Cincinnati,
Ohio, September 17, 2018
– Over the summer, twelve Saint Ursula Academy students reached beyond the
classroom walls to learn about an often overlooked population of the United
States, while lending a hand to assist these new friends. The students traveled to Pine Ridge, South
Dakota, to volunteer with Re-Member, an organization which seeks to improve the quality of life for Oglala Lakota
Indian communities living on the reservation.From the literature provided by
Re-Member: “The Pine Ridge Reservation
spans over 2.8 million beautiful acres and is the second-largest Native
American Indian Reservation, yet contains one of the poorest counties in the
United States. Conditions exist here that should not exist in the middle of the
wealthiest country on earth. Our volunteers are shocked to see the harsh,
third-world living conditions on the Reservation. The population has the
second-lowest life expectancy in the Western Hemisphere coupled with staggering
high rates of diabetes, alcoholism, and suicide.”
Saint Ursula Academy students who
attended the trip were overwhelmed by the poverty they witnessed, and by the
strong spirit of the Lakota people they encountered. Students spent their days building wheelchair
ramps, skirting trailers, building and installing bunk beds and outhouses, and
planting trees. In the evenings, the
students learned more about Lakota Indian culture by listening to speakers and
interacting with those who live and work on the reservation.
Annalese Cahill ’19 from Crescent
Springs is grateful that she was able to help others. “The most rewarding part of the trip was delivering bunk beds to some of the families living in poverty on the reservation. Taking the time to cut and sand the individual parts of the beds and then meeting the families receiving these beds for their kids was an experience I will never forget. Some of the children were sleeping on floors in the kitchens of their trailers with several other children, and the looks on their faces after laying in a comfortable bed of their own for the first time was priceless,” said Annalese.
Part of the mission of Re-Member is to
build relationships between the volunteers and the Lakota people. Re-Member is hopeful that by spending time
with the people whom they are serving, the volunteers will have a greater
compassion and understanding of the Native American culture, and the obstacles
which they face. Only then can the
volunteers become advocates and a voice for those they seek to serve.
The SUA students were given the
opportunity to share their experience with fellow classmates during a recent
assembly at school. They are hopeful
that other students will have the opportunity to volunteer with Re-Member and
get to experience first-hand the culture of those living on the Pine Ridge
Reservation.
Annalese is encouraging others to go on
a mission trip, either to Pine Ridge, or another location where a little bit of
hard work can reap huge rewards for the recipient, and a greater sense of
compassion on the part of the volunteer.
“A piece of advice I would
give to someone thinking about embarking on a similar trip would be to take the
risk and enter with an open mind. Much of the information I had learned about
Native American culture was far from the actual truth, which I later realized
from working and learning on the reservation. Experiences like these can change
one’s life if they make what they can out of the opportunities they are given.”
In addition to the Mission trip to South
Dakota, 23 other SUA students participated in Community service trips in
Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky, Tanzania, and an immersion trip to Japan. Whether Saint Ursula Academy students are
serving the poor in Cincinnati, restoring homes in Appalachia, building
outhouses in South Dakota, learning about the culture in Japan, or creating
artwork with children in Tanzania, many of them spend their summer building a
better world.
Photo Caption: Twelve SUA
students spent a week volunteering with Re-Member on the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation in South Dakota. Featured in
photo: Bottom row - Melina Canter ’19 of
Loveland, Mae Dolbey ’19 of Anderson Township, Emma Berger ’19 of Westwood,
Maggie Gartner ’19 of Hyde Park, Hannah Lesko ’20 of Bridgetown. Middle row- SUA Alumna Kenzie Corbin ‘14, Annalese
Cahill ’19 of Crescent Springs KY, Anne Deters ’19 of White Oak, Sophie
Bouchard ’20 of Monfort Heights, SUA Religion Teacher Linda Thomas, Madyson
Wiley ’19 of Mason. Back row- Hanna
Rieder ’19 of Sayler Park, Clara Keiser ’20 of Oakley, and Mary Sebastian ’20
of Mt. Lookout.