Last week I (Rachel) was able to be a part of my first quarterly meeting with the YIPA membership, which was a great way to learn more about the wonderful work being done with youth across the state of Minnesota. As everyone introduced themselves and gave updates of their agencies, there was one story that stood out to me. Valerie LaFave from the Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC) told the group about a grant her agency recently received from the Nike N7 Fund. If you’ve never heard of the N7 Fund, I would recommend you take a peek at their website to learn more. The fund was created to help meet the needs of Native American communities, by attempting to increase their access to sports and physical activities, while simultaneously building confidence and fostering positive change. The N7 Fund awarded grants to 15 non-profit, 501(c)3 organizations – including the Minneapolis American Indian Center - which allowed them to purchase new shoes for 59 of the 78 youth they serve. That in itself is an incredible feat since according to Valerie LaFave, the Parent Coordinator/Supervisor, a handful of their families do not have an active phone, so MAIC’s staff did outreach by going to their homes and knocking on their doors. What commitment!
More exciting yet, the youth were brought on a field trip to Champs at the Mall of America, where they had a chance to select the shoes of their choice and be fitted on the spot! Valerie told the story of a little girl who was convinced she was being to brought to a low-end shoe store, but was astonished when she found out they would be going to Champs to get any sneakers she wanted! It was her first time getting a personalized pair of shoes, which struck a chord with Valerie and many others in the room as we listened intently.
It was an “aha” moment for all of us as we found out how powerful an experience it was for youth to have an opportunity to purchase shoes unlike any they’ve had before, with no strings attached. And for many, without this grant, they would have gone without new shoes at all. A parent whose three children received shoes from the grant money gleefully reported that all her kids had something great to say, as she expressed her gratitude to Valerie and the entire MAIC staff, "Thanks for the kids’ shoes! If you only knew!!! Each one of my kids had something great to say,”
“I love my golden eagle shoes!”
“My shoes will make me run so fast!”
“Nike and you are the bomb!”
By providing grants and product donations, the N7 Fund helps to fuel opportunities for Native American youth to engage in sports and physical activity, which they hope will enable them to seek positive influences and create positive change in their communities. We all know there is a connection between physical activity and the development of self-confidence, and it is fabulous to hear that the youth are already feeling more confident and positive about themselves as they embark on the 2010-2011 school year.
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