The event will also feature fundraisers with the proceeds going to Mission of Love, an Austintown-based nonprofit organization that helps indigenous people around the globe. Mission of Love founder-director Kathy Price will be attending the event with a display showing the work the organization does. In fact, she just returned on Monday from building homes for Native Americans in South Dakota.
“Last week we built a home for Joe American Horse from the ground up,” Price said.
Many of the Native Americans on the Pine Ridge reservation live in poverty. They can’t afford the daily living necessities, let alone build a home for their families. Some survive in rundown shacks and sheds while trying to provide for their children. With a huge unemployment rate, these first Americans live in a state of poverty that would make many shudder.
When Mission of Love showed up, things changed. Native American families came together and assist the Mission of Love building one home at a time. Last week’s mission trip build a home for Joe American Horse and his family. Price returned home Monday from that trip and opened a letter that read, “There is NO word to describe how appreciative we are to the Mission of Love Foundation in building homes in our Pine Ridge Reservation and elsewhere. The Mission of Love Foundation help the underprivileged and not only building homes, but other issues, such as health, etc. If we have more people like Mission of Love Foundation, there will be NO conflicts, NO wars. Everyone will live in peace. The Mission of Love Foundation build a home for me within five days. "Wopila Tonka" Sincerely Yours, Joe American Horse, grandson of the chief.
The work continues for Price and her volunteers. The proceeds from the Awesome-Town event will be put towards building a home for Kevin Poor Bear, who had his legs amputated and is confined to a wheelchair. Poor Bear is an artist and loves to paint. Although he can’t handle heavy construction work, he did give of his talents to paint a mural at the donated construction material yard for the Mission of Love at the reservation.
In May of this year, Price was able to arrange for him to get prosthetic legs. Before the year is out, he will be living in a new home where he can continue to pursue his artistic talents.
For more information on this project, Price will have a tent at this Saturday's festival. It will be located next to Stacy Pavilion at Township Park. Price urges everyone to visit and learn more about the missions that her organization goes on each year.
Article Photos
Photos special to the Town Crier
Finishing up a new home for Joe American Horse last week were Albert Red Bear, Kevin Poor Bear, volunteer Karen Studer, Mission of Love Director Kathy Price, Ben Red Bear, Joe American Horse in full dress, volunteer Mark Falatic, Hobart Spotted Bear and his dog Charlie, Mission of Love Pine Ridge liaison Rusty Puckett, and volunteer Tom Wilson.