The Imprint, an independent daily news outlet focused on the nation’s child welfare and youth justice systems, recently featured a story on a youth and Friend from Friends of the Children - He Sapa in South Dakota. The article centers on 8-year-old S.G. and his professional mentor Coleman Eagle Elk, and shares some of the life lessons S.G. is learning as well as connections to his Indigenous culture.

“Knowing who they are, where they come from and who they come from, is huge,” Eagle Elk said. “When that child grows up, they’re going to understand the connection we have to everything that we walk on, that we breathe, that we see.”

The work that the article highlights at Friends - He Sapa is also happening right here at Friends - Eastern Idaho. Across Idaho, nearly 43% of American Indian/Alaska Native children live in poverty — a rate far above the overall child-poverty average. That stark reality makes the vision and work of Friends of the Children even more urgent and important. As we look toward expanding our local impact, particularly with the Shoshone Bannock Tribes in Fort Hall, we're committed to building trusting, long-term relationships that build identity, stability, and future opportunity with every child who enrolls in our program. Because every child should have the chance to belong, dream big, and thrive.

Read the article, "Powwows, Sundance, and Horseback Rides Bond Pine Ridge Kids and Their Mentors," online here.