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TMVCNA Council Letters

Pearls of the Earth
Pearls of Turtle Island
Earth Links

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Hello Everyone,

After 3,604 miles we arrived back in Dayton the night of September 7, 2008 around 11:00 PM. Although we were tired and excited to be home we were reluctant. There were a number of “first” this year and I’d have to say it was due to the caring people of the organization and community support. 

The biggest “first” was when the owner of Aaron’s Trucking of Springfield called and said he’d donate the use of a Tractor and trailer if we could cover his expenses. The Thursday before we were to leave he had delivered to SunWatch a 48 ft. trailer for us to fill. We need to thank several members of Many Voice, Ray Roach and Maurice Hotain, for mentioning the work of the Miami Valley Council and of the importance of our outreach. The money saved meant shopping for school supplies, my wife spend Friday empting shelves. FYI, if you ever go to Meijer planning on purchasing a large quantity of anything, be prepared to stand for awhile, as they have to scan each item. The cashier got a little upset with me when she asked me how many boxes of crayons I had, 500 and 750 spiral notebooks and 700 loose leaf paper oh yeah I forgot the 550 rulers. She was excited to take a break when she ran out of register paper and had to wait awhile.

Another biggie was that we surpassed our fundraising goal which allowed us to purchase items that weren’t being donated, erasers, scissors, protractors, rulers and calculators. Which presented another “first” for us; we had supplies leftover which we donated to the Head Start Program in McLaughlin.

In the end, we were able to handout supplies to 2,132 students. Our number was down which is due to the fact that there are other organizations now visiting the reservations. We had none of the clothing left on Friday which is another “first” for us. People were asking if we would be coming back soon. I told them “no” as it is becoming harder and harder for us as an organization.

Communities we served:

On Cheyenne River – Eagle Butte and Bridger

On Rosebud – Soldier Creek

On Crow Creek – Ft. Thompson

On Standing Rock – Bear Soldier (McLaughlin), Wakpala, Rock Creek (McIntosh) and Selfridge

Another biggie was several students ask if they could go to the college.

In this country, the one true right we are afforded is the right to an education.

There is more to tell and I truly hope to see you at the Meeting on Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 4:00 PM. The meeting is going to be at The Community of Christ Church on Grange Hall Rd. I think it’s going to be a Potluck so come with a dish to share and be sure to come hungry.

Thanks to each and all of you. Guy Jones, 2008

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Hello Members and Friends,

I’ve written this letter a couple of times now and each time I stop. I don’t know what it is exactly that I’m feeling but I do know that I hate asking. The first letter had all the statistics relating to the conditions on the reservations and how we need to help now more than ever. In the second letter I shared some of the conversations I had with some of the parents out in South Dakota. And, I told of their struggles to make ends meet and how they don’t know of any means to get School Supplies. And, in the last letter I told of the struggles we (the Council) are having raising the needed funds to even make the trip.  Each time I wrote, I got myself depressed.  

Then I started thinking of all the people I know, what if I got everyone to give a little? And, they got a friend to give a little. We can make this work.

So I’m not going to go into details explaining the need nor am I going to go into length with telling all of you of the importance of education.

But, I will tell you this. We are once again collecting School Supplies and new or gently used clothing for School aged children. We will be leaving on August 30, 2008 and we will be heading first to the reservation of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

SunWatch, once again, has made themselves available as a drop off point. Items can be dropped off during their regular operation hours. You can visit their site for information at www.SunWatch.org

Monetary contributions can be mail to: The Miami Valley Council for Native Americans, P.O. Box 637, Dayton, OH 45401-0637

So, I have this plan of reaching 100 contributors by August 9th, 2008. Can you help? If so, let me know. I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you.

Guy W. Jones

LakotaStar630@aol.com

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The
                           Miami Valley Council for Native Americans

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