It was a storm that those in West Michigan still talk about 25 years later. In the aftermath of the storm, Re-Member co-founder Keith Titus found himself thinking about the people of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation, a community that he had been introduced to just weeks earlier alongside his wife, Ginny, and co-founder Mike Alles.

After a long winter, there is something so tangible about the hope of the warm sun pouring down as the first sprouts of the season emerge from the soil. Those sprouts, so determined to grow, remind us to be hopeful too. The growing season, now underway, is a time of renewal and anticipation, and a time to discover the good things that can happen when sunshine and generosity are combined.

Now we again turn our attention to fulfilling requests from residents who live in all corners of the reservation, and who are asking for our help to improve their quality of life. Our volunteers are here, and anxiously await their assignments each morning as we head out to help build a better today across Pine Ridge.

We look forward to sharing memories of the past, and aspirations of Re-Member’s future in the year ahead. We look forward to celebrating your first Pine Ridge experience – whether it was years ago, or will happen later this summer. Join us this year – our 25th – to Re-Member the past as we build a better tomorrow with the Oglala Lakota Nation.

After five fun, challenging, and at times unimaginable years as Executive Director, I will be stepping down at the end of this year in order to pursue other personal and professional opportunities. When I do, I am thrilled to announce that William Paese, my colleague and friend, has been chosen as Re-Member’s next Executive Director.

We look forward to sharing memories of the past, and aspirations of Re-Member’s future in the year ahead. We look forward to celebrating your first Pine Ridge experience – whether it was years ago, or will happen later this summer. Join us this year – our 25th – to Re-Member the past as we build a better tomorrow with the Oglala Lakota Nation.

A four-day, region-wide blizzard last week has now evolved into a days-long bout of extreme cold. Temperatures have plummeted into the negative 30s — with wind chills dipping into the negative 50s. We know of many homes that have resorted to burning trash, clothing, and even furniture to produce heat.

As we move into our 25th anniversary year in 2023, we remain mindful that the work we do is possible only because of volunteers and donors. We close this volunteer season with a brief report on our efforts to date and our sincere hope that you will continue to support our work.

During the first week of our winter heating season last month, the staff provided 45 deliveries of wood and drove 1,041 miles over the course of our four-day work week. It is a team effort rooted in compassion and determination to support hundreds of families over the course of the months-long heating season.

Increasingly, states and municipalities are adopting Indigenous Peoples’ Day in addition to, or in place of Columbus Day. By Presidential Proclamation, the United States is observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day on Monday.

Keith Titus, Re-Member’s founding director, has made his journey to the Spirit World after 83 years of Earthly life. With his passing, Keith rejoins his beloved “Ginny,” the late Virginia Titus.

As summer turns to fall, our volunteer season also draws to a close in the coming weeks. We are grateful for the hundreds of volunteers who made the trip to Pine Ridge this year and look forward to sharing more details about this season’s accomplishments in the coming weeks.

Responding to community needs, and embracing the Lakota way of life, for 24 years, Re-Member has built things and built relationships with the Oglala Lakota people, and our volunteers from across the United States and around the world.