Tag Archives: fundraising

Follow the Buffalo Benefit Concert!

Please join us on December 5th for the 4th annual Follow the Buffalo benefit concert!  This is an evening of family-friendly entertainment, featuring live music, performances, and a silent auction with many unique items donated by local artists.  All proceeds will go to Follow the Buffalo, Inc. and will be used to fund youth camp scholarships.

When: December 5th, from 6 – 10 pm

Where: Old Dog Tavern, 402 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo, MI

This year the event will feature performances by Joe Reilly, Tom Duffield, Aaron Young, Ira Cohen, and others.  In addition, Jeff Brazda, board president, will speak about Follow the Buffalo, Inc. and our work with the Pine Ridge community.

Please visit the event page on Facebook for a full schedule and more details!

Watch the video below to hear “Wishless” by Joe Reilly!

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Spring has Sprung

May is here!  Finally, the seeds begin to sprout, the leaves pop out, and life explodes all around us.  At this time of year, we see once again how something very little, with a little bit of water and sunshine, turns into something big and beautiful!

Follow the Buffalo, Inc. presents an opportunity for you to share in growing something beautiful. Continue reading

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Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from Follow the Buffalo, Inc.

We hope your holidays are warm and cozy, filled with laughter and joy shared with loved ones. The chill of Winter drives us inside from the elements, but draws us inward in reflection. We hope as you look back on 2012 you find many things to be grateful for and that your experiences of the year lead to new insights and even greater wisdom.

At Follow the Buffalo, Inc. we look back at 2012 with special fondness as the year we brought our vision into reality – a vision of helping our brothers and sisters on the reservation and those working to preserve native cultures. We are discovering just how much we have to learn in building relationships, raising funds, and working for change. The challenges before us are great, but the Creator is leaving us that bread crumb trail of hints and bringing just the right people in at the right times to help us make our way.428px-Snow-covered_Bison_bison

The spirit that drives Follow the Buffalo, Inc. is the understanding that we are all related, all children of the same Creator. We are part of that great circle of life, each with a role to play in this creation we call earth. The Lakota way of expressing this is Mitakuwe Oyasin – All My Relations. They proclaim this each time they pray.

As we enjoy the warmth and abundance of the holidays with our loved ones, we hope that you will join us in remembering our brothers and sisters who’s life on the reservation can be challenging in the cold months of Winter.

Your donation can make a real difference in easing suffering and providing encouragement.

Thank you so much for all the ways you bring more light into the world.

Mitakuwe Oyasin!

We invite you to share this message with your friends and family.  Click the link to open as a PDF: winter letter

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Connecting Youth and Culture

I had the chance to speak with a friend on the Pine Ridge Reservation recently. We spoke of many things, but what really stayed with me was his concern for the youth living on the reservation. The teen suicide rate on the reservation has been three times as high as the rest of the United States. Depression and substance abuse are also at elevated rates. But our talk was not about statistics – rather he spoke of real people coping with tragedy and seeking to ease their suffering and provide hope for the next generation.

I asked him what he thought made life so difficult for young people on the reservation. The first thing he said was loneliness. Loneliness that comes from physical distance, but also from losing connection with family.

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Announcing the Coyote Life Festival

Follow the Buffalo, Inc. and Healing Lifeways are joining to sponsor and host the first Coyote Life Festival in Comins, Michigan on the weekend of February 22-24, 2013.

The Coyote Life Festival is a celebration of life, love, and laughter in the traditional “coyote spirit”.  There will be plenty of fun, food, games, drumming, singing, storytelling, sharing, and thanksgiving.

Tentative Schedule

Friday

  • Arrive 5-8 pm – meet, mix, and mingle
  • 8-10 pm – drumming, singing, and bonfire (weather permitting)
  • 10pm – Canupa (pipe) ceremony

Saturday

  • 7:30 am – pancake breakfast
  • Morning – games, crafts, and workshops (TBD)
  • 12pm – soup, sandwich, and potluck lunch
  • Afternoon – games, crafts, outdoor activities (weather permitting), drumming, songs, and stories
  • 5-8pm – chili supper – this will be open to the public and will feature drumming, singing, dancing, contests, and discussion on the theme of celebrating life with gratitude
  • Evening – prayers, discussion, etc.

Sunday

  • 8:30 am – breakfast
  • 10 am – blessing the land, drumming, singing, Canupa (pipe) ceremony
  • 12 pm – lunch, cleanup, and farewell

Additional Information

Cost – We suggest a donation of $40 for the weekend (includes all food and activities).  All proceeds will benefit Follow the Buffalo, Inc.

What to bring – simple food to share on Friday evening and Saturday lunch.

Please contact us for lodging information.

To register or learn more, please email sally@followthebuffalo.org or tim@healinglifeways.org or call Tim at (989)848-5757

Click the link below to download a PDF flyer:

Coyote Life Festival info

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