A week of service on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota was eye opening for 10 Hendrix students.
The May 15-23 trip was sponsored by the Hendrix College Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics, and Calling. Trip leaders were Leigh Lassiter-Counts ’01, Director of Career Discovery and Internships, and Jim Wiltgen, Executive Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
Working with the non-profit organization Re-Member, students worked at numerous homes on the Reservation building and installing safe steps, ramps and landings. They installed skirting around trailer homes, which saves families up to 40 percent on heating costs – and the four inches of snow that fell while the students
were in South Dakota made the value of skirting clear. Other tasks included building and installing outhouses, and building close to 80 sets of bunk beds for children on the reservation.
Re-Member’s main philosophy is to help put back together that which has been broken – “Mitakuye Oyasin” – we are all related. They have nearly 300 Lakota families on their waiting list for aid in the form of building improvements, outhouses and bunk beds.
The evenings were filled cultural speakers and demonstrations to learn more about the Lakota people, traditions, and historical perspectives on Indian policy in the United States. The group visited Wounded Knee cemetery and massacre site, Red Cloud Indian School, Oglala Lakota College and several other sites of
historical significance and future hope for the Lakota People. It was an immersive week of significance for all who participated.
“The Pine Ridge mission trip opened my eyes to a beautiful and tortured part of our nation’s past and present. We devoted a week to service and understanding of one of the most historically significant and gorgeous cultures of the United States,” said MiMi Spjut, current president of the Hendrix Student Senate.
“Whether listening to wisdom from the Lakota elders or serving the reservation through a variety of construction projects, I know that I am not alone in saying that the Pine Ridge mission trip provided me with a truly rewarding way to learn while giving back,” Spjut said, a senior from Cypress, Texas.
Other students participating in the trip included: Jericka Battle ’16 from Desoto, Texas; Will Embry ’16 from Hindsville, Arkansas; Delaney Farris ’17 from Fort Smith, Arkansas; Schylar Ferguson ’18 from Cypress, California; Evan Mitchell ’16 from Norris, Tennessee; Justin Murdock ’16 from Conway, Arkansas;
Mary Caroline Rogers ’17 from Collierville, Tennessee; Brianna Wagner ’16 Memphis, Tennessee; and Kristen Walters, ’16 from Beebe, Arkansas.
Lassiter-Count said it was inspiring to watch a group of young adults pour their hearts and souls into working and learning together.
“We learned some hard truths about the history of our country, and heard first-hand of the still-present pain and suffering of the Lakota People at Pine Ridge; but it gave us great hope to see the work of Re-Member and meet with tribal elders to learn first-hand that we truly are all related,” she said.
“The hope on trips like these is that students will realize their passions, or calling, for their lives. Regardless of which profession these students wind up pursuing, their experiences on the Reservation this week have helped them gain valuable meaning and perspective for the good they can accomplish in the world,”
Lassiter-Counts said.
To learn more about the Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics and Calling visit
https://www.hendrix.edu/millercenter/.
About Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Collegesand is nationally recognized in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For more information, visit
www.hendrix.edu.