Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation

Here's your chance to be part of something Monumental! Crazy Horse Memorial® and The Indian University of North America® are currently hiring for the following full-time, year-round positions: *Director of Museum and Cultural Affairs *Administrative Assistant *Executive Secretary *Manager of Student Success *Manager of Development Programming We also have these exciting seasonal opportunities: *Cultural Programs Assistant Head over to our website to learn more! https://lnkd.in/g6aQgjkk

Crazy Horse Memorial® to host discussion panel with South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance. Wednesday, June 26, is Up Close Day: A Look at Leadership in Times of Change, at Crazy Horse Memorial® and we will be collaborating with South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance (SDNTA) for a very special discussion panel. The event begins at 2:00pm on the Veranda Stage. The public is encouraged to attend and learn more about the great work that SDNTA does. SDNTA representatives and staff participating include: Frank Kills in Water (Sicangu Lakota), SDNTA Chairman for the Board and Facilities Director at Rosebud Casino; Tianna Yellow Hair (Oglala Lakota), SDNTA Board member and owner/operator of Tatanka Rez Tours; Jen Martel (Hunkpapa), SDNTA and NDNTA (North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance) Board member and Sitting Bull College Visitor Center; Sarah Reynolds-Kills in Water (Sicangu Lakota), SDNTA Board member and Rosebud Sioux Tribe Sicangu Resource Development; and, finally, Ivan Sorbel (Oglala Lakota), SDNTA Program Manager and Director of Pine Ridge Chamber of Commerce. Memorial staff members will include Kaye Weninger (Miniconjou), Gift Officer and SDNTA Board member and Travis Dewes, Interim Director of the Museum and Cultural Affairs. The moderated portion of the panel discussion will feature conversation on the groundbreaking nature of SDNTA’s work along with its guiding principles (Unity, Preservation, Woksape, Education, and Self-Sufficiency), and the importance of authentic storytelling. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask panel participants their own questions during a Q&A session. Crazy Horse Memorial® is excited to partner with SDNTA on June 26 to promote the collective visions and goals that the two non-profits share, and the Memorial looks forward to future partnerships to further fulfill the respective missions of the organizations. Other events of the day will include multiple dance and music performances by Starr Chief Eagle (Sicangu Lakota) and Darren Thompson (Ojibwe/Tohono O’odham) and culminating with a Native American Veterans Recognition Ceremony at 7:00pm on the Veranda. As always, these programs are no additional cost when you visit Crazy Horse Memorial®!  

We would like to take this moment and announce other winners from the Gift From Mother Earth Art Show which took place Father's Day weekend at Crazy Horse Memorial®. Merit awards were presented to Avery Red Cloud for "Lakota Made Quillwork", Daniel Jim and Janice Black Elk-Jim for "Flower Being", and Craig Alberty's "Summer Song". Honorable Mention goes to Tracy Harrison's "Lakota Medicine", Bill Mendoza's "Kimimila Dreams", and "20 Strands Necklace" by Priscilla Nieto. Intricately and meticulously designed, "Fighting the Dragon" by Daniel Jim and Janice Black Elk-Jim received Best of Show! Congratulations to all artists and thank you all for another successful Gift From Mother Earth Art Show!

Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is expanding its Development initiatives and is excited to announce new full-time job openings. Join us, be part of something Monumental, and embark on a fulfilling career supporting the mission of Crazy Horse Memorial®.

The 7TH GEN.® summer program at The Indian University of North America® of Crazy Horse Memorial® will begin this summer with a private Opening Ceremony for students and their families happening on Saturday, June 8, 2024. The program, a unique partnership between The Indian University of North America® and Black Hills State University, originally began in 2010. Enrolled students earn 12 transferable college credits, experience a rewarding work-life balance with a paid internship, and gain access to numerous scholarship opportunities. Most of the students are members of federally recognized tribes. Once students are accepted, they receive a scholarship from Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation which fully funds tuition and books, plus a majority of food and lodging costs.    The Indian University of North America® has been the first stop in post-secondary education for hundreds of students representing nearly 70 native nations since its inception. Students who attend these programs at The Indian University of North America® have some of the highest college graduation rates of all Native American students in the country. Alumni now in the workforce include teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, police officers, museum staff, dental hygienists, and other business professionals. Typically, many of these college graduates return to their reservation to share their talents or are employed with Native-led organizations. Whitney A. Rencountre II, the CEO of Crazy Horse Memorial, greets students with the following inspiring message: “We are excited to welcome our 15th 7 TH GEN.® class to Crazy Horse Memorial® for the summer of 2024. Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation continues its commitment to grow the next generation of Native leaders. The University is an integral part of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation’s mission.” 

The Annual Crazy Horse Memorial® Volksmarch is the most popular organized hike in the United States with 15,000 participants in a record year. Spring Volksmarch will be one day only: Saturday, June 1st. Thanks to an overwhelmingly positive response in 2023, the 5k and 10k route options will remain available this year. Hikers follow dirt trails and gravel roads up to the Crazy Horse Mountain Carving before getting the chance to examine the Carving up close, including Crazy Horse’s nine story-high Face and newly completed extended Hand, which was dedicated at the 75th Anniversary in June 2023. The Mountain Carving Crew continues to work on the world’s largest sculpture in progress almost daily, meaning every Volksmarch gives participants the opportunity to see the changes for themselves. This family event is sponsored by the Black Hills Chapter of the American Volkssport Association (AVA) and hosted by Crazy Horse Memorial®. In memory of the late Ruth Ziolkowski, admission to the Memorial for hikers will continue to be waived with a donation of three canned food items for the KOTA Territory Care & Share Food Drive; discounted admission for hikers without the food donation, and regular admission still applies for non-participants.  For the first time since the Volksmarch began over 30 years ago, the registration fee has increased beginning in 2024. Hike participants pay the American Volkssport Association’s registration fee of $4 per person, regardless of age. Parking is free, with courtesy shuttle buses operating between the outlying parking lots and the start-finish area. Advanced registration is not available; gates open at 6:00am, registration begins at 7:00am at the starting point in the Memorial’s upper parking area and ends at 1:00pm. The hike itself starts at 8:00am and all hikers must be off the trail by 4:00pm. There are no late starts. Laughing Water Restaurant will be open for a breakfast buffet from 6:00am -10:00am. Water stations and port-a-potties will be located along the trail for your convenience.  We hope to see you Saturday, June 1st!

The Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is pleased to Welcome Jonni Hertel to her new position as Associate Director of The Indian University of North America® of Crazy Horse Memorial®. Jonni Hertel (Cheyenne River Sioux), received her master’s degree from Southwest Minnesota State University, and was awarded the 2023 Crazy Horse Memorial® Educator of the Year Award for recognition of her dedication within the Rapid City Area Schools. She has always had a passion for education, from lessons instilled by her family, and from her own experience in moving from her reservation and transitioning to a new school as a young child. Jonni is a visionary and one of the first educators in the Black Hills area to implement the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards within her classroom, as well as founding the General Beadle Wacipi, and an art auction fundraiser for student afterschool programs. Seeing what students bring out of her classroom and into the community has been one of the greatest highlights of her career. She is certain to enrich the experience of all students at The Indian University of North America®. Crazy Horse Memorial® CEO, Whitney Rencountre II proclaims, “We are excited to welcome Jonni Hertel to The Indian University of North America®. Jonni’s commitment to educating Native American students and providing them with the tools needed to be successful in their educational journey aligns with the Memorial’s commitment to growing the next generation of Native American leaders.”

Are you an administrative professional seeking a new career? This position in our Development Department could be the perfect fit for you. Visit our website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g6aQgjkk