Located in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, USA, South Dakota
We donated shirts 0 to 0 to children in need here.

Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation saw the first of many Be A Number shirt drops.

 

"Being a part of the first Be A Number shirt drop was an unforgettable experience. Watching such young children in such desperate situations receive a shirt brought tears to my eyes almost instantly. Nothing is more rewarding than watching a child receiving a shirt because it beomces so clear that they realize, perhaps for the first time, that they have not been forgotten, but instead that they, too, are special. Their excitement at Kevin's speech about changing the world and their communities for the better was inexplicably inspiring. I can't wait to watch this incredible company grow and continue changing the world--one number, one message, one child, at a time."

 

--Elizabeth Bonner, Promotions Director and Representative Coordinator, Be A Number

 

 

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA is home to about 46,000 Lakota people, one half of which are under the age of 18 years. When we arrived on the reservation, we learned several startling facts from the Director of Institutional Relations at Red Cloud Indian School, where the first shirt drop was held. Below are just a few of the things we learned from the packets they prepared for us:

• The current unemployment rate on the resrvation is between 73-85%
• The average per capita income on the reservation is $6,143
• On average, life expecancy is 55 years for men, and 60 years for women (compared to the national averages in the US of 75 years for men and 80 years for women).
• The infant mortality rate is 2.6 times the national average
• Suicide rates are a staggering 72% higher than the national average
• 69% of the children on the reservation live in poverty

Check out some of our pictures from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, USA. Click on the thumbnails to see them full size.