Richard B. Williams, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, was given the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Colorado Board of Regents in recognition of his dedicated service to American Indian students and their communities.
Not all holiday dinners are created equal. The Denver-based Native Elders Holiday Dinner sponsored by the American Indian College Fund has a distinctly Native flavor, from the meal itself (buffalo) to a Santa Claus that wears a war bonnet. The event, now in its 11th year, honored American Indian elders 55 and older in the Denver community with a free dinner and program at the Church of All Saints
Although November is Native American Heritage Month, for the American Indian College Fund, our tribal colleges, and our students, we celebrate Native heritage every day of the year. This is because our students and communities know what it means to be without Native culture, heritage, and language–because it was once U.S. government policy to assimilate American Indians, and eradicate these priceless facets of heritage. As a result, generations of American Indians were denied their birthright.
The American Indian College Fund has caught the holiday spirit. The Fund is holding its eleventh annual Holiday Dinner to honor American Indian elders in the Denver on Tuesday, December 13 at the Church of All Saints, 2559 S. Federal Boulevard. Doors open at 4:30 and the dinner commences at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to American Indians age 55 and older.
First class of baccalaureate graduates of Dine College, which marked its 30th Anniversary in 1998 as the oldest tribal college. Graduation day May 15, 1998. photo John Running. The first tribal college was Diné College, located in Tsaile, Arizona, was founded by the Navajo Nation as Navajo Community College in 1968 to educate its young people who are residents of the 26,000 square-mile Navajo Nation which is spread over Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, while steeping them in their language, culture, and traditions.
Native cultures in what is now Mexico are credited for introducing chocolate to the world. The Mayan culture used chocolate as currency and the Aztec culture used the cacao bean as payment for tribute because it was so highly revered. The Aztecs also created xocoatl, a spicy hot chocolate drink that mixed cacoa beans, corn flour, water and chilies which was popular with the upper classes.
As an employee of the American Indian College Fund (the Fund), I had the opportunity to participate in one of our bi-annual tribal college tours. These tours give current donors, potential donors, corporate executives and anyone who is curious about tribal colleges or the Fund a snapshot of what is taking place at these amazing establishments and how the Fund supports this movement.
Please join the American Indian College Fund and the Native students and 34 tribal colleges and universities we support in celebrating Native American Heritage Month. You can get to know more about a tribal culture, history, language, and how the tribal colleges help to preserve them on our web site, Facebook and Twitter. Visit our YouTube channel, where we feature student and alumni interviews, celebrate our graduates, and provide an overview of the Fund’s work with the video Hope on the Rez.
The American Indian College Fund’s16th annual American Indian College Fund Flame of Hope Gala raised more than $300,000 for American Indian student scholarships. The event, held October 20 at the Seawell Grand Ballroom at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado, included headline entertainment by Native flutist R. Carlos Nakaí and The Jared Stewart Band. Hattie Kauffman, award-winning television journalist with CBS, served as Mistress of Ceremonies.
Our first day in South Dakota marked the arrival of account supervisor Hanna Nesper Newell, art producer Kimberly Wilder, creative director Patty Orlando, copywriter Casey Hall, and camera operator Matt Hayes. American Indian College Fund president Rick Williams made the trip up from the Fund’s headquarters in Denver, Colorado.
