Project: Unification Days for the Red Shirt Community
Organization: Shannon County School District
Year: 2007
Tribe: Oglala Lakota (Sioux)
Reservation: Pine Ridge Reservation
Location: Red Shirt, SD

The Red Shirt Community is located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The area is very poor and geographically isolated. As a result, the community experiences great strife and faces high rates of unemployment and drug and alcohol abuse.

The goal of the Red Shirt Community Days was to draw in visitors from other areas of South Dakota and to form partnerships with tribal government officials and with businesses, so that the community can work with new partners to address community issues.

Activities at the Red Shirt Community Days included:
• a 5K Run/Walk
• Leg wrestling, spear throwing, and archery
• A pow wow with traditional Lakota singing and dance

In addition, recent cuts to the school district’s budget have eliminated funds for landscaping at the Red Shirt School. Volunteers (young and old) at the Community Days pitched in and volunteered in the school’s garden and grounds, planning trees and flowers.

Running Strong provided general support for Red Shirt Community Days.

“WATCHING THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY FROM AGE 3 TO 87 WORKING TOGETHER WAS INCREDIBLE.  BECAUSE OF THE DISTANCE RED SHIRT IS FROM OTHER AREAS, NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE VISIT. HAVING SUCH A LARGE GROUP IN THEIR COMMUNITY MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE. PEOPLE WERE EXCITED TO HELP 'SHOW OFF' THEIR COMMUNITY.” –Maurice Twiss, Programs Director