Meeting at Essential Elements - Giving direction to our actions

I want to thank everyone who showed up for the meeting last night! What a beautiful gathering of ideas, as well as thoughtful organization of our focuses to take action. So here is a little about what was covered at the meeting as our focuses for the upcoming week and the next step toward our event:

• Essential Elements is now a main donation site for accepting clean/washed clothes and blankets for the drive.
• We are organizing a flyer to encourage education to people about what we are doing and where they can donate clothes and blankets.
• We are working on setting the date for our event at NAYA.
• We are working on a pamphlet for our non-profit to educate people about our intention and the actions we are taking so they can get involved if they feel called to and so other organizations can understand what we are doing so they can support. Graphics still needed!!
• We are finding out how we can get food donated to our event by contacting farmers markets and resources like Food Not Bombs so we can prepare food and sell plates for $5. This will help raise money to send the clothes and blankets to Pineridge and Rosebud reservations.
• We are calling forth our medicine people to step up to create a presentation of their medicine at the event and to help get flyers out there to people about donating. (Talk to Joe about getting flyers)
• We are using the blog to share our ideas that arise during the week and the progress we are making with our goals.
• Next meeting is at Essential Elements on Sunday October 10th at 7pm.

I am going to continue to write literature for the pamphlet and posting it here on the blog. Any input/help on what I post is welcomed. Let me know if there are any ideas I may have left out that you would like to see presented.

Some things to think about are: What are you inspired to do to help this week? Everyday, every moment is a chance to make a change in this world and the more we all do together, the more we will make the movement move!!

Love you tribe,
Lacy
808-446-5796

ALSO:

Here is a copy of the note from Roberta about her vision:

I am coming to you with a topic that is plaging our community, rising suicide amonst Native people.  As you may know, winter is coming fast. Native Americans on Pine Ridge Reservation are forever struggling to survive.  This is where my mother is from.  The youth in the community are increasing the suicide rates in alarming manner.  I think about them every single day.  Feelings of helplessness is not ok with me.  I am an action taker, networker, mother, sister, communty member & friend. 

As you may know, November is Native American Heritage month.  NAYA is holding an auction & dinner.  I would love to try to get a 15 minute spot to speak & introduce Medicine for the People.   I have had the pleasure of being involved with this fantastic non-profit.  They are also fabulous music entertainers.  So, maybe they can share or be entertainment for this event.   More extensive information about them is at their website Medicine4thepeople.org.  Please take time to see what they are about and understand where I am coming from.  I have a vision.  Hope. 

I want to find a way to get the youth from NARA & NAYA together to assist in a clothing, blanket drive for Pine Ridge.  Shipping the goods there is not as difficult as it seems. And, I think it is crutial to have both organizations involved for greater success.  I know that NAYA has a kitchen.  And the stage in the cafeteria is perfect for local drum groups to play while a dinner is served.  Plates for sale $5 or so.  The concert for this fundraiser will be entertainment by Nahko Bear & Medicine for the People in the gym, because a ton of people will turn out for this.  They have a unified outlook on how to heal Native people, people in general & have great fan base.  Ask a small admission cost per person or family.  This is when donated clothing should be collected.  Local drum groups and youth dancers should also play/perform during intermission.  Giving local craftsmen & women opportunity to sell their things with an agreement of 30-50% of sales go to transporting goods to Pine Ridge.  This can and possibly should happen during a Family night.  Most of you know me very well and know how dedicated I am to Native people.  I come to you because you are my family, friends.  My path in life has always been known to me as a healer.  It has been a long road.  These things should not be tried alone.

I am looking for feedback. ASAP.  Great things to come. Please forward this to anyone who may be able to assist.  These people need to know that we hear their cries.  We know of their pain.  And coming to help.

One Love~

Roberta Eaglehorse

503-236-2673