Bring Solar to the Allen Youth Center (AYC) and help the Lakota Nation gain independence and continue to provide their youth with culturally enriching activities.
The One Spirit Allen Youth Center supports nearly 4,000 Lakota children, youth and community members, at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota
This project is fully funded and Installed! See pictures here.
$53,400 Needed/ $53,400 Pledged
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Food is provided to the kids on a daily basis and daily activities include tutoring, music and art classes, astronomy, cultural events, etc. Providing the Allen Youth Center with a 18.4 kW solar energy system will save them limited funding. The money saved by AYC will allow them to be more sustainable, feed more children, and provide their youth with more enriching activities. This solar array will also help make the reservation a greener and more sustainable community. The system is expected to generate 25,000 kWh or electricity annually, preventing 41,000 lbs. of CO2 from entering the atmostphere each year.
Pine Ridge Reservation is home to 40,000 Lakota. According to the American Indian Heritage Foundation, 97% of the population at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is living below the Federal poverty level. With median household income approximately ranging between $2,600-$3,500 per year, the reservation is deemed to be one of the poorest counties in the United States. Additionally, at least 60% of the homes are substandard, without water, electricity (39%), adequate insulation, and sewage systems. This poverty directly affects the youth at the Reservation.
The infant mortality rate is the highest on the continent and teen suicide rate is 150% higher than the national average. Providing solar to the Allen Youth Center will not only teach youth about renewable energy, but it will also impact the whole of the Reservation by providing a continued safe ‘home’ for their youth to access.
One Spirit’s mission is to help the Lakota meet their basic needs and provide a culturally rich life for their youth. The goal of all programs is to reduce or eliminate hunger, to replace the high drop out and suicide rates among youth with an enthusiasm for learning and a pride in their Lakota heritage, and to provide protection from the winter cold that can drop to 40 below zero.
One Spirit is a United States 501c(3) non-profit organization.
For more information on One Spirit, please visit their website www.nativeprogress.org
THANK YOU to HUNDREDS of giving people and organizations for your significant contributions to help bring solar to the Allen Youth Center!
Special Thanks to...
. Tom Curran . Adam Hudson . Magnus Kulikoswka . Ellen MacNeale & Family . Kevin Malek . Lauren Barbara Michaels . Elizabeth Padilla . Jonathan Sauerbron . Thomas Schoder . Carl Sorenson . Frances Stewart . Yiwei Wang . Randolph Middle School, NJ - Capstone Project Students.
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