|
INTERVIEWS AND PRESS ARTICLES
|
|
Native American Times Newspaper
http://nativetimes.bizweb5.tulsaconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=378&Itemid=1 Link Center looks to raise $20K for Sioux reservations Written by Native American Times October 16, 2008 FIRESTONE, Colo. – The Link Center Foundation is seeking donations for its emergency winter and utility assistance program that runs from October to March. The foundation is attempting to raise $20,000 for the elderly, disabled and sick living on the Lakota Sioux Reservations in South Dakota “We are not grant-funded at this time. We depend on you, the individual donor, to help these families in crisis,” Link Center Foundation press release stated. Average income on the Oglala Lakota Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation is about $3,500 per year. Jobs are extremely scarce, and unemployment hovers around 85 percent on the 11,000-square-mile reservation, which houses about 40,000 people. “Death by hypothermia is always a concern on the reservations. Each winter temperatures drop well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and many families must choose between food and heat. In some cases, they have neither,” the release stated. “Federal LIHEAP and tribal assistance programs offer each low-income family approximately $300 per year. With the current rate of propane at $2.20 per gallon, this provides only 136 gallons, about enough fuel for two to four weeks.” Propane prices have already risen about 33 percent since last winter, and are expected to rise much higher as this winter goes on. Those families surviving with electric heat also face major increases in cost. Propane companies require minimum amounts of propane to be purchased before delivery (currently $125 to $355 depending on the company). These minimum requirements are expected to skyrocket as the high cost of truck fuel increases. This makes families struggle even harder to accumulate enough funds at one time to ensure a delivery. The Link Center Foundation has already received numerous emergency assistance applications that cannot be filled due to lack of funds. With propane, wood, and electricity prices continually rising, many more requests for help are expected to arrive. All applicants are screened and documented and payments are made directly to utility, propane, wood or heat equipment companies. Donations are carefully tracked and accountable and no donation is too small. Visit www.linkcenterfoundation.org/id24.html to learn more about conditions on the reservations. As with all non-profit organizations, donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. Please mark your check: “Emergency Utility and Heating Fund” and send to: Link Center Foundation, P.O. Box 576, Firestone, CO 80520-0576. For credit card donations, please visit our website at www.linkcenterfoundation.org . For more information, call (303) 833-6520. |