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RAI News, Past Events and Archives

Head Start Moving Up Ceremony 2022

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Ateyapi Summer Program 2022

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RAI and Ateyapi thank Distinguished Lakota Author Joseph Marchall III for facilitating workshop 

We're grateful to Kayla Johnson for choosing us as a beneficiary to Black Hills Community Bank's "Pass It On" program. Thanks so much - we think you are awesome! 

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Thanks you Joseph Marshall III for facilitating the Lakota Ohunkakan (Storytelling) Workshop for Ateyapi students and staff on March 11, 2022.

Thank you Black Hills Rotary Club and Democracy in Action for inviting us to attend and learn more about our programs! 

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Robert Yellow Hawk (center) prepares to make a presentation to the Black Hills Rotary Club on February 10, 2022.

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Thank You Gwendolyn Stearns!

We thought we would have to pause our successful Youth Engaged in Sports (Y.E.S.) program when our federal funding ran out this year. But the Gwendoly Stearns Foundation came to our rescue! Thanks to a $20,000 grant from them, we have been able to keep this important program focused on students' health going. The Gwendolyn Stearns Foundation has been a good friend to us over the years, and we want to give them a SHOUT OUT! and let them know how grateful we are. 

THANK YOU!

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ACME BICYCLES
OF RAPID CITY DONATES BICYCLES TO
ATEYAPI YES PROGRAM!

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Acme Bicycles of Rapid City donated bikes to our Ateyapi Youth Engagement in Sports program. Our program will be providing our students with a bike safety program, and we will be taking rides on the bike path. 

ARCHIVE: CAPITAL CAMPAIGN NEWS

RAPID CITY AWARDS RAI $2,000,000 OF CITY VISION FUNDS FOR NEW BUILDING

Rural America Initiatives is thrilled, humbled and proud to be the recipient of a $2,000,000 gift from the Rapid City's Vision Fund. This gift brings us to nearly half of our goal, and we have tremendous momentum moving forward. We  broke ground in October, 2017, with occupancy planned for 2018/19.

 

The Vision Fund Citizen Committee wrote, in its letter recommending support of our project: 

 

"This project supports our youth and development education and is a need. This organization supports the most vulnerable individuals in our community and has operated in various locations since its inception nearly 30 years ago. The Head Start/Community Center consolidates various community programs into one location and provides accessibility to needed resources and support. RAI has received an outcry of public support and resources, and this building is a small piece of a much larger picture." 

 

Thank you citizens of Rapid City for this vote of confidence in us, the work that we do, and our value to the community. We are so grateful!

THANK YOU BLACK HILLS COMMUNITY BANK!

JT Vucurevich’s Jessica Gromer shakes RAI Board President Carol Marshall-Coon’s hand, while JT Vucurevich’s Executive Director and CEO Sandy Diegel receives a hug from RAI Treasurer Sharon No Heart.

Photo by Kim Lathe Photography

THANK YOU BLACK HILLS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION!

Executive Director Bruce Long Fox Receives "George" Award
from 
Rapid City Chamber of Commerce  2017

The George Award is the Chamber's most prestigious award presented every year at the Annual Meeting. This Award is chosen by the Chamber's Executive Board and given to an individual who has, over a period of time, provided leadership to our community in a variety of ways. In other words, "They didn't wait to let 'George' do it, they did it themselves. Brice is only the second Native American to receive this honor. 

ATEYAPI WOPILA (THANK YOU) FEED FOR
RAPID CITY RELATIVES OCTOBER 29, 2021

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Executive  Director Bruce   Long   Fox  Inducted  into the  South   Dakota Hall of   Fame  Class  of 2020

The Ateyapi Student Christmas Social Friday. The Ateyapi Mentors planned a Student Social and fun activities. Each student received a Christmas stocking full of goodies. The students watched the classic Home Alone Christmas movie. The meal was Olive Garden salad, breadsticks, and lasagna.A special thank you to Olive Garden & the Ateyapi Alumni who works for Olive Garden. Thank you for your excellent customer service.

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