A look into our past and where we've been, this is an archive of past TGKP events and old information:
A look back at our year - 2023
• After the extreme weather over the holidays, we kicked off 2023 hosting Family Fun Night during Sinte Gleska University’s 51st annual Founder’s Day celebration. Santa and the Grinch couldn’t make it during Christmas so they brought candy/fruit bags/gifts to Family Fun Night.
• TGKP welcomed spring with a Social Dance at the SGU Wakinyan Wanbli Multipurpose Student Center. We invited programs to set up informational booths and round-danced the night away together.
• We organize a trip to two sites that give relatives energy & renewal each year; the first being Pe Sla in He Sapa (the Black Hills) where we welcome spring, wiping away the tears of loss and prepare creation for new life. The second being Inyan Kaga in Sundance Wyoming, a place the Lakota people have gone to gather stones to use for Inipi/Sundance.
• For Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, we, along with a social media takeover, sponsored a Hat and Boot Special at the Todd County High School Wacipi. We sponsored three places and had the floor to talk about children’s mental health. Another accomplishment from CMHAW was getting May 7th – 13th, 2023 proclaimed as Children’s Mental health Acceptance Week from President Scott Herman of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
• TGKP along with Project Launch hosted monthly Welcoming of the Spirit of the Baby celebrations.
• Throughout the summer we had Sunkawakan Summer Camps at the SGU TGKP Horse Ranch. There were two Girls Camps where the girls learned horse safety and got to spend the week riding as well as doing Lakota crafts and sage picking/tinpsila digging. This summer we had one overnight boys camp where the boys learned how to put up a tipi, make moccasins, shoot archery and ride horse!
• At the Rosebud Fair and Wacipi TGKP set up a tipi to welcome Sicancu Lakota relatives and their families that have been affected by being fostered or adopted out. Sandy White Hawk facilitated an honoring for these relatives. Wicoicage Aki Un Kupi (Generation after generation they are coming home)
• Fifty relatives/40 families served through the year with therapy and Care Coordination. Over 500 relatives have been served since TGKP started.
• Each year we celebrate our TGKP relatives who have graduated from our program, moved up from 8th grade, and/or graduated high school. We also celebrate their families and our staff who have graduated or reached an achievement as well.
• We branched off with two new Horse programs this year, one in Horse Creek and one in He Dog. The Mayda Bartlett Memorial Horse Program led by Tavish Bartlett of Horse Creek had a successful summer with riding days almost every other Friday. Youth and their families came from the Horse Creek community and all over the reservation to spend the afternoon in Horse Creek learning about horses, their spiritual connections and basic safety and riding etiquette.
The He Dog Horse Program integrated well as the students loved having a few afternoons at the beginning of the school year with the horses. Asa Amiotte also took to the HeDog school K-8 classrooms every other Monday to teach about the horse, its history with the Lakota people and our connection.
• Ranch staff took Sunkawakan to the Rosebud Adult Correction Facility on 3 days. Relatives appreciated the horses and the healing provided and hope to see them again.
• We had a spooky night during the week of Halloween as we hosted a Halloween Masquerade Wacipi at the SGU Wakinyan Wanbli Multipurpose Student Center. Over 250 people attended and mostly all showed up in costume ready to dance. We had fun competitions along with four different dancing categories. We are so appreciative of all the programs who attended by setting up a booth and for all the other programs that supported in other ways like donating door prizes which we gave away throughout the evening.
• We had 2 Sewing Material Give-aways in 2023, spring & fall, to support Community members and groups that sew regalia and household items for their relatives.
• Justin Baker provided drum group practice for the Rosebud Boys & Girls Club in the spring and a Talking Circle/Singing practice for the ACF in the fall/winters.
• Throughout the year, every third Thursday of the month, we facilitate a Society of Care meeting at the Boys & Girls Club in Mission, for 20 Child & Family programs and Community members to share information and network.
• We ended the year with our annual Christmas Family Gathering. This is not a public event but for the relatives and their families in our program. We filled stockings with household essentials which every family got to go home with along with fun door prizes and gifts. Santa and the Grinch also made an appearance as we listened to Fred Little Bald Eagle tell winter stories.
It was a good year and we’re excited to see what 2024 will bring! Thank you to all of our partners.
• After the extreme weather over the holidays, we kicked off 2023 hosting Family Fun Night during Sinte Gleska University’s 51st annual Founder’s Day celebration. Santa and the Grinch couldn’t make it during Christmas so they brought candy/fruit bags/gifts to Family Fun Night.
• TGKP welcomed spring with a Social Dance at the SGU Wakinyan Wanbli Multipurpose Student Center. We invited programs to set up informational booths and round-danced the night away together.
• We organize a trip to two sites that give relatives energy & renewal each year; the first being Pe Sla in He Sapa (the Black Hills) where we welcome spring, wiping away the tears of loss and prepare creation for new life. The second being Inyan Kaga in Sundance Wyoming, a place the Lakota people have gone to gather stones to use for Inipi/Sundance.
• For Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, we, along with a social media takeover, sponsored a Hat and Boot Special at the Todd County High School Wacipi. We sponsored three places and had the floor to talk about children’s mental health. Another accomplishment from CMHAW was getting May 7th – 13th, 2023 proclaimed as Children’s Mental health Acceptance Week from President Scott Herman of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
• TGKP along with Project Launch hosted monthly Welcoming of the Spirit of the Baby celebrations.
• Throughout the summer we had Sunkawakan Summer Camps at the SGU TGKP Horse Ranch. There were two Girls Camps where the girls learned horse safety and got to spend the week riding as well as doing Lakota crafts and sage picking/tinpsila digging. This summer we had one overnight boys camp where the boys learned how to put up a tipi, make moccasins, shoot archery and ride horse!
• At the Rosebud Fair and Wacipi TGKP set up a tipi to welcome Sicancu Lakota relatives and their families that have been affected by being fostered or adopted out. Sandy White Hawk facilitated an honoring for these relatives. Wicoicage Aki Un Kupi (Generation after generation they are coming home)
• Fifty relatives/40 families served through the year with therapy and Care Coordination. Over 500 relatives have been served since TGKP started.
• Each year we celebrate our TGKP relatives who have graduated from our program, moved up from 8th grade, and/or graduated high school. We also celebrate their families and our staff who have graduated or reached an achievement as well.
• We branched off with two new Horse programs this year, one in Horse Creek and one in He Dog. The Mayda Bartlett Memorial Horse Program led by Tavish Bartlett of Horse Creek had a successful summer with riding days almost every other Friday. Youth and their families came from the Horse Creek community and all over the reservation to spend the afternoon in Horse Creek learning about horses, their spiritual connections and basic safety and riding etiquette.
The He Dog Horse Program integrated well as the students loved having a few afternoons at the beginning of the school year with the horses. Asa Amiotte also took to the HeDog school K-8 classrooms every other Monday to teach about the horse, its history with the Lakota people and our connection.
• Ranch staff took Sunkawakan to the Rosebud Adult Correction Facility on 3 days. Relatives appreciated the horses and the healing provided and hope to see them again.
• We had a spooky night during the week of Halloween as we hosted a Halloween Masquerade Wacipi at the SGU Wakinyan Wanbli Multipurpose Student Center. Over 250 people attended and mostly all showed up in costume ready to dance. We had fun competitions along with four different dancing categories. We are so appreciative of all the programs who attended by setting up a booth and for all the other programs that supported in other ways like donating door prizes which we gave away throughout the evening.
• We had 2 Sewing Material Give-aways in 2023, spring & fall, to support Community members and groups that sew regalia and household items for their relatives.
• Justin Baker provided drum group practice for the Rosebud Boys & Girls Club in the spring and a Talking Circle/Singing practice for the ACF in the fall/winters.
• Throughout the year, every third Thursday of the month, we facilitate a Society of Care meeting at the Boys & Girls Club in Mission, for 20 Child & Family programs and Community members to share information and network.
• We ended the year with our annual Christmas Family Gathering. This is not a public event but for the relatives and their families in our program. We filled stockings with household essentials which every family got to go home with along with fun door prizes and gifts. Santa and the Grinch also made an appearance as we listened to Fred Little Bald Eagle tell winter stories.
It was a good year and we’re excited to see what 2024 will bring! Thank you to all of our partners.
Happy Holidays from the SGU Tiwahe Glu Kini Pi Staff!
(Not all staff pictured)
Christmas Family Gathering 2023
Lila wopila to all our donors, this event wouldn't have been possible without you! We enjoyed a night of holiday spirit starting off sharing a meal with our relative. Fred Little Bald Eagle told Christmas stories and shared Lakota wisdom. Our tables had takeaway sheets of paper with Mental Health Tips During the Holidays. Native Santa and the Grinch made an appearance, the kids loved talking and taking pictures with them. The door prizes were distributed through the night and everyone went home with their hands and hearts full.