SuAnne Big Crow 20th Anniversary Coincides With First Boys & Girls Club Established On Native American Lands

BORN OUT OF SPORTS LEGEND'S TRAGIC DEATH – TODAY SOME 200 NATIVE AMERICAN CLUBS SERVE 88,000 YOUTH

PINE RIDGE, S.D., May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 20th anniversary of the SuAnne Big Crow Boys & Girls Club (www.SuAnneBigCrow.org) later this week also marks the opening of the first Club in Indian Country. Established in 1992, this Club serving the Oglala Sioux community marked the first collaboration of the public and private sectors to give hope and opportunity to a generation of young people plagued by unchecked poverty and its consequences.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050921/CLW030LOGO)

Today some 200 Boys & Girls Clubs serving almost 100,000 Native American youth in 24 states offer proven guidance-oriented programs to reduce gang-related violence (G.R.E.A.T.) and promote healthy lifestyles in a population where the mortality rate associated with Type 2 Diabetes is the greatest in the world, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

When: Saturday, June 2 – 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. 

Where: SuAnne Big Crow Boys & Girls Club, Pine Ridge, SD
1 Positive Place Pine Ridge, SD  57770

Who: Guest speakers include Native American leaders including Ernie Stevens,  Chairman and National Spokesperson, National Indian Gaming Association, Leroy "JR" LaPlante from Gov. Dennis Daugaard's office, Tim Giago, renowned Oglala Sioux publisher, journalist and former Board member; Federal Government representatives such as Bob Ecoffey, Bureau of Indian Affairs and representatives from the nonprofit sector such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America, (BGCA.org), the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (ripkenfoundation.org), the Collette Foundation (collettefoundation.org) and FirstPic Consulting (firstpic.org).

What: The SuAnne Big Crow Boys & Girls Club is a 30,000 square foot, $6 million community-based facility that includes the largest nearby library on the reservation (Rapids City, SD – two hours away) plus a state-of-the-art tech center connecting 500 Native American youth and their families to life beyond the reservation, essential for ensuring a sustainable community, while preserving tribal cultures.

Photos: Photo opportunities include: Bamm Brewer Crazy Horse Riders, Lakota Sioux Color Guard, Club member tour guides, alumni and families, "Happytown" teaching kitchen and a traditional, multi-cultural Oglala Sioux ceremony.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America