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The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) Reservation in South Dakota is an autonomous nation within the borders of the United States. It is home to four bands of Lakota.

In an area of 1.45 million acres (roughly the size of Connecticut), the CRST Reservation is home to approximately 10,000 residents.

How Simply Smiles came to work on the Cheyenne River Reservation

In 2009, Nobel Prize nominee, activist, and musician Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Itazipcola and Mnicoujou Lakota) shared with Simply Smiles the realities and tremendous needs of his community on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation. After visiting the Reservation and being invited to help it was clear that Simply Smiles would offer all we could to help Native children, families, and communities on Cheyenne River. 

We created the Simply Smiles Children’s Village to offer a child placement option on the Reservation that fulfills the spirit of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) by ensuring that Native children who have been removed from their homes can remain with “kin and community” and be raised within their Lakota culture.

Three beautiful foster homes on eight acres. A counseling and office space. A 5,000-square-foot garage and warehouse. A concrete driveway & outdoor living space. A true oasis for Native youth.

In 2024, Simply Smiles transferred ownership and operations of our children’s village to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. We now look forward to seeing how tribal ownership will take our shared vision for Lakota youth forward and further, positively impacting generations of Native children.

Our team, and local partners, set to work. Together we created a beautiful and functional community space that hosted our efforts on Cheyenne River and for which the community could be proud. 

The building itself was completely renovated inside and out. The addition of an outdoor pavilion, a basketball court, a playground, a horseshoe pit, a community garden and hoophouse, and pow-wow grounds meant that children and families had a public space where they could come together for ceremonies, celebrations, and recreation activities. The Sam D. Horse Community Center is now managed and maintained by the town of La Plant.  

Home Repair & New Home Construction

Appropriate, safe shelter from the extreme cold, heat, and wind on the Reservation is a basic need. Simply Smiles provided repairs and renovations to dozens of homes and also built five new homes for families in need. These homes are the literal foundation on which a child’s bright future could be built. 

Watch a time-lapse video of a Simply Smiles home being built:

Note that recipients of new homes from Simply Smiles were asked to pay $100 a month for 36 months into a communal fund that would help build a home for a neighbor in need. This communal fund contribution was at the request of local elders/leadership and was the only instance where Reservation community members were asked to contribute financially in exchange for services.

Emergency Aid

The Cheyenne River Reservation is the 4th largest Indian Reservation in the United States and is approximately the size of Connecticut. Simply Smiles intervened when drastic weather conditions proved too much for the limited emergency resources available locally.

In December 2016, a snow and ice storm broke power lines across the Reservation, leaving many in La Plant without electricity in freezing conditions. The local utility company said it would take several days, or even weeks, to restore electricity. In response to this crisis, we purchased, distributed, and installed generator kits so that families could heat their homes and have the power to get through the daunting winter weather.

The generosity of our supporters allowed Simply Smiles not just to respond to the impact of weather-related incidents but also to help families rebuild during and after times of immense need.

From 2009 to 2019, Simply Smiles offered action-packed camp all summer long for Lakota youth ages 4 to 17. Campers received a healthful and hearty lunch each day, as well as transportation to and from camp.

All summer camp programming was available at no cost to youth or their families.

Simply Smiles volunteers worked under the guidance of our Summer Camp Director to carry out sports and games, archery, arts workshops, hiking and foraging, basketball clinics, STEM/STEAM activities and much, much, more–– making Simply Smiles Summer Camp a place that was safe, engaging, and inspiring.

Programming for Teens

Our programs for Lakota teens created a space for them to spend time together, often over a shared activity, such as a collaborative art project, foraging for wild foods, or a discussion on wellness, leadership, personal passions, and their futures. These programs allowed teens to learn from and connect with Simply Smiles staff, visiting volunteers, and local mentors. 

Like all of our youth programming, Simply Smiles cultivated an environment that promoted safety, healing, and resilience. Our staff helped teens learn and practice healthy behaviors by using a restorative method to solve problems, take accountability, and repair relationships. 

Arts & Music Programming

Simply Smiles offered arts and music programming to supplement otherwise underfunded arts programming in the local school systems on the Reservation.

Arts workshops and special programs provided crucial creative outlets for Lakota youth. Music and arts offerings provided opportunities to learn new skills, refine natural artistic and musical talents, and connect with professional artists and musicians.

We brought in professional artists to provide music lessons and teach songwriting. We hosted traditional Lakota artisans, dancers, and storytellers.

Basketball

Basketball is the #1 pastime for youth on the Reservation, so we created regular opportunities for them to practice, show off, and hone their skills. We incorporated basketball throughout our youth programming:

• At summer camp, kids often enjoyed a game of Knockout or 3-on-3 on the basketball court, built by Simply Smiles and our volunteer teams as a response to the kids’ love of the game.

• We also sponsored an annual Simply Smiles Basketball Tournament for youth throughout the Reservation at the Tiospaye Topa School. More than 120 youth participants played in our 2019 tournament.

• Basketball clinics were also a staple of our summer youth programming. Our talented network of volunteers, including Sacred Heart University Division I Men’s Basketball Team and Regis College Women’s Basketball Team, lead special week-long workshops and clinics. These clinics were an invaluable way for kids to hone and refine natural athleticism, connect with student and professional athletes, and start to think about their futures.

Food, Garden & Healthy Living

Our healthy living programs on the Reservation helped children and families to improve their health and well-being. 

Programs included a community garden, complete with raised beds and compost system, seasonal farm stands, cooking classes, special exercise and movement classes, community meals, and much more.

Cultural Affirmation & Appreciation

The Reservation should be a place where the virtues of the Lakota tradition can survive and thrive. But, as many elders recounted to Simply Smiles, they feared that the traditional ways, language, stories, and knowledge were fading away.

Simply Smiles shares a vision with the Lakota people to help preserve and share the Lakota culture for us all. Whenever possible, we supported local cultural programs and incorporated cultural elements into our youth & community programs.

Notably, Simply Smiles sponsored annual pow-wows at the Sam D. Horse Community Center, purchased a drum for the community, and created an extensive oral history project in collaboration with elders living on the Reservation.

Learning from Native Exemplars

For Native American youth, understanding and reinforcing their culture is not only central to identity formation but also to gaining mastery and independence.

As part of our youth programming, children and young adults interacted with and learned from Native exemplars, including tribal council members, athletes, musicians, artists, doctors, lawyers, and representatives from a range of other professional fields.

Simply Smiles facilitated these opportunities for Native role models and leaders to inspire young people on the Reservation to be future scholars, artists, tradespeople, activists, and more.

Addressing the Youth Suicide Epidemic

Every action that Simply Smiles took on the Reservation, every decision we made, and every dollar we raised was intended to help stem the epidemic of suicide and self-harm on Cheyenne River. All of our programming provided healthy alternatives, presented options, and aimed to make children smile.

Central to this effort to combat and address the mental health crisis on the Reservation, we implemented the UMatter program for Lakota youth, in partnership with and under the guidance of mental health experts, to provide youth with the tools and techniques to:

• identify and help their peers in crisis

• recognize and address self-harming thinking or behavior in themselves

• underscore the UMatter philosophy: “You matter because you may need help, and you matter because you may be in a position to help.”

Youth Participation in Community Programming

Lakota teens volunteered alongside Simply Smiles staff and visiting volunteers to learn a variety of job skills and to build confidence. Local youth from the Reservation volunteered as junior counselors at Simply Smiles Summer Camp, as extra sets of hands on the construction on the job site, helped with meal preparation at the Community Center, and led and organized their own wellness programming for their peers. 

Beyond the normal afternoon volunteer hours, select teen participants took on additional responsibilities (in the garden, at the Community Center kitchen, or on the construction sites) with Simply Smiles staff and volunteers to learn additional practical skills.

College & Trade School Visits

Special trips to trade schools, colleges and universities allowed youth to connect with current students, athletes, faculty and staff, and helped them to better understand the requirements to enroll in programs of interest or pursue specific career paths.

We sponsored college and trade school visits to:

• Black Hills State University, South Dakota

• Fairfield University, Connecticut

• Haskell Indian Nations University, Kansas

• National American University, South Dakota

• South Dakota State University, South Dakota

• University of Kansas, Kansas

• University of South Dakota, South Dakota

• Western Dakota Tech, South Dakota

We also worked closely with youth, parents, and admissions professionals to clarify and demystify the application and financial aid process.

Sarah Porter Leadership Institute

In conjunction with the Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Connecticut, Simply Smiles sponsored an annual opportunity for middle school girls from the Reservation to attend The Sarah Porter Leadership Institute.

Through a series of problem-solving, teamwork, and volunteer service activities, this week-long summer program in Connecticut allowed participants to practice and hone the skills necessary to become strong female leaders, as well as to discover their own personal leadership style.

National Writing Project

From 2017 to 2019, Simply Smiles partnered with the Connecticut Writing Project (an affiliate of the National Writing Project) at Fairfield University to provide a competitive, formative summer writing experience for teenagers on the Reservation in which they worked alongside peers from across the U.S. and from around the world.

Themes of the Connecticut Writing Project included novel writing, short story writing, and advocacy writing, which taught high school students from the Reservation how to find their voice and write their lives through prose, poetry, music, and visual arts.

Montana Conservation Corps

Simply Smiles facilitated a cohort of teens from the Reservation to participate annually in the Montana Conservation Corps’ Native Youth Expedition, a one-month summer opportunity in which Native youth work on trail restoration and land conservation projects in locations like Devils Tower, Keyhole Reservoir, Belle Fourche, and Wind Cave National Park.

During this process, teens from the Reservation learned invaluable leadership and life skills. The Simply Smiles team, MCC, and the Reservation community continue to be impressed by the transformative effect this program has on Cheyenne River youth.

Job Corps

Simply Smiles encouraged youth from the Reservation to consider different types of career and educational opportunities, and as such, brought teenagers to visit the Job Corps location in South Dakota.

Job Corps is the largest nationwide residential career training program in the country and has been operating for more than 50 years. The program helps eligible young people ages 16 to 24 complete their high school education, trains them for meaningful careers, and assists them with obtaining employment.

Partnership with the Tiospaye Topa School

Simply Smiles partnered with the local K-12 Tiospaye Topa School to offer educational support to the community's children and their teachers. 

Notable events and programs sponsored by Simply Smiles included:

• Classroom supplies

• In-classroom education and enrichment offerings with a focus on Lakota culture

• Visits to colleges and trade schools

• Workshops with admissions professionals from nationally-ranked universities

• Annual clothing fair for students and their families

Community Meals

Simply Smiles hosted hundreds of hearty, healthful, always-free, community meals on the Reservation. Meals were provided three times per week, from May through early September, and also through special programming throughout the year. 

Community members often helped to prepare meals alongside Simply Smiles staff and volunteers, often contributing traditional dishes or sharing family recipes. Meals provided the local community with a chance to gather, strengthen relationships, and to build relationships with visiting Simply Smiles team members. 

Annual Christmas Party

From 2010 to 2019, we hosted an annual Christmas Party on the Reservation. Each year, our supporters purchased and sent hundreds of brand-new gifts. A special holiday volunteer team braved the South Dakota winter to host the annual event. A hot meal was served and, without fail, Santa always managed an appearance! The Reservation’s children laughed, smiled, posed with Santa, received their beautifully wrapped Christmas presents, and families gathered to enjoy the festivities.

Horseshoe Tournament

In 2014, we installed a professional-grade horseshoe pit at the request of some of our partners on the Reservation, who also happen to be nationally-ranked horseshoe players! It became a hub for these players to gather and practice, teach local children and visitors alike how to “pitch a shoe”, and to engage with fellow members of the community.

We also hosted the annual Roland Roach Horseshoe Tournament, named after the late community elder, dear friend, andaward-winning horseshoe player. Players came from all over South Dakota and surrounding states to play in and watch the tournament each year.

Our volunteers: Thank you!

Since 2009, hundreds of Simply Smiles volunteers helped to shape our work on the Reservation. Volunteer engagement was integral in creating and opening our Reservation Children’s Village

Simply Smiles volunteers traveled to the Reservation to help implement dozens of community and youth programs, including annual summer camps, home repairs and & home construction, the creation of the La Plant Community Center, healthy food and gardening programs, cultural affirmation and appreciation efforts, arts & music, basketball clinics, nationwide travel for teens, educational support, scholarships, emergency responses, job training, and much more.

Volunteer engagement was integral in every effort Simply Smiles made, for every success we enjoyed, and for every smile we created. We couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you!