Eve's Fund/ThinkFirst Navajo's Blog

Eve's Fund expands scholarship program for students with disabilities

2014-04-27T12:17:00.002-04:00

Research shows that nearly 50% of Native American students drop out of high school. Of those who do graduate, only 5% go on directly to four-year colleges.

We created the Eve’s Fund scholarship fund in 2011 as a way to address the significant educational needs of high school students on the Navajo Nation.

Our first recipients were all students at Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, N.M. At this academically challenging residential high school, nearly 90% of the graduates go on to higher education.

In 2013, we expanded our scholarship program to include financial assistance to students with disabilities attending college or post-secondary technical programs. Recipients can use scholarship funds for school fees, books, or other needed school supplies.

With the help from our generous donors, Eve's Fund hopes to be able to do more to provide scholarship support to with disabilities in the coming years ahead.

We appreciate the Gallup Independent for their coverage of this important new Eve's Fund initiative and have reprinted an article written by Richard Reyes which appeared on September 6, 2013.

We would appreciate you sharing this news at the links below.

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By Richard Reyes

Local students receive 'special' scholarships

Staff writer biz@gallupindependent.com
GALLUP — Two recent high school graduates received $500 each to help them pay for college from the first scholarship dedicated to students with disabilities from Eve’s Fund for Native American Health Initiatives.

Eve’s Fund teamed up with the New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, which helps people with disabilities find employment, to establish the scholarship. Eve’s Fund has awarded scholarships in the past, but this is the first year it has given money specifically to help students with disabilities.

“I know the students are very much appreciative,” said Ela Yazzie-King, an Eve’s Fund board member and rehab counselor for the Gallup satellite office for Vocational Rehabilitation. “It’s a little bit more that they can do with that money.”

The two students are Andre Edwards, a Gallup High School graduate who is attending University of New Mexico-Gallup, and Shane Curley, a Crownpoint High School graduate who is attending Navajo Technical University.

Yazzie-King said both students have a learning disability and are on her caseload with Vocational Rehabilitation. She explained that because of their disabilities, they need a bit of extra help with certain things, and that’s where the program comes in.

“They’re very motivated,” Yazzie-King said. “They understand their limitations, but they are willing to try new things even if they’re not sure, which is where we try to assist them. Both are really nice young boys. They’re not too articulate, but they have a goal and a dream.”

She has been working with both students for more than a year since they were in high school and will continue to do so.

“The intent is basically to ensure they will succeed in a post secondary or vocational program,” she said.

Ultimately, the key is helping them find a job in their desired career path and offer training so they can learn their job duties and maintain their employment.

Yazzie-King said clients sometimes have short-term memories or need extra help in reading, writing and math. Because of the potential difficulties with their language arts proficiency, Vocational Rehabilitation can help clients fill out job applications or navigate an employer’s website.

Once clients find employment, job developers monitor them and offer job training to help them get accustomed to their new duties.

“We gradually step back so the student can take on the responsibility and do the job on their own,” Yazzie-King said.

After a client holds a job for 90 days, their case is considered closed. If they lose the job, however, they can come back to Vocational Rehabilitation for assistance.

Yazzie-King said clients take pride in their jobs, which others may get bored with.
“They make sure to do the best they can,” she said.

She said the program works with any individuals with physical or mental disabilities, including veterans. The New Mexico Department of Education funds the program. It also receives other state and federal funds.

The Gallup satellite office for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is located at 312 E. Nizhoni Blvd. Information: Vocational Rehabilitation, 505-722-6045; Eve’s Fund Website: evecrowellsfund.org; www.dvrgetsjobs.com

Powered by TECNAVIA Copyright © 2013 Gallup Independent 09/06/2013

This article has been reprinted with permission.

Meet our current scholarship stars

2014-01-10T10:47:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the generous support of individual donors, we've reached 70% of our Holiday Scholarship Campaign goal of $10,000. We're almost there, but we need your help before this year's campaign ends soon.

If you haven't had a chance to donate yet, please do so now by clicking the donate button below. Every dollar you give can help change the life of a young Navajo student who, against many obstacles, intends to graduate from high school and get advanced education.

Want to see what a difference an Eve's Fund Scholarship can make? We'd love for you to meet our seven "stars," at Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, New Mexico. For each of these young people, an Eve's Fund Scholarship has helped them continue pursuing their educational goals and aiming for a brighter future.

Chantelle Yazzie, Freshman

Chantelle Yazzie

I am currently a freshman attending Navajo Preparatory School. I would like to thank you for awarding me the Eve's Fund scholarship. Thank you for helping me with my education so I can go further in life. I am determined to attend Johns Hopkins Medical School and become a general surgeon. After that, I would like to help out my people with their medical needs.

Coming from a single parent home with five siblings, this scholarship will help me out financially. Times are tough right now. This scholarship is important because it's a good start to helping me with school and allowing me to concentrate on what is important for my education. With your help, I am one step closer to achieving my goal.

Shaniya Katoney, Senior

Shaniya Katoney

I am 18 years old and I am from Klagetoh, Ariz. I have two siblings and my mom is a single mother. She works very hard to provide for my siblings and me. My nephews also live with us.

My favorite sports are volleyball, cheerleading, and track. I love to run, too. I think running clears my mind all the time. My favorite type of food is Italian because I love ravioli and lasagna. I also like spaghetti and pizza. My hobbies include riding horses, swimming, cleaning, and reading.

I have many goals that I want to accomplish during my senior year of high school. I want to complete my Senior Atsa' Exhibition project. My project is about team roping and I am doing well with it so far. I want to graduate with straight A's and have a high ACT score. After I graduate, I plan to attend the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and major in criminal justice. I want to major in criminal justice because I have liked it ever since I was a little girl. This scholarship will help my family in so many ways and will help me get the best education possible for myself. I will study extra hard and prove to everyone that I can accomplish my goals and make my dreams come true.

Thank you very much Eve's Fund for this scholarship. I appreciate it very much and hope that future students get to have this opportunity when they apply for the scholarship, too.

Jeremiah Tallas, Junior

Jeremiah Tallas

I'd like to thank you so much for making an awesome impact on my life. It is such a generous gift and honor to have received this scholarship. It not only helps me but my entire family as well.

After I am done with high school, I would like to go to the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). I'd like to major in photography and minor in creative writing. With education, I can help people see and understand the world from an entirely different perspective through writing and photography.

One thing that I want to make known is that a lot of families on the reservations all over the country are suffering from the same things. There have been huge suicide rates, drug use, violence, and alcoholism that our people are struggling with. Using my education in writing and photography I can make a powerful statement that will cause change.

Nizhoni Tallas, Freshman

Nizhoni Tallas

I was raised on the Reservation and grew up there basically my entire childhood until moving to Phoenix for my teenage years. That is when I started losing sight of what was most important. I moved back to Rough Rock three years ago. I was lost for a bit until I encountered Jesus. From there, life hasn't been all that perfect, but it has been so much better and greater than it would have been if I hadn't made that decision. Now that I'm at this school with your help, I can take my interests to a whole other level.

I'm in the 9th grade. I love to sing, dance, hang out with friends, and spend quality time with family. I'm currently on the soccer team and involved with several clubs like art club and youth leadership. It's super fun to be part of such cool clubs and experience a lot of new things. Being on the soccer team was awesome, too, because we all worked together to get better at our skills. It also helped me get settled into this new school.

In my future I hope to go to a university that offers science classes and get my Ph.D. I was also thinking about going to a Bible college for a couple of years. I'm interested in getting to know my God even more in an environment where my faith can blossom and I can still be on my way to getting a degree. The subject I might consider studying would be environmental science because it's very similar to environmental engineering, which is what my older brother is currently studying in college.

When I get a degree, I can apply my skills to the issues we have with our water, agriculture and other issues that may come up in the future. I can also teach people about the importance of taking care of our earth and how to protect it or better conserve our limited resources.

Going to school at Navajo Prep is a great opportunity because of how the school prepares you for college and makes you a more independent individual. I'm also Christian and have faith that God will give me the strength and guidance to go through high school with ease and have tons of fun doing so.

Thank you for giving me such a generous gift that will keep me going to a really good school like Navajo Prep. I'm so thankful for this scholarship. It's just great to know that I don't have to worry about paying for school. When my parents and I first heard the good news we all felt a sense of relief, which is great because we've been going through financial problems recently. I will try my best to keep my grades up and continue to be involved with school as much as I can.

Isaiah Yazzie, Senior

Isaiah Yazzie

I'm now in my senior year! As of right now, I am in two sports at the same time. I run cross-country and play football. Just last week my cross-country team placed 3rd as a team and I came in 20th as an individual. For football we are currently 3-0.

As for my academics I have all A's and I am trying to stay on top of my senior project. I decided to learn how to landscape for my senior project. At first, I did not have a good idea where I wanted to landscape, but then I got an idea to landscape around one of Navajo Prep's dormitories. This is also a way I can give back to Prep for everything the school has done for me.

I have decided for sure that I want to become a podiatrist because there are not many who work on the Reservation and an even smaller percentage who are Navajo. They play a big role with people who have diabetes, and I have many family members who have this health condition. I want to let people on the Reservation know how important it is to take care of your body and especially your feet if you have diabetes. I want to make people aware of this big issue.

Leisha Yazzie, Junior

Leisha Yazzie

I am currently a junior at Navajo Prep and this is the third year I have received an Eve's Fund scholarship. This year as a junior has been pretty fun. There's not as much stress as last year. But at home things got a little hard. My mom was laid off from her job. She works part time, but still it's kind of hard. Since my sister goes to Navajo Prep with me and she got the Eve's Fund scholarship, too, it will help my family. Because of the scholarship, my mom didn't have to worry about paying my school fees. Thank you Eve's Fund for giving me this scholarship again. It has helped me to continue school here at Navajo Prep.

Leonard Blackhorse, Freshman

Leonard Blackhorse

I am very fortunate to be attending Navajo Prep and with the scholarship from Eve's Fund, I will be able to help my family with our financial problems. You see my family of six lives off less than $1,000 a month. Our house had to be torn down because it was a dangerous living environment so now we have to pay rent in a new housing situation.

My mother earned her GED and is now attending San Juan College to get into the nursing program. My father has finished high school but he is disabled because he was bitten by a brown recluse spider. He now has kidney failure and has to get dialysis three times a week.

It means a lot to me that I have won this scholarship. Now I can contribute to my family by helping them with our financial problems. Not only will this scholarship benefit me but also my family. So thank you again. This scholarship will help me.

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How You Can Help

Please help us raise $3,00 more dollars to provide more scholarships to worthy "star" students in the year ahead. We rely on donations and grants to carry out our mission and are grateful for your contribution of any amount. Every dollar will be put to good use. You can make an online donation through our secure site by clicking the button below:

Or, sent a check to:

Eve's Fund for Native American Health Initiatives

PO Box 73

Dalton, MA 01227

Please include your email and mailing addresses so we can update our records.

We don't want to lose touch.

Click here to join our Friends of Eve's Fund Mailing List

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Be Part of Giving Tuesday:Donate to Eve's Fund Today

2013-12-04T11:58:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But did you know that today -- December 3 -- is #Giving Tuesday? It's a new day for families, communities and organizations to come together and give back.

We would be honored if you would make a donation to the Eve's Fund Scholarship Program as part of your #Giving Tuesday activities. Your contribution of any amount can make a real difference in a Navajo student's life. You can help an underprivileged teen achieve his or her educational goals and have a brighter future.

We are currently participating in the 2013 Holiday Charity Challenge on Crowdrise, hoping to raise $10,000 for our Scholarship Program by January 19.

We have raised about 12% of that total so far, thanks to the generosity of people who believe in our mission of helping Native American youth.

On #Giving Tuesday, will you help us get closer to our goal? To donate today, please click on the Donate button above or on this link: http://goo.gl/EuQ9zx to be taken to our secure Crowdrise site.

To learn more about our Scholarship Program and the students it benefits, visit: http://goo.gl/aChl0c

Thank you.

Barbara Crowell Roy, President

P.S. Please help spread the word about #Giving Tuesday and Eve's Fund by passing along this message. You can use any of the sharing buttons below. Thanks!

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Eve's Fund Kicks Off Holiday Scholarship Campaign

2013-11-18T12:15:00.000-05:00

Today we are kicking off our first Eve's Fund Holiday Charity Challenge in partnership with Crowdrise, The Huffington Post and Craigconnects.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 between November 18 and January 19, 2014 for the Eve's Fund Scholarship Program, which offers financial assistance to deserving Navajo students. In addition, we hope to win one of the prizes given to charities that raise the most money during the two-month campaign.

Last year, the charities involved in this Holiday Challenge raised more than $1 million, so we are excited to be part of a group of people committed to their causes. The real truth is that most people have big hearts and want to give to causes they believe in and value.

Why Eve's Fund Scholarship Program?

Native American teens need your help. Most of these young people live in poverty and face enormous obstacles in their lives, including high rates of suicide, domestic violence and abuse. Without any hope for a better future, nearly 50% will drop out of high school. Among those who do graduate, only 5% will go directly to four-year colleges.

Despite these grim statistics, you can make a difference.

For the past three years, Eve's Fund has provided scholarships for young Native Americans, primarily Navajo, to assist with expenses at college-preparatory high schools as well as technical and vocational schools.

For these students, a scholarship has made the difference between achieving a high school diploma and attending college or dropping out and living in poverty.

Your support can give these deserving young people a better future. You tax-deductible donation can help us expand our scholarship program.

To make a donation now using a credit card, click the Certificate Button below to be taken to our secure fundraising page on Crowdrise.

Please note: At the time you are making your donation, a 10% OPTIONAL Processing Fee will be automatically added on. This does not benefit Eve's Fund or our Scholarship Program in any way. You can eliminate this fee by clicking on the drop-down menu to decline.

DONATE by clicking above

If you are unable to donate online, please send your check to:
Eve's Fund, PO Box 73, Dalton, MA 01227

In the coming weeks, we will be sending out emails to let you know how the campaign is going. We'll also be sharing news about some of our current scholarship students so you can see how much of a difference the scholarships are making in their lives. We know that you have lots of choices when it comes to your charitable giving and we are grateful for any support you can offer.

Last year's scholarship recipients from Navajo Preparatory School say "Thank You" in Navajo.

We hope you will help us get donations by sharing this with all your family and friends (see email & social media icons below at the bottom of this post). Thank You.

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