About US
Our founder John Paul Sullivan
For 15 Christmases, local humanitarian John Paul Sullivan collected warm clothing,
blankets, non-perishable foods, new toys and more, and personally delivered them
to the poverty-stricken village of Wanblee, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge
Reservation.
Wanblee is home to about 800 people, 65 percent of whom are under 16 years of age. The
average annual per capita income is $3,700. One in five
homes have no heat, plumbing, or insulation.
John Paul once presented a blanket to a 70-year-old man, who broke down and cried. He
had never before owned one, and had slept on and under his clothes all his life.
Lakota Kidz – a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization staffed
entirely be volunteers, and funded solely by private donations and grants –
teamed up with John Paul in 2004 to make the holidays even brighter, and the brutal
winters a little warmer, for the Lakota Sioux Americans living in the poorest town
in the poorest county in the nation.
In 2004, Lakota Kidz helped John Paul deliver presents to over 70 families on
the reservation.
In 2005, Lakota Kidz helped support the Wanblee Head Start program, by paying for the school's lunch program, arts and crafts supplies, office supplies, bicycles for graduation presents, and a party for the children.
In the past, John Paul and Lakota Kidz made yearly shipments of used clothing, blankets, and toys. On September 5,2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, tribal representatives asked that their shipment be given to a charity assisting hurricane survivors. We did so, with great respect for these unselfish people who themselves live under Third World conditions.
With the exception of new toys, Lakota Kidz no longer collects tangible donations. We have learned that there are more effective ways to help. In addition to continuing our Head Start project, we have initiated an Emergency Fuel Assistance program, to help Wanblee's neediest families make it through the winter. We heated 13 homes over the past winter, and hope to double that amount this year. But to continue our mission, we will need your help.
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