Friends of the Children - He Sapa

09/05/2026

🪶 Creating Regalia. Building Community. Strengthening Families.

Our caregiver regalia-making sessions continue to be about so much more than what we create with our hands. They are spaces for connection, culture, conversation, and community.

As caregivers work together on their regalia, our professional mentors intentionally use this time to strengthen relationships with families, support caregiver well-being, and help build strong social networks. Sharing a meal, learning alongside one another, laughing, visiting, and simply having a space to connect can be powerful. These relationships remind us that supporting a child also means creating opportunities for the adults who care for them to feel connected and supported.

And while our caregivers are creating, our youth are learning, too!

This week, our youth made medicine wheels while listening to Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb. Through the story and activity, staff helped youth talk about making good decisions, friendship, and something we all experience, what to do when we accidentally make a mistake or hurt someone we care about. 💛

These moments give our youth opportunities to practice empathy, accountability, reflection, and making things right, all while engaging in culturally meaningful, hands-on learning.

At Friends of the Children–He Sapa, our commitment extends beyond the individual child. We believe lasting change happens when we strengthen the whole family unit, creating spaces where youth and caregivers can learn, connect, heal, and grow together.

✨ You can help us continue creating these opportunities for our youth and families. Your support helps provide culturally grounded activities, family engagement opportunities, meals, supplies, and experiences that strengthen the relationships surrounding every child we serve.

Consider making a gift and joining us in this work. Every contribution helps us continue showing up for our youth and families no matter what. 🦬❤️

09/02/2026

Thank you to our partners at the Rotary Club!

The culturally grounded literacy initiative’s long-range goal is to help Native youth graduate from high school or earn a GED and become scholars, leaders and lifelong learners. ⤵️ Find a link to the story in the comments.

08/27/2026

👀 SNEAK PEEK: Our 2026 Impact Report is coming soon!

Four years ago, Friends of the Children–He Sapa began with a promise: One Child. One Friend. 12+ years, no matter what.

Since opening our doors in 2022, that promise has grown into thousands of hours spent alongside youth, relationships built with caregivers and schools, new opportunities for our young people, deeper connections to culture, and a growing community committed to showing our children that they are valued, capable, and never alone.

Our upcoming 2026 Impact Report tells that story. 📖

Inside, we look back at where we started, celebrate the milestones that have shaped our first four years, share stories of our Wakanyeja and their Relatives, and highlight the ways culture, literacy, family, and long-term professional mentorship are coming together in He Sapa.

But this report isn't simply about numbers.

It's about showing up.

It's about a young person discovering something they love.
It's about finding confidence in culture and identity.
It's about caregivers and children learning together.
It's about relationships built with consistency, trust, and love.
And it's about keeping a promise year after year.

We can't wait to share the full report with you.

For now, here's a little sneak peek at the story we've been building together. 👀💙🧡

08/20/2026

On behalf of the Board of Directors, it is with great pride that we announce the appointment of Tyresha Grey Horse as Executive Director of Friends of the Children–He Sapa

Since joining our organization as Program Director in March 2025, Tyresha has demonstrated a strong record of leadership, growth, and advancement. She has led with wisdom, humility, and a deep commitment to our youth and families while strengthening our programming, supporting our professional mentors, and helping guide our organization through an important period of growth and transition.

Since our founding in 2022, Friends of the Children–He Sapa has made a promise to walk alongside our children and families through long-term professional mentoring relationships—12+ years, no matter what. As Tyresha steps into this role, that promise remains unwavering.

This next chapter is possible because of the families who have trusted us, the donors and partners who have invested in this work, our dedicated staff and professional mentors, and a community that continues to believe in our children.

Pilamayaye—thank you for believing in this work and for continuing to walk alongside us.

Our first four years have built a strong foundation, but our story is only beginning!

The Board looks forward to partnering with Tyresha, our staff, our families, and our community as Friends of the Children–He Sapa moves into this next chapter.

Please join me in congratulating Tyresha Grey Horse, Executive Director of Friends of the Children–He Sapa!!

With gratitude and hope,
Jade Herman, Ed.D.
Board Chair
Friends of the Children–He Sapa

08/14/2026

📚 Literacy Starts at Home — and Grows Through Family! 📚

Friends of the Children–He Sapa was proud to host our first Literacy Family Night made possible in part through the generous support of a Rotary Global Grant. The evening was facilitated by our Board Member Dr. Whitnee Coy and Literacy Specialist Stacy Cole, alongside our Professional Mentors.

Families shared dinner together before caregivers participated in a presentation focused on practical, meaningful ways to integrate literacy into everyday life at home. Building strong readers isn't something that happens only in the classroom, it happens through conversations, stories, traditions, curiosity, and time spent together as a family. ❤️

Each of our youth went home with their very own Literacy Kit, filled with family literacy activities and resources to keep the learning going at home. One special addition was a signed copy of I Tell You That I Love You by Indigenous author Tanaya Winder, a member of the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe. This beautiful children's picture book celebrates the loving bond between parent and child while connecting that love to the beauty of the natural world.

At Friends of the Children–He Sapa, our commitment to education extends beyond the individual child. We believe in supporting the whole family, giving caregivers tools to encourage learning and creating opportunities for our Wakanyeja to see themselves as capable, confident learners.

As the new school year approaches, we are excited to walk alongside our youth and families, celebrating their growth, supporting their education, and reminding them that they have an entire community believing in what they can become. 📖✨

Here’s to a new school year filled with learning, connection, and possibility!

08/11/2026

Welcome to Our Tiospaye, Terri!

Friends of the Children – He Sapa is proud to welcome Terri Sorensen, President & CEO of Friends of the Children National, as the newest member of our Board of Directors!

Terri brings more than 23 years of experience with Friends of the Children and a deep commitment to the power of long-term, professional mentorship. Since becoming National CEO in 2012, she has helped grow Friends of the Children from just five locations to 48 across the country, expanding the reach of our mission and creating opportunities for thousands more children and families.

Her addition to our Board also strengthens the connection between our work here in He Sapa and the national Friends of the Children network. Terri brings an incredible depth of experience in organizational growth, sustainability, fundraising, evaluation, but most importantly, a long-standing belief in walking alongside children for the long haul.

As our He Sapa chapter continues to grow and strengthen our work with Wakanyeja, caregivers, and communities, we are grateful to have Terri’s experience and perspective at our Board table.

Please join us in welcoming Terri Sorensen to the Friends of the Children – He Sapa tiospaye! 🧡

We are excited for what we will continue to build together.

08/04/2026

Our Summer 2026 Newsletter Has Arrived!

This summer has been one of growth, learning, and community at Friends of the Children–He Sapa, and we're excited to share it with you.

Inside this edition you'll find:
The impact of our first-ever Summer Literacy Program, where 57% of participating youth improved their reading fluency and nearly one in five advanced an entire grade level.

Reflections on why we believe literacy is an act of decolonization, strengthening identity, reclaiming knowledge, and creating opportunities for future generations.

A celebration of the dedicated community leaders who serve on our Board of Directors, helping guide our mission and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Every story in this newsletter reflects what is possible when a community comes together to stand beside children for the long term.

Take a few minutes to read the Summer 2026 Newsletter and see the incredible work your support makes possible.!

💙 Thank you for believing in our youth, our families, and the future we're building together.

08/01/2026

We are honored to welcome Dr. Whitnee Coy to the Friends of the Children–He Sapa Board of Directors!

Dr. Coy brings a lifetime of dedication to education, equity, and community leadership. As the Graduate Studies Department Chair at Oglala Lakota College, she prepares future educational leaders while championing culturally responsive and Indigenous-centered approaches to education.

Her commitment to serving children and families extends far beyond the classroom. Through her family's mutual aid Little Free Pantry, Dr. Coy has helped provide more than 20,000 essential items to community members in need, demonstrating the values of dignity, generosity, and reciprocity in action.

An accomplished educator, award-winning author, and experienced board leader, Dr. Coy has devoted her career to expanding opportunities for historically underserved communities. Her passion for literacy, educational equity, and strengthening families aligns deeply with our mission to break the cycle of generational poverty through long-term, professional mentoring.

Please join us in giving a warm welcome to Dr. Whitnee Coy! We are grateful for the wisdom, leadership, and heart she brings to our tiospaye, and we look forward to the impact we will make together on behalf of the children and families we serve.

07/28/2026

Listen to these voices 📚🎭

Our youth are putting the literacy skills they’ve worked so hard to build this summer into action through a readers theatre performance, and we couldn’t be more proud.

Thanks in part to the generosity of a Rotary Global Grant, our culturally specific Summer Literacy program has given our youth the opportunity to grow as readers while staying grounded in their culture, identity, and community. Today, they stepped up alongside their professional mentors with courage, read with confidence, and showed the Lakota values of bravery and perseverance in every word they shared.

Watching our youth encourage one another, take risks, and celebrate their accomplishments is exactly why this work matters. Our Professional Mentors stood beside them every step of the way. When a youth stumbled on a word, their mentor was there with patience, encouragement and a reassuring smile. These moments remind us that growth happens through trusted relationships, every challenge becoming an opportunity to learn and every success is celebrated.

Keep cheering them on. They’re just getting started!