Pathways to Spirit serves the native people through several projects whose goal is to support and empower:
Energy and communication - a year around need, more especially in the winter.
Every day we receive calls concerning the need for help with propane, electricity, water, and telephone bills. Many calls come from elders or single mothers who are trying so hard to make ends meet. Many come from large families whose monthly income is below the poverty line. South Dakota winters are usually cold and long. We have also been receiving calls from North Dakota reservations in recent months. The word spreads fast when help is found. In most cases we are unable to pay complete bills but with your financial aid all that could turn around. For this project we need your donations.
Remember, these are basic needs of all people.
Donations for heat are critical; every year there are deaths from freezing to death in the night. This is preventable!
The elders tell us, "in the old days we could lay down our heads for free, eat for free, our medicine was free.
Now we must pay for all that, but in the beginning the Creator provided all that we needed for free."
Click here to make your donation.
For the latest information read this project's section of our blog (click here).
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This project is bringing the gift of reading to the children of the Porcupine District on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Years ago, we visited the town of Porcupine where we met with community leaders to present the idea of making a library for the children. After our presentation, one elder said, " I see this library as the light at the end of the tunnel and is tied in directly to the survival of us as a people".
Many years of trying to secure funding and land did not produce what we hoped for. However, other opportunities have come our way.
Even the perfect building has appeared to be the home for the first children's library on Pine Ridge. It will be located in the new Lakota school of Carolyn and Eli Tail in Porcupine. In the summer of 2007, the school was opened in an already existing tribal building near the community of Evergreen. Visit their school on-line at www.cokantiospaye.com
They have a space that is 55' x 18' that is not being used. Children of the entire district are now to using the library. Our goal of having it completed by the summer of 2008 has now been accomplished.
A very great gift has brought about this fulfillment. The Board of Directors of the Lorraine David Childrens's Library of Erie, Colorado after deciding to build a new library has generously donated their entire library for this project. This included over 4,000 books, furniture, shelving, computers, card catalogs, etc. Everything but the walls.
Shown below are pictures of the Lorraine David Children's Library building, some of their staff and our Pathways volunteers that moved the donated items into our semi that transported the entire library to Porcupine, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Below those pictures are pictures of the setup library being used.
Needs:
Now that the library is up and running, the need now is for funding to keep it running. Funds for, heating, general maintenance, electricity, craft materials for the daily Story Time and other programs, etc.
New Native American books for children up the age 12, see below.
Easy way to buy New Native Books. We've setup a wish list on Amazon.com. First read through our three easy steps.
1: Go to Amazon (from our linnk below so Pathways earns a monetary donation from Amazon.com)
2: Go to Amazon's "Gift & Wish List" area (listed on top blue menu on Amazon's webpage)
3: Find Pathways's Wish List (enter "Pathways" into the "Find Someone's Wish List" box in upper right corner)
4: Select Books
5: You can choose to ship directly to Pathways To Spirit at 4307 Goldeneye Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80526
Click here to go to Amazon and enjoy shopping for children's library books!
Or click here to make a monetary donation for new Native American books.
For the latest information read this project's section of our blog (click here).
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To provide sewing machines and the skills.
In 1992, John and Cynthia Cunningham of Boulder, Colorado took a used, reconditioned, sewing machine to the Rosebud reservation to give as a gift to a Lakota elder friend. She had asked them to keep an eye out for a used machine and was thrilled to receive it. Soon after, she asked "can you get us more of these"? That was the beginning of a project which has gifted over 500 used, reconditioned, and new sewing machines, sergers, sewing tools, quilting frames, and fabrics to Lakota and other Indian people.
A well functioning sewing machine is a highly valued tool in the Lakota culture. On the reservations many women sew, often in family groups. A sewing machine is often at the heart of a household, usually in the center of the living room, where it's used almost continually. Grandmothers and great-grandmothers, aunts, mothers, cousins and daughters come together around the sewing table to talk, listen and share sewing. Those who know how to use the machines teach the newcomers. On these reservations, having a sewing machine means being able to make the dance outfits, star quilts and ribbon shirts that are traditional to the Lakota way of life. While some Lakota women (and men) sell their beautiful homemade star quilts, many others sew to give their quilts and dance outfits as gifts for graduations, memorials, births, marriages and honoring ceremonies.
Marlies White Hat, Human Resource Developer at the Sinte Gleska University in Mission, South Dakota,
In recent years we've been able to give sets of 4-12 new machines, which we purchase wholesale, to established sewing circles on reservations and in some cities, mostly in the Rocky Mountain region.
Programs established or upgraded by our project include:
• Sinte Gleska University's Human Resources Department - Mission, South Dakota
• Native American Women's Empowerment Circle - Denver, Colorado
• Hopi Quilting Project - Third Mesa, Arizona
• Sinte Gleska's Arts Institute - Mission, South Dakota
While a sewing machine is a highly valued possession in Lakota homes, schools and community houses, it is very often a financial impossibility. Every time we gift a machine we hear from many others in the immediate area who would love to have one or would like to start a sewing program but cannot afford it.
So we ask for your financial support. ( Make a donation, click here) or materials. Click here for a list of materials we need.
• $25 pays for reconditioning and delivering a used machine.
• $200 buys a new sewing machine, purchased wholesale, including delivery
• $800-$1000 buys 4 new sewing machines, including delivery - the gift of which will begin a new sewing circle
Click here to make your donation.
For the latest information read this project's section of our blog (click here).
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The voices of Lakota elders, spiritual leaders and medicine men are slowly being extinguished. It has been estimated that there are only around 176 Lakota speaking people left on the Pine Ridge Reservation. To keep their voices alive and to preserve their life stories and spiritual knowledge, Pathways to Spirit is launching "Sacred Voices."
As time passes, the Lakota way of life disappears as the modern world takes over. Many of the old ones who were raised by a people who were born free are dying off. Other religious pratices have come on to the reservation replacing the traidional way of life from the past.
Several years ago, community leaders from the town of Porcupine, SD asked that we help them preserve their heritage for future generations.
Our plan is to video and record thirty people on Pine Ridge. This will include videos, audios, still pictures, transcripts and cataloging.
We have applied for funding for this project from a few sources and look forward to receiving the funds needed to begin this Spring.
Part of our mission statement includes preserving cultural integrity. As the new generations of Lakota children walk forward they can look back on the rich history of their people with pride and dignity from a time when their ancestors roamed the Great Plains of the West.
Needs:
We are in need of an experienced video/audio editor for this project. If this project touches your heart and you could donate time for edition, please contact us at (970) 282 3819.
To provide basic assistance by filling Pathways' own 48 ft. semi trailer with your donations of food, furniture, household appliance, toys, school supplies and more (except clothing).
Since 1999, Pathways to Spirit has delivered it’s own 48 foot semi trailer filled with donations provided by supporters from around the world, on an average of four times per year.
DENVER-FORT COLLINS-BOULDER COLORADO AREA:
If your group or organization would like to sponsor a donation collection, all we need is a date, a very large parking lot and helpers to load donations. Please contact us to get more information. All donations must be in good condition, clean and working. We do not accept broken items of any type, nor clothing. Remember, these are going to a family in need, so with dignity in mind, consider your donations mindfully.
Needs for this project:
• Beds
• Blankets
• Household appliances
• Kitchen items
• Dishes
• Pots & Pans
• Microwaves
• Coffee Makers
• Washers/dryers
• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Furniture of any kind
• Carpeting
• Playground items (swings, etc.)
• Tools
• Garden supplies
• Lawn Mowers
For the latest information read this project's section of our blog (click here).
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To support education.
Coleman was a 2006 Graduate of Todd County High School on Rosebud Reservation in Mission, SD, finishing his last semester on the honor roll. Coleman crossed over to the Spirit World on April 30th, 2006. He was scheduled to graduate on May 12. This Annual Scholarship is a celebration of his life, a celebration of the love he showed to his family and friends, his love of reading, his love and pride in the traditional Lakota ways and ceremonies, and also the love we have for Coleman's gentle Spirit as he spoke of difficult events in his life with an old man's sense of peace and understanding. It is a celebration of his quick but gentle sense of humor and all the warmth and kindness that he showered us with.
To apply, write a letter of intent describing your educational and future goals and tell us a little about yourself. Please send your application letter to Pathways To Spirit. Marlies and Albert White Hat, Sr., will review the applications and will select recipients.
Click here to make your donation.
For the latest information read this project's section our blog (click here).
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To give incarcerated youth a future after prison.
Lale Metzinger (maiden name: Lale Gurel) was a very generous young woman who would always help when help was needed. She never thought of herself but always of the others first. She was a sundancer, worked for Greenpeace International and lived in Switzerland during her last two years. After she died of cancer at the age of only 33 in April 2006 her friends proposed to set up a memorial fund. Please join us in sponsoring a new sewing and beading program to help incarcerated Lakota youth. Lale's friends and husband have come together to create this program and to carry her love of young people to incarcerated youth on the reservation.
We are asking for financial donations - can you help us? We need to raise another $500 to purchase sewing and beading supplies for this very special program at the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) in Mission, SD. Your donation will enable us to purchase fabric, beads, special items for the making of traditional Lakota dance regalia, sewing and beading tools, and books on art, history and technique.
Also needed for this project are current books on Lakota beading, needle nose pliers, calico cotton, thread, needles, sewing scissors, iron and ironing board, beads and beading thread.
Click here to make your donation.
For the latest information read this project's section of our blog (click here).
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2006 Porcupine Site
2007 American Horse Creek Site
To provide alternative, self constructed housing with natural materials.
This project is about constructing houses with natural materials and teaching local community members how to do it.
In 2006 Pathways to Spirit built a prototype Staw bale and cob home in Porcupine. The little 450 square foot cabin gave us an idea of the possibility of building a better and less expensive type of home. Several Lakota people took part in the workshop and all seemed excited about the prospects of being able to build a home using local materials from the land.
At the same time we could see that much education would have to take place for the people to fully understand this type of construction and the idea of working together to build each other a home. Even so, this type of building is not free and there is much hard labor involved in getting the clay and transporting it to the work site. Also, the straw bales must be in perfect condition. There is a lot of teaching and learning involved. We need individuals who have time and are willing to travel to the reservation many times for this process.
In 2007 we were inspired by two individuals who worked on that project to move forward and refine the idea. In the summer Dave Hanson and Eric Iverson of Washington State came to the reservation 3 times to lead the project that they designed. The home is a combination of Straw bales and Stick Construction. The home was built for an elder in American Horse Creek.
Dave and Eric are not sure this was the best type of contruction for the reservation due to the high cost of them coming all the way from out west as well as having to find all the resources that are not always near the building site. See our blog for more information on their conclusions.
We still feel with the right volunteers and educators that straw bale could be viable. We know tribal leaders are very interested, but the education of how it works must take place. There are always many obstables to overcome when building on the reservation; such as the availability of water and electricity, the machinery to clear the site and the availibility of trucks to get materials.
We look forward to hearing from alternative builders for guidance on our next home.
Needs:
Funds for building & Alternative builders to teach.
Click here to make your donation.
For the latest information read this project's section of our blog (click here).
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Moving used, good condition mobile homes to provide a new beginning for a family.
THIS PROGRAM IS TEMPORARILY SUSPENEDED!
At this time, we are not accepting applications for mobile homes!
> The housing situation on the reservations of South Dakota is worse than lacking. US Government funded Tribal housing units often have an average of 25 people living in overcrowded conditions. Repairs are not made on a regular basis, due to lack of further funding from the Government. Many people own land on the Reservation which has been passed down through the generations, however due to poverty conditions they are unable to build their own homes, so bringing these mobile homes finally gives a family an opportunity to move away from Tribal housing and live on their land, have a garden and to raise animals.
These homes bring more than shelter to these homeless families. The home gives them a new start. How many times have you watched “extreme makeover”? Well, even though the families are not receiving anything like those huge homes, it feels the same. Its clean, everything works, there is heat, there are floors with carpeting, there is running water, indoor plumbing, doors , windows a roof and electricity. These homes bring the same kind of hope, and these families begin to remember that human kindness does exist and has come to them from the love and support from each one of you. These families experience compassion directly from your heart to theirs.
This set us in motion to ask for donations of these homes. Since then we have had the support of the following manufactured home dealers in Colorado: Alpine Homes, Freedom Homes, New Vision Homes, Five Star Homes, Rainbow Homes, Future Housing Inc., Clayton Homes and Graff Homes. We also receive donated mobile homes through private owners. Each day we search for more homes as we now have 400 applications from families on the reservations.
Now that we have been finding homes for the last few years our name is getting recognized around the state of Colorado. We actually receive more homes from individuals than dealers. The homes we are receiving are of a very high quality. We are very proud of each one we send.
Imagine the life before - in this one room "house" (top picture) - to the donated trailer (middle picture)!
Even though we receive these homes as donations the transport of them is not. Financial donations to help move these homes are urgently needed. With rising fuel cost, our expense has risen. We need your help. The average cost of moving a home is $1300. Many individuals have stepped forward to give a family a home, even small donations add up. When a family receives the home they receive the title to the home. They are not charged for the home, but must have electrical hookups and water and land upon which to place the home. In addition, the homes must then be skirted, leveled, blocked and anchored and the utilities must be hooked up. Your donation to Pathways to Spirit go towards these services as well.
We recently received this letter: "We have been living in our car for the last year and a half. I've tried to find housing but there is none available. We park our car beside my mother-in-law's house. They already have 4 families living there. I have nowhere else to turn. I work 40 hrs. a week. My son can't live with me because I have no home and I really miss him. I would greatly appreciate any help you can give me."
These homes bring more than shelter to these homeless families. It brings them hope that they haven't been forgotten. That human kindness does exist and comes from love and support one person at a time. Adopt a Family today by providing funds to transport a home to the reservation!
If you are in the Colorado area and have a good condition, used mobile home to donate, please call Carmeen at 970-282-8573. She will inform you as to the requirements the home must meet. All donations are tax deductible.
Needs for this project:
• Good condition used mobile homes.
• Financial donations to transport these homes, the average cost to move homes is $1300.
• Financial donations to provide utility hookups, set up including blocking, leveling and skirting, the average cost being $500.00.
Click here to make your donation.
For the latest information read this project's section of our blog (click here).
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To nurture newborns and their mothers on the reservation.
Young teenage girls, living on the reservation, need encouragement and support to find confidence and believe in themselves as they become new mothers. This is especially so if the pregnancy is high risk which, unfortunately, is so often the case with these young women. A hat and booties or socks, mittens, or a knitted teddy bear for her newborn is a bright and touching gift for a young mother learning parenting skills for the first time.
Receiving a handmade gift from someone who has never met the mother and her baby is a gift that says,
"You and your baby are very special to me and to the world."
Pathways to Spirit invites you to join us in our newest project, knitting hats, booties and socks for newborn Lakota babies. These infants are born to 15-17 year-old mothers at the Lakota Tiwahe Center in Rosebud, South Dakota. The Tiwahe Center is an early intervention center working with parents and their newborn to 5 year-old children.
To mail us your knitted item please place it in a ziplock bag. Feel free to enclose a note to the mother if you wish.
Mail to: Pathways to Spirit, 4307 Goldeneye. Drive, Ft. Collins, CO 80526.
If you belong to a knitting group or program and wish to knit as a group for this project, but lack the funding to purchase this book, or knitting needles and yarn, please contact us. We have a small supplies fund for groups that would like to knit for these mothers but need financial support to do so.
Thank you from Cathryn Cunningham,
Project Leader for ONE HEART, ONE MIND, Nurturing New Generations, and all of us at Pathways to Spirit.
Click here to make your donation.
For the latest information read this project's section of our blog (click here).
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