Thank You Letters from Oglala Lakota College

September 19, 2011

Dear Chris and Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation:

This is a grateful thank you to all of you who donated school supplies to our nursing students. The students were very appreciative of the supplies, especially the rolling backpacks and binders.

We have 17 first year and 12 second year students, 83% Native American, 97% female. Most are mothers and travel up to 100 miles for class. Some stay in our small dorm but some that have children do not have childcare for overnight.

Your support means a lot to them. Thank you again for the school supplies, it makes their dream of becoming a registered nurse much more of a reality knowing there is support from others.

Joan G. Nelson, RN, MSN
Chairperson, Nursing Department
Oglala Lakota College

May 3, 2011

Dear Friends of Pine Ridge,

Thank you for your kind donations of books to Pine Ridge Reservation preschool children! Because of your support we were able to give each child in Head Start and Early Head Start a book as part of our current program to provide reading materials to this age group.

Woksape Tipi Taniyohila Kici (House of Wisdom for Everyone) is an IMLS grant funded outreach project that provides additional resources and services at the college’s branch libraries in the nine main communities on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The project provides English and Lakota language materials for parents to use with their preschool children to encourage the use of the Lakota language in the home and to increase access to English-language materials for preschoolers.

Your generous donations enable the library staff to provide public library materials to preschool tribal members across the reservation. Without your support these endeavors would not be possible.

LaVera Rose
Library Director
Oglala Lakota College