Rev. Dan Bader, Southwest District Superintendent, presented a gift of $25,000 to officials at Todd County Schools in Mission, South Dakota. The funds will assist with training and education for mental health issues. Many of the school district’s 2,100 students have experienced depression or the loss of a loved one. 

According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey in Todd County, South Dakota, the home of the Rosebud Reservation, 48% of the youth report feeling helpless, depressed, or having thoughts of harming themselves or someone else. In Benson County, North Dakota, the home of Spirit Lake Nation and where Four Winds School is located, 44% of the youth report feeling helpless, depressed or having thoughts of harming themselves or someone else. 

In the United States, Native American communities experience higher rates of suicide than any other ethnic group. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Native American youth ages 10-24, and Native youth teen suicide rates are nearly 3.5 times higher than the national average.

Carrie Reinders, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Mental Health and a School Counselor at Todd County Schools, sees about 48 students in her office each week. 

“I have 48 students I see weekly in my office,” she said. “Their issues can be anything from social skills to family.”

Methamphetamines are an immense problem on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, Reinders said. So, whether it is dealing with drug use in the home or domestic violence, some students face weighty issues daily, she said.

“The trauma can be lots of different things that have happened to them,” she said.

Rev. Dan Bader (center), Southwest District Superintendent, presented a gift of $25,000 to officials at Todd County Schools in Mission, South Dakota., with Linda Garriott (right side), executive director at Tree of Life.

The $25,000 check is one-half of the 2022 Miracle Offering received at the Dakotas Annual Conference. The conference theme was “Jesus: Healer” — we are a people and a world needing healing beyond our doing.  

The 2022 Miracle Offering: Wings for Wellness will have a lasting impact on the Native American youth served by Spirit Lake Ministry of the Dakotas Conference. The money will go towards supplemental mental health training, counseling, and programming for Todd County Public Schools staff and students.

Tree of Life is a relief agency and mission ministry of the Dakota Conference, located in Mission on the Rosebud Reservation. Tree of Life ministries includes The Warm Welcome-feeding program and food pantry, the Tree of Life Boutique­-­thrift store, and a construction ministry. Linda Garriott, the executive director, sees the difficulty families face.

“God is at work here in us, and through us, in ways we never expected,” she said.