I received a card from a student on the Fort Peck Reservation. He didn’t say his age, but taking his penmanship into account, maybe a 5th or 6th grader. He very much loved the festivities of this year’s Fun Day. He admitted to attending Fun Days in Wolf Point as well as Poplar, saying there were better ‘digs’ in Poplar. You could tell he was a jokester when he wrote 'when is that band going to play some songs we know?'
He spoke of the food he received for his family (he especially loved the sugared cereal) and the great back pack and school supplies he also received. And then he asked…'since you guys (Love Has No Color) seem to have almost ‘magical’ powers, you seem to come into my life at just the right time…have you seen my father.' It seems as if this kid hasn’t seen his father in over a year and the present he wants this year is to see him again... His mother has been facing her own demons (drugs and alcohol) and won’t give him a straight answer. He is mostly being raised by an aunt and grandmother.
Going into our 11th season of gift raising and fundraising, this card has special significance. Missing kids and human trafficking tend to grab the headlines, but what about missing fathers? This father is obviously in trouble and has very few places to turn to for help on the reservation. Having X-Mas on the Reservation every year makes certain that this terrible turn of events happens less frequently or not at all.
Imagine if this disappearing father (jail, drugs, dead, left the reservation?) had participated in our X-Mas on the Reservation celebrations when he was a kid. How likely would this scenario be? We like to think that it wouldn’t have happened.
This year more than ever, it’s just not about the 20,000 gifts, toys, sporting items, clothes, and now high quality, non-perishable food that we will raise. Rather, it’s about the hope it establishes in the hearts of every single kid on the reservation. It sets the tone for the whole year. It gives all the kids something to really look forward to. The promise of something good happening fulfilled, when most good things promised to the kids never do. Budget cuts, government cutbacks and regulations, etc; empty words and broken promises are a way of life for the kids on the reservation. LHNC just keeps on delivering on their promises, year after year. Empty words and broken promises are not a part of LHNC. It restores faith in these kids, and makes their world seem less bleak and hopeless.
This year, we are asking for your help in making the drive the most successful its ever been. With our CrowdRise donating app it’s never been easier to become involved, just share our efforts with all of your social media contacts! You don’t have to be a Chiropractor or patient to be involved, just a humanitarian who wants to do something about the 3rd world conditions these kids are forced to endure. A special shout out to celebrities, people in the position to give extra generously, or people who have lots of social media followers. We need your help!