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The Wilke Family Foundation Grants $25,000 to American Indian College Fund for Scholarships

The Wilke Family Foundation granted the American Indian College Fund $25,000 for scholarships for Native students who show academic achievement and involvement in their communities. Fifteen thousand dollars of the grant will fund unrestricted scholarships, and $10,000 will fund the Edwin Arwin Thornton Scholarship Endowment, established in 2009 in memory of Edwin Arwin Thornton. Liesl Wilke

Audra Stonefish, Embrey Women’s Leadership Fellow, Shares Her Gratitude After D.C. Retreat

Audra Stonefish, Embrey Women’s Leadership Fellow, Shares Her Gratitude After D.C. Retreat

One experience I will never forget was the laying of the wreath ceremony at the Arlington Cemetery. As we strolled toward the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I felt sorrow and privilege all intertwined: sorrow for the men and women who lost their lives fighting for this great country and the privilege of being fortunate enough to have been present for this occasion.

Our Vote is Our Voice

Being in the same room as the nominees for President of the United States, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. Many of us have traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit Congress and federal agencies and never get to see the President.  Many of us attend rallies for one of the candidates but rarely get to see the two nominees in the same room.

President Crazy Bull Visits South Dakota

President Crazy Bull Visits South Dakota

On Monday October 1st, my husband Alex Prue and I enjoyed a beautiful drive from the He Sapa (Black Hills) down through the Maka Sice (Badlands) across vast prairies and valleys of fall gold cottonwoods and red sumac into the homelands of the Oglala. We visited Oglala Lakota College’s (OLC) main campus at Kyle.

Passion for Our People and Business Principles Make Successful Partnership

Bruce DeBoskey, a Colorado-based philanthropic adviser for the DeBoskey Group, noted in a recent article in The Denver Post that although the trend in philanthropy has been to make it become more strategic and effective. The Fund has rigorously employed systems to help our donors to transparently see how we invest their dollars in our communities, and how those dollars help our students, tribal colleges, and our Native communities.

Meet Dwight, Our Student Speaker for the Flame of Hope Gala!

Meet Dwight, Our Student Speaker for the Flame of Hope Gala!

Every year the American Indian College Fund’s Flame of Hope Gala affords our supporters a chance to meet our students and hear how you help make a difference in their lives. We’d like to introduce you to this year’s student speaker, Dwight Carlson (Navajo), an environmental science major, two-time U.S. Forest Service student intern, firefighter, All-American cross country runner, and bull rider. Dwight is an amazing young man whose potential might not have been met without the chance to earn a college education.

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Foundation Gives $60,000 for Scholarships

The Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Foundation awarded $60,000 to the American Indian College Fund (the Fund) for the Achieving the Dream Scholarship Program. The program assists Native students who are single parents and/or in the first year of an associate’s degree program, attending Diné College, Navajo Technical College, Sisseton Wahpeton College, Sinte Gleska University, or Oglala Lakota College. Preference is given to past Achieving the Dream Scholars. Each scholar receives a $4,000 scholarship split between fall and spring semesters.