Native-led nonprofit work leads to national recognition

Tescha Hawley was named a CNN hero for her dedication to the Day Eagle Hope Project

Tescha Hawley was laying in bed while traveling for work when she felt a lump in her right breast. 

The Gros Ventre woman from Montana had previously gone through a mammogram through the Indian Health Service and was told she didn’t have to get another for a number of years. 

Hawley was 46 at the time, now 52, the breast cancer survivor was named a 2023 Top 10 CNN Heroes for her work with the Day Eagle Hope Project; a nonprofit she founded after her fight with breast cancer and the difficulties of navigating the healthcare system that came along with it.

“The ideas can be simple: converting a vehicle into a wash station for homeless veterans. Providing books for kids while they wait at the barbershop. Turning a passion for diving into a movement to save coral reefs,” according to CNN. “These are just some of the incredible efforts performed by the people who have been selected as this year’s Top 10 CNN Heroes.” 

Hawley’s idea came to her while she was sitting at her kitchen table and in-between employment.

“I was sitting at my table wondering, ‘Where do I go next? What do I do?’” Hawley recalled “And so I took the last $250 out of my checking account of my own money and I started the Day Eagle Hope Project.” 

The name was inspired by her daughter, whose Chippewa Cree name is Day Eagle Woman. Hawley wanted to give her daughter a legacy to carry on and encourage other Native women to take care of their health. 

Seeing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on her community also played a part in the founding of the nonprofit. She said the “healthcare world speaks a whole different language than we do here.”

“In our communities, especially in our Indian communities, our languages are so different. Our communication is so different,” Hawley said. “And so I saw what it took to navigate that system because when I first got diagnosed I took all my family members, my aunts, with me because I knew even with my education and my knowledge, I knew I wasn’t gonna hear anything they [healthcare officials] said.”

With a master’s degree in social work, plus another in health administration, Hawley said she has worked as a social worker her entire life, making her aware of the gaps and needs that need to be filled on the reservation. 

The organization wears many hats, she says, as the needs of the community are so great. 

Not only does it help cancer patients with resources and support but it has expanded into having a food pantry and offers equine therapy, among other things to help the community. 

The organization’s work has been well received and other’s help out when and where they can. 

“My community is so giving and anytime I need anything they give,” Hawley said. “I had posted a social media post about one of our cancer survivors needing a washer and dryer and I’m not kidding you in 10 minutes, I had a washer and dryer for her. That’s how giving our community is and how people are willing to help and it makes my heart happy.”

Hawley works as a therapist for Harlem Public Schools and was sitting at her desk when she got the news from CNN about being selected as a Top 10 CNN Hero. She had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and keep it a secret for four or five days, she recalls. 

Initially, she was hesitant to consent to accept the award.

“In the beginning I was really hesitant because I just wanted to quietly do my work, fill the gaps where they’re needed and not bringing a lot of attention to a lot of the things that our tribe is suffering from,” Hawley said.

After it was explained to her that the recognition would bring good exposure to people and philanthropists that want to help her mission, Hawley saw the good it could bring.

“It wasn’t until then that I realized that you know this is going to benefit my community, not me directly, but our community in the work that we do and so I consented into doing it,” she added. 

The award comes with a $10,000 prize for each, with another $100,000 possible if Hawley is selected as the 2023 CNN Hero of the Year. 

One of her dreams is to build a food distribution center that would not only deliver food on the Ft. Belknap Reservation but up and down the Hi-Line of Montana. 

Additionally, she would like to build a small community center that would be a multi-purpose facility that could be a resource to bring families together and provide additional support to the community. 

Through her experiences, Hawley encourages Native people to be a strong advocate for themselves and to ask a lot of questions when talking with medical providers and to also not to be afraid to reach out and ask for help. 

Looking to the future, Hawley says Native youth have the answers to issues being faced today.

“I want all of our youth all across Turtle Island, but you know, right here in my own community, I want our Harlem Wildcats, our Dogs and Coyotes and I want our Hays Lodgepole Thunderbird kids, to know that anything is possible, everything is possible and that each and every one of them matter,” she said. “I’m going to keep my mission and that is to keep our youth involved because they’re so powerful.”

The 2023 CNN Hero of the Year was announced on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. ET.

Dateline:

MISSOULA, M.T.