Sherry Cornelius aka lpggirl of St. Francis Energy has sent us more photos of our Rosebud rezidents saying *THANK YOU* to you all for helping them get through another harsh winter in South Dakota.
Below you’ll find more THANK YOU photos and details on how you can help. Please share these donation details with family and friends.
Again, we are helping people who are falling through the cracks with government and tribal assistance.
Everyone here has consented to having their photo taken with the caption
THANK YOU DAILY KOS and Native American Netroots !
Sherry aka lpggirl had commentary to go with some of her pics. I’ll blockquote her comment with each pic.
Lillian Walking Eagle and grand daughter : Lillian’s son Cornell said to put the caption “These two old ladies nearly froze.” they have an old faulty ummm lpg space heater? not sure what they’re called. housing is constantly being called by them and housing merely replaces the thermocouple. i thought i heard liep had funds for furnaces so i told lillian about it. i told my mom about lillian’s situation, and she called the VP willie kindle. he said he would do something for this gramma. wks later nothing is done for them.
there are 3 pics for the one house in mm (marshmellow housing) in rosebud; the mom, the dad, and the daughter. i have never heard a “WHOO-HOO! We have hot water!” before, when you hear the magical sound of the water heater firing up. and “Does this mean we don’t have to use this little electric heater?” sitting in the corner adjacent to the non-working wood stove (not pictured). Giant hugs to you all from this family – all of them.
More from Sherry aka lpggirl:
the story behind the dangling lite fixture. a few years ago when i first delivered lpg to faye blk bear out in corn creek, she was completely out of lpg so i had to do a leak check. this requires that i go into the house. that’s when i noticed the broken lite fixture. when i got back to sf i told my mom of this. she called amos, the director of the housing authority, and the council rep for that community at that time. i called the housing maintenance department and told them. i also told an acquaintance, jodi (wife of rodney bordeaux), about this gramma’s broken lite fixture. they all said they would do something. years later still nothing has been done about it.
the houses that all look alike ranch style, split-level, apts, duplexes; they’re all built and maintained by the rosebud housing authority (HUD houses i guess). i think most were built in the 60’s. i’ve noticed that most houses have elec cook stoves, and lpg water heaters and furnaces. some have working wood stoves. i think a lot of people are using liep to pay for their electricity so when they run out of lpg they use a wood stove, if they have one, or heat the house with the elec. cooking stove and elec. heaters.
earlier this week when it was like 40 below. i got “brain-freeze” a few times. the only skin i had exposed was a strip right across my eyes (i forgot my shades that day, but definitely remembered them the next day!). that was just a tad bit too cold that day. first time i got brain freeze without eating or drinking anything cold.
it’s been snowing here all day long. [February 6, 2011] the calm before the storm. as soon as the winds pick up, here we go – instant ground blizzard. the weather says there’s two storms coming this week. one tomorrow and one later in the week.
~only a couple more months left of this lovely weather~
sherry
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PLEASE Share with family and friends and ask them to share.
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My earlier diaries explain in more detail why and how we are helping:
Here we go again: Blizzard hits Dakotas
Pine Ridge: American Prisoner of War Camp #334
Revealing Pine Ridge Rez Demographic Information
Employment Information
- Recent reports vary but many point out that the median income on the Pine Ridge Reservation is approximately $2,600 to $3,500 per year.
- The unemployment rate on Pine Ridge is said to be approximately 83-85% and can be higher during the winter months when travel is difficult or often impossible.
Note that South Dakota boasts of a 4.5% unemployment rate and ranks #2 in the Nation.
- According to 2006 resources, about 97% of the population lives below Federal poverty levels.
- There is little industry, technology, or commercial infrastructure on the Reservation to provide employment.
- Rapid City, South Dakota is the nearest town of size (population approximately 57,700) for those who can travel to find work. It is located 120 miles from the Reservation. The nearest large city to Pine Ridge is Denver, Colorado located some 350 miles away.
We have bypassed the middlemen; the 501c3s, the red-taped strangled Tribal Councils and the pathetic Federal LIHEAP program which runs out three weeks into winter.
We’ve set up relationships with the propane companies that service Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservation. The kind operators/owners know who needs help and can’t get it from their Tribal, State or Federal government.
Help buy propane for Lakota families in South Dakota:
The *fastest* way to help is to pick up the phone and call with your credit card information. A family will get propane delivered either the same day or the next day.
Telephone:
Sherry Cornelius of St. Francis Energy Co.
at 6 0 5 – 7 4 7 – 2 5 4 2
11 AM – 6 PM MST EVERY DAY
Ask for Sherry or her mom Patsy. Normally a minimum order is $150, but they have an account to accumulate small donations to a minimum order. Credit Cards welcome and they are the only Native owned fuel company on Rosebud. Rosebud is next to Pine Ridge Reservation and in the same economically depressed condition.
If you’d like to mail a check:
[make check payable to: St. Francis Energy Co.]
Attn: Sherry or Patsy
St. Francis Energy Co. / Valandra’s II
P.O. Box 140
St. Francis, South Dakota 57572
NOT tax deductible
You can also call Sherry’s cell phone: 605.208.8888 if the above line is busy.
Telephone:
The Lakota Plains Propane Company
at 6 0 5 – 8 6 7 – 5 1 9 9
Monday- Friday only 8-4:30pm MST
Ask for Crystal to contribute to someone from Autumn’s list. $120 minimum delivery. This company serves Pine Ridge Reservation.
NOT tax deductible
If you live out of the country please use our PayPal link at Native American Netroots, the donate button is in the upper right of the page. This process takes about a week for the funds to hit the reservations so telephoning the propane companies directly is the fastest way to help.
Cross Posted at Native American Netroots
An ongoing series sponsored by the Native American Netroots team focusing on the current issues faced by American Indian Tribes and current solutions to those issues.
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