy outdoor adventures with our two grown children and four grandchildren. “History is what happened; Heritage is a story unfolding; History tends to trap us in tales about what they did; Heritage inevitably gets us to talking about what we are called to do.” - Rev. Scott Tayler |
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Scott has been involved with The Tipi Raisers as a volunteer the past 5 years, first joining a Volunteer Service Trip on Pine Ridge where he was drawn to the organization’s mission of service combined with cultural reconciliation. Scott graduated from the University of. of Colorado with a BA in Science in 1975. He then graduated from the University of. of Colorado medical school in 1979 and the Family Practice residency in 1982. He developed three successful rural family medical practices during 1982-2005, in Brighton, CO, Ossipee N.H. and Potsdam, NY.
In addition to his Board service on the New Hampshire School board and on the nonprofit Trees, Water and People (which is heavily involved on the Pine Ridge reservation), Scott has a long history of volunteer work in various settings. This includes serving at St. Jude Hospital in St. Lucia in the West Indies, providing medical aid and participating in home construction in Guatemala, and assisting with hurricane recovery in New Orleans. He also volunteered on medical and general trips to Haiti, sometimes with Heart to Heart International. Additionally, he took numerous trips to Pine Ridge with Trees, Water, and People and Red Cloud Renewable to construct a solar energy center and compressed earth block home. More recently, he has joined three construction trips to Pine Ridge and one to Hopi/Navajo with Tipi Raisers. Having grown up in a small town in Wisconsin, he has always been drawn to work with the marginalized, often forgotten people of rural America. He lives in Broomfield with his wife Susan and enjoys his five children and eight grandchildren. |
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I have served two terms on the Board of Tipi Raisers as President. First, from 2015-2018 and most recently from June, 2024 to present.
I am drawn to the Spirituality of our First Nations. The celebration of Mother Earth and all she provides for us becomes most clear to me when spoken from the heart of our Native Families. It is from this foundation that I most resonate with the mission of Tipi Raisers' emphasis on honoring indigenous wisdom. The organization’s advancement toward reconciliation is another powerful draw for me. I am now retired after a 45 year career as a Marriage and Family Therapist. My Masters in Theology was earned after eight years in a Roman Catholic Seminary. My early history is that of a farmer in North Dakota. I love to be in Mother Nature; hiking, biking, skiing along with long walks absorbing all that our Creator has offered. I am proud of my two adult children and my four grandchildren who keep me young at heart. I live in gratitude! |
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CONTACT USPhone: 720-412-3335
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