Boys and Girls Clubs on reservations adapt after funding loss

Boys and Girls Clubs serving Native youth in South Dakota are finding ways to adapt after federal funding shortfalls, according to South Dakota News Watch. At the Rosebud Boys and Girls Club, which lost access to U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Center funding, staff created the Steep Up Entrepreneurs Club. Program director Rachel Kocak said members now hand make, package and sell herbal teas, gaining life skills while helping fill budget gaps.

Other efforts include an online charity auction and a U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to School grant that funded new high tunnels for gardening. Clubs on the Pine Ridge, Standing Rock and Lower Brule reservations are also facing similar financial challenges. Richard Abdoo, chair of the board for the SuAnn Big Crow Boys and Girls Club in Pine Ridge, said the club is planning collaborations and fundraising to cover an anticipated several-hundred-thousand-dollar shortfall next year.