Orange County CA— In the last year alone, the current drop-out rate for schools hovers around 70 percent and more than 20 girls on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota have committed suicide. True Sioux Hope Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to funding education for the Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, today announces its $25,000 donation to The Pine Ridge Girls’ School in order to empower the next generation to create jobs, build sustainable income, and establish a brighter future for themselves and generations to follow.
The Pine Ridge Girls’ School will be the first college-preparatory independent girls’ school on a Reservation in the United States. With over 1,000 girls of middle- and high-school age on Pine Ridge Reservation, The Pine Ridge Girls’ School will eventually comprise the sixth through twelfth grade. In January 2016, the school will launch its sixth grade, and build up each year until the first class graduates in 2022.
“After a generous donation was made to True Sioux Hope by prominent Orange County philanthropist, Donna Pickup, I felt inspired to personally match the gift in order to make an immediate difference in the lives of these rising girls,” said Twila True, founder of True Sioux Hope Foundation. “This contribution will specifically enable the school to hire another teacher and add a seventh grade by Fall 2016, and these students will in turn be dispensers and recipients of hope.”
To combat both the drop-out and suicide rates, the school will present a new model by supporting the “whole student” combining a strong college-prep curriculum with ongoing wellness screenings, mentoring, and an environment that celebrates Lakota practices and ways of life. This academically rigorous program is guided by best practices for all-girls education and at-risk populations, backed by strong social-emotional support and grounded in Lakota culture, language and values. Students will gain the skills and confidence to successfully pursue their career and life ambitions while breaking the cycle of generational poverty prevalent on the reservation.
“Education is where it all starts. This school will provide these young, impressionable girls with a glimmer of hope by teaching them they have promising choices and opportunities in life,” said Donna Pickup, True Sioux Hope Foundation board member. “All I can say is, look out world. We are coming and we are helping the Sioux Tribe the way they should be helped.”
To learn more about the foundation, make a donation toward this initiative, or join in sending the message that True Sioux Hope is on the way, visit www.truesiouxhope.org.
About True Sioux Hope Foundation
The True Sioux Hope Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by Twila True, a Native American and member of the Sioux Tribe. Having spent her formative years on reservations, Twila knows first-hand the courage that it takes to become a strong, independent, modern American Indian. True Sioux Hope Foundation is born from the belief that with a little help, the strength and spirit of the great Sioux nation can thrive once again with pride and confidence. True Sioux Hope Foundation aims to facilitate unprecedented, permanent, positive change for the Sioux Tribe in South Dakota by providing much-needed funding for education and infrastructure. Visit www.truesiouxhope.org to make a donation.