[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation awarded almost $2 million in federal funds for a community center serving the Oglala Lakota community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation[/title][fusion_text]Monday, June 22nd 2015
Leslie Wheelock, Director of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Tribal Relations joined other federal, state, and Tribal leaders to announce $1.97 million to Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (CDC) for a community center serving the Oglala Lakota community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The announcement was made at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Regenerative Community which plans to build additional housing, a small farm, an aquaponics greenhouse, a grocery store, powwow grounds and a youth center on the Reservation. Today’s funding announcement is for Phase One of the project. In addition to USDA Rural Development, other investment partners include the Sustainable Home Ownership Project, USDA Rural Development, Enterprise Community Partners, the Northwest Area Foundation, and the Bush Foundation. Thunder Valley CDC will manage the Regenerative Community under the direction of Executive Director Nick Tilsen and in cooperation with other community partners and key local, tribal and regional organizations, and will take a holistic approach to addressing the area’s most challenging issues. In April 2015, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, South Dakota was one of eight newly designated Promise Zones by the Obama Administration. Promise Zones are high poverty communities where the federal government partners with local leaders to increase economic activity, improve educational opportunities, leverage private investment, reduce violent crime, enhance public health and address other community identified priorities.
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