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Working that Skirt: A $500 Challenge for Okiciyap

by: betsyny

Sun Feb 19, 2012 at 13:54:16 PM PST

Yesterday, volunteers for Okiciyap (we help) the Isabel Community, put the skirt on the trailer.

AND...we have a $500 challenge grant, good to tomorrow at midnight,

This donor is asking all the small donors to get together now....can you pitch in $5, $10, $15? It adds up quickly, believe me.

Right now, by my estimates we only have about $120 toward that challenge (correct me in the comments if I'm wrong). We have until midnight on Monday to qualify for the match. Can we do it drop by drop?

And when that challenge is up, another Kossack stepped forward with another challenge for next week.....

Here's a photo update so you can see what your money is doing. Yesterday volunteers installed the skirt on the trailer.

Here they are:

Yes, everyone wants to help!

Cutting the wood to size:

There they go, working that skirt:

Okiciyap is truly on the brink of success!

Won't you help us get over this last hump, or forward this diary to someone who can?

(If you are financially pinched right now - which was me until a month ago -  please don't feel guilty for not being able to send funds. You can help us by spreading the word and posting this story on your Facebook pages etc. We greatly appreciate ALL help here!)

YOUR DONATION IS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE

If you would prefer to send a check:

Georgia Little Shield, Board Chair
Okiciyap
PO Box 172
225 W. Utah St
Isabel SD57633

So, here's what YOU have helped Okiciyap do so far:

1. Host a Christmas dinner, where the members provided a healthy dinner and a safe and sober place to gather and open presents they had bought for the children, who otherwise had none. They even bought a Christmas tree with the funds:

2. Move the trailer 30 miles to Isabel. Here's moving day:

3. And JUST YESTERDAY, the community CAME TOGETHER to help get the building into place. While they had to pay a professional plumber to install new pipes and hook them to the sewer line and an electrician to install electric boxes and get it going, the community came out to build the stairs and install new doors. So, this isn't just a group of determined women, they have gotten the community involved. SUCCESS!!!

Group of volunteers

The stairs

Electric box

Supplies for outside work

Volunteer Ted installing the door

Missing toilet in the bathroom

Lights are on!

Kitchen Faucet installed

Look at all the room in there:

These kids thank you

P.S. Georgia is working through  severe, and chronic, back pain right now, exacerbated by abhorrent IHS health care. I figure if she can do all that in such pain, I can write this little diary and help this project succeed.

Georgia at Netroots Nation Austin