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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8
V O L U M E 2 0 , I S S U E 1
One Nation Walking Together is committed to making a positive difference and creating brighter futures in the lives of the poorest of the poor in our country…
our Native Americans. We strive to educate the public about the plight of the Native People and
the positive aspects of their culture.
One
Nation’s
Greatest
Needs
• Furniture
• Appliances
• Hygiene Items
• Food
• School Supplies
• Housewares
• Christmas gifts
• Financial Support
Pickup service
available.
Please call
719-329-0251
Tues.-Fri. 9am-3pm
As seen on RFD-TV's Hidden Heritage Show, sponsored by "brulerecords.com"
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
Please check our website www.onenationwt.org for updates on events and happenings. If you would like to receive monthly updates via email please email the following information: Name, address and email address to [email protected]: Or call us at (719)329-0251.
Peace will come to the
hearts of men when
they realize their one-
ness with the universe,
it is everywhere.
-Black Elk
Page 2 O N E N A T I O N W A L K I N G T O G E T H E R
How You Can Help...
• Recycle your metal
• Bring us your
cardboard boxes
• Donate your vehicle
• Volunteer your time
and skills with One
Nation
• Host a food, Christmas
toy, or school supplies
drive
• Help with our events
• Make a monthly
pledge
• Shop the Amazon
Smile program at
http://
smile.amazon.com/
ch/20-0215122
• Donate online through
PayPal at
www.onenationwt.org
NEED A
SPEAKER?
Want to learn more about
One Nation and those
living on reservations?
Want to know what the
needs are in our
poorest communities
and how you can help?
Contact us at
719-329-0251 or
You will be surprised at
what is new, what is
needed and what you can
do to make a difference in
the lives of others.
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
V O L U N T E E R S T O R I E S family, compassion and purpose. Many found
out about ONWT through a friend or had witnessed the conditions in the communities we serve and wanted to help make a difference. Take long-time volunteers Carolyn and David Marsala, for example. After they retired, they were looking for more ways to get involved with ONWT, for they were appalled by the conditions and the treatment they witnessed firsthand near the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and considered volunteering with ONWT a small way in which to help make a difference. They love volunteering with One Nation and continue to do so because the focus/emphasis is always on the people and the mission.
It can also be said that volunteering in general, or the gifting of one’s time, is a means of personal gratification. Our gal Friday Nancy discussed how her time volunteering with One Nation has been very rewarding on a personal level. More specifically, she expressed that, “The rewards of helping are often intangible, but they do fill my soul weekly.” Time and again, however, it was also said by many that volunteering with ONWT is a truly wonderful experience because we operate as a family. Volunteers Steve and Margaret each noted how volunteering with ONWT is a unique and
(Continued on page 4)
Family, Compassion and Purpose
After agreeing to participate in one of One Nation’s indigenous panels this past fall, a dear friend of the organization had the following words to share with us: “One of the greatest gifts you can give to someone is your time.” In truth, these words resonate with us each and every day as we reflect upon the many volunteers, past and present, who have gifted us both their time and energy in advancement of the organization and its mission.
What does volunteering with ONWT look like? What can one expect?
The success of One Nation’s mission often boils down to a simple equation. Namely, that more hands-on equals more people served and more lives impacted. There are many ways to get involved with ONWT’s mission whether volunteering on or off-site. We offer a multitude of volunteer opportunities for individuals, groups, businesses, schools, and places of worship alike. Activities may include, but are not limited to, sorting donations, loading shipments, coordinating events, organizing drives, or joining an annual event committee.
In speaking with many individuals and groups about their experience(s) volunteering with One Nation Walking Together, they often referenced
Bleating Heart Night for ONWT
Tuesday, March 27
Goat Patch Brewing Company
2727 N. Cascade Ave. Ste. 123
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
5:00p.m. – 9:00p.m.
For every pint purchased ONWT
receives $1.00.
“A Gathering of the People”
Saturday, June 2
Takoda Tavern
12311 Pine Bluffs Way
Parker, CO 80134
11:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Live music, silent auction, door
prizes, and fabulous food!
One Nation’s 10th Annual
Colorado Springs
Intertribal Powwow
Saturday, August 11
Norris Penrose Event Center
1045 Lower Gold Camp Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
10:00a.m. – 6:00p.m.
Grand Entry at 11:00a.m.
For vendor information: call
Rhetta 719-559-0525
Or 703-798-4320 or email:
2017 ONWT Intertribal Powwow
Karma Hour
Tuesday, Nov. 6
Bristol Brewing Company
1604 S. Cascade Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
6:00p.m. – 8:00p.m.
For every pint purchased ONWT
receives $1.00.
ONFF Film
Screening Series
Every last
Wednesday
of the month.
7:00 p.m.
SunWater Spa
514 El Paso Blvd.
Manitou Springs,
CO 80829
One Nation
Walking Together
Newsletter
Published quarterly
Editor: Kathy Turzi
Layout: Cindy Halsey
For information
on the content of this
publication please contact
One Nation
at (719)329-0251
3150 N. Nevada Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO
80907
Page 3 V O L U M E 2 0 , I S S U E 1
As of
December 31, 2017
You have donated
goods to
Native American
Individuals and
Families valued at:
Colorado
donations:
$345,056.00
Out of state
donations:
$870,723.00
Emergency
Services
$12,355.80
Number of
Volunteer Hours
7,037.50
170 Volunteers
recorded their
hours
F R O M O U R E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ,
K A T H Y T U R Z I
need a bed or housewares as they are establishing a new life in a new home for whatever reason. Personally, I know working with people locally has reiterated the fact that Natives suffer the highest rates of poverty, whether living on or off the reservation. The People’s stories and situations have affected all of us in the office. We know that we need to continue this program -- and grow it. The need locally is great.
This past year was my first full year as E.D. I want to thank everyone for support through phone calls, e-mail and in person! I often say we have the best donors in the world, as well as volunteers! I believe this as I see each of you help make change happen in the lives of so many! Without my team here at ONWT, this year would not have been as huge a success; they work with all their hearts to serve the People!
“One by One We Can Make a Difference” and WE do! I look forward to sending more gifts of hope, providing opportunities to view Native films, hosting the Powwow, and finding new ways to benefit the People by growing what we do! I value each and every one of you. With my whole heart, I thank you for all that you helped us achieve this past year. Now, let’s get on toward making 2018 even more exciting!
As we kick off 2018 at One Nation Walking Together, I want to give you, our donors and volunteers, the largest THANK YOU for a very successful 2017. Because of you, we were able to uplift more lives, relieve so many needs, and improve living conditions! The chicken coop project at the Girls School in Pine Ridge
addressed food insecurity by building an oversize coop and giving 30 egg-laying chickens. We distributed over $30,000 worth of Christmas gifts to those who would not have otherwise
experienced some holiday cheer without YOU! For example, our contact in Pablo, Montana, reported that with our help they were able to provide a Christmas to 1,500 children.
With your help, during 2017 we were able to gift over $1.2M in new and used items to those we serve. With grant support we were able to assist Natives here in the Colorado Springs area, as well as through a program known as Emergency Services. We were able to help with bridging from homelessness to finding a home, or to help a domestic violence victim flee from a traumatic living situation. We have also been able to assist with items to aid families who
S T I C H I N G F O R O N E N A T I O N W A L K I N G
T O G E T H E R O N R A V E L R Y . C O M
items for people on the reservations to join us on Ravelry. You will need to register but there is no charge, they just want to know that you are a real person instead of a robot. I’ve never received any spam from belonging to this site.
One you’ve joined Ravelry, then search under groups for Stitching for One Nation Walking Together and please join that group. We have a lot of fun and keep track of our total items received on that group site.
In 2013 a group was formed on Ravelry.com to make knitted and crocheted items for
people on the reservations. Ravelry is a free knit, crochet, spinning and weaving site comprised of different groups which you may join. The site also has many different patterns – some free and some paid. There are many generous people who delight in making items for others.
From Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2017 people sent 788 handcrafted items, 393 purchased items for a total of 1,181 items. These gifts come to us from all across our country! Since 2013 the Ravelry group has donated: 6,059 handcrafted items, 1,889 purchased items for a GRAND TOTAL of: 7,948 of donated items!!
We invite any crafters who would like to join us in the effort to make lovely, warm and useful
mission you have come together and raised an amazing $52,991.00. 90 cents of every dollar you donated goes directly to One Nation’s programs! With your generous help you have given One Nation Walking Together the opportunity to make a greater impact in 2018! Our heartfelt gratitude to each one of you and to our matching grantors: Urban Turzi In Memory of Nina Turzi, 2 Anonymous Donors, Donald & Jane Anderson, ONWT’s Board, Herring Bank, Up Your Leads Networking-Andrea Wacker, Patricia Dekal In Memory of Edwin Dekal, Joe & Kelly Wallroth, Kerygma Class First United Methodist Church.
One By One You Made A Difference!!
At times we all wonder, “I’m just one person, what difference can I make?” We are here to tell you, there are hundreds of others just like you who share your desire to make a difference, to effect change, and to create brighter futures for Native Americans living without the basic necessities of life. Thank you for what you have done and continue to do for Native Americans living in impoverished conditions! Your participation in selfless giving to our One By One campaign shows the power each one of you has! Through a shared love of One Nation’s
T H A N K Y O U F O R Y O U R G E N E R O U S H E A R T !
Page 4 O N E N A T I O N W A L K I N G T O G E T H E R
H O M E R E P A I R W I T H T H E H E L P O F
H O M E D E P O T
challenges. On many reservations, the waiting list for any home repair is years long or never gets done.
One Nation Walking Together has partnered with the Home Depot in Monument, Colorado, for eleven years. We pay an annual fee to participate in Home Depot's GOOD360 program. This program sets aside tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of new items for us to ship to the people we serve. New sinks, cabinets, flooring, towel rods, household items, tools... the list goes on! The people we serve do not have the means to buy items to make repairs, much less replace a sink. In our shipments to the reservations, we supply much-needed items to make homes livable again. Our Home Depot relationship keeps our warehouse stocked with these items.
If you are able to help support or sponsor our $600.00 per year GOOD 360 membership, please contact us at 719-329-0251 or [email protected].
Have you ever been in a home where the small bathroom sink was unusable and had been in that condition for years? I have. The family of seven people
had only this one bathroom. They had to use the kitchen sink for cooking, brushing teeth, and bathing in this tiny home. Several years ago, I was happy to deliver a brand new bathroom vanity and sink to relieve the family of such
D O Y O U
G E T O U R
M O N T H L Y
U P D A T E S ?
To receive our monthly
email updates, which are
short, sweet and
informative,
please visit:
www.onenationwt.org
to sign up!
PLEASE DONATE:
• Furniture
• Appliances
• Space Heaters
• Sleeping Bags
• Hygiene Items
• Nonperishable Food
• Diapers & Formula
• Laundry Detergent
• Towels
• Winter Coats, Hats & Gloves
• Socks
• Vehicles
• Money
V O L U N T E E R S T O R I E S C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 2
valuable organization.”
All in all, volunteerism is the backbone of our organization. It is only with the consistent support of our volunteers that we can continue to advance our mission and provide hope and services to thousands living in abject poverty. As long-time volunteer Margaret recently noted, “Everyone has something to contribute”. She emphasized that if you are looking to get more involved in your community, ONWT is a good family-oriented organization to consider because we’re serious about what we do and we share a common purpose or bond both connecting us to one another and to the mission at large.
Take a moment to consider the ways you may be able to lend your support as a volunteer with One Nation Walking Together. For more information, give us a call at (719)-329-0251 or email us at [email protected] . Thank you!
gratifying experience because it offers people the opportunity to witness so much compassion and giving firsthand, as well as the opportunity to become more intimately connected with the gift process itself. Similar sentiments were shared by groups who have volunteered with ONWT. This past December, several staff members from the Native Roots Dispensary in Colorado Springs on Uintah Street joined One Nation Walking Together in the holiday spirit to help pack Christmas boxes with holiday gifts for elders. After spending several hours packing approximately 400 elder boxes, the store manager Patrick Quiñones commented, “This is a great organization that really does a lot of good for thousands of people and we were happy to lend a small helping hand. We learned a great deal about ONWT and how they impact the lives of Native Americans. We are looking forward to our next opportunity to support this
Christmas party- 23 Year Home
Depot Associate Joe Centola
O N W T A N N U A L S P R I N G F O O D D R I V E
isolation, infertile land, limited water supplies and a lack of other vital resources, it is not surprising to learn that two of the five poorest U.S. counties, are located on Indian Reservations (Running Strong for Native Youth, “The Poverty Cycle” , p. 1; U.S. Census Bureau, 2012).
Including our facility at 3150 N Nevada Ave, several other businesses, schools and restaurants already have agreed to participate as food drop-off locations in the community. Any food items you would like to donate may be dropped-off at any one of those locations or to ONWT directly. Any monetary contributions to the drive, which aid us in the delivery of food and other essential items, are also much appreciated. For monetary donations visit: www.onenationwt.org or mail to: ONWT/ 3150 N. Nevada Ave. / Colorado Springs, CO 80907. We welcome you to start a food drive at your place of work, school, club, or church. For more information on how you can help: 719-329-0251 or [email protected].
Our sincere thanks for both your support and assistance with our annual food drive. With your help, we are confident we will reach our 10,000 lb goal!
Every spring, One Nation Walking Together hosts a community-wide food drive, where we aim to boost our hunger-relief program and collect 10,000 lbs of non-
perishable food items. Though we collect such items year-round, we continue to host this drive and develop both our hunger-relief and food sustainability programs, in light of the pervasive hunger and food insecurity over-whelming the communities we serve. According to a 2013 study about food insecurity by a hunger-relief non-profit, Feeding America, “Nearly 60 percent of all counties that are majority-American Indian fall into the ‘high food-insecurity rate group even though they represent less than one percent of all counties in the U.S.” (p. 17). They define food insecurity as “…the household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food” (Feeding America).
We should also note that there are only 26 out of 3,142 counties in the U.S. that are majority-American Indian, but over half of those counties experience disproportionately high levels of poverty. Thus, when recurring economic challenges (such as unemployment) on reservations are compounded by geographic
Page 5 V O L U M E 2 0 , I S S U E 1
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: onenationwt.org
Phone: 719-329-0251
N U R T U R I N G M E D I C I N E B E A R Y O U T H
well-known Native performers to our Cultural Learning Center, in Cañon, City, to inspire our youth and share stories of overcoming adversities that our youth continually face in their day-to-day life journey. Throughout the
year, One Nation provides basic resources (coats, shoes, blankets, hats, gloves, appropriate clothing for youth to participate in a traditional inipi/sweat), and brand new gifts for our annual Christmas Giveaway.
Our Medicine Bear youth love One Nation, and we realize we are blessed through the generosity of individuals in the Colorado Springs community that continue to donate to One Nation’s mission. So you see, through One Nation Walking Together, we truly are all related, interconnected, and interdependent. With heartfelt gratitude, wado.
Understanding that all life is relational, interconnected and interdependent is a basic tenet of Indigenous worldview. One Nation Walking Together epitomizes this worldview in how they provide opportunity, life experiences and resources for Native American youth in the Medicine Bear Program. For us, One Nation is a local community-based connection to culture and tradition. We frequently bring youth to visit One Nation’s office, where staff provide experiential learning for our youth to see the value of this non-profit organization, and how much we all need to learn to volunteer in our community.
For years, One Nation has provided opportunity, paying admission for our youth to attend a myriad of culturally-based events, meet amazing Native American professionals, spiritual advisors and community leaders. One Nation has also brought
Did You Know?
According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and
squash are three inseparable sisters who
only grow and thrive together. This tradition of inter-planting corn, beans
and squash in the same mounds, widespread
among Native American farming societies, is a
sophisticated, sustainable system that provided long-
term soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations.
The corn provides a structure for the beans to climb. The beans provide
the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants utilize, and
the squash spreads along the ground preventing
weeds.
One Nation
Walking Together
newsletter
printed by
Cheetah Printing
NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID COLO.SPRGS.,CO PERMIT NO. 516
3150 N. Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Open 9-3, Tuesday-Friday
(719) 329-0251
www.onenationwt.org
OR CURRENT RESIDENT
Yes! I accept your invitation to help One Nation
_____ Please consider making a $19 per month (annual) sustaining donation. This amount helps us ship a truck full of the basic necessities of life, once a month. _____ $600 will support 1/4 of the freight cost for a semi-truck carrying goods to help 350 people. _____ $100 will send windows and doors to two
families to keep the wind and rain out. _____ $75 will feed a family of four for 3 days. _____ $50 will keep 25 children’s tiny toes warm. $ will help keep our local doors open and
continue our mission to help those in need with a hand up, not a hand out.
Please send donations to: One Nation Walking Together 3150 N. Nevada Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80907
I wish to volunteer Please call me Add me to your e-mail list
Name ________________________________________ Phone __________________
Address _______________________________________________________________
City ________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________
E-mail address___________________________________________ January 2018
If you do not wish to receive our newsletters, please call, 719-329-0251, and we’ll gladly remove your name from
our mailing list. Please notify us of any address changes as bulk mail is not forwarded by the USPS.
T-shirts & Hoodies!
Get your One Nation clothing items at our office, order online at
www.onenationwt.org, or call our office at 719-329-0251.
Short Sleeve T-shirts $20.00
Long Sleeve T-shirts $25.00
Hoodies $30.00
(specify zipper or pullover)
Baseball cap $15.00
