Dedication. A Tribute To Shirley Stephens

by John Aldrich

I think as we age and retire many of us look for something meaningful to occupy our time after our careers are over. Volunteering is an obvious choice. A person who embraced this choice unreservedly was Shirley Stephens. Fortunately for us, her choice for volunteering was the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program. Shirley passed away two days ago and leaves a legacy of memories that will long remain with us.

I am not sure exactly how long Shirley was affiliated with the program My first photograph of her dates to the 2007 food run to Sanders-Big Mountain-Teesto, but I suspect her involvement precedes this.

In this photo, Shirley stands on the far right. Her son Lee is on the back row towards the left. From the same food run at Sanders, here is Shirley with her son Lee behind her.

Shirley's principle focus, however, was the warehouse where she was a devoted volunteer for many years. In fact, I suspect she had a lot to do with bolstering the retention rate for volunteers at the warehouse.

There's no question that many of us looked forward every Tuesday and Friday to one of Shirley's scones. Her generous contribution of these delicacies provided a highlight for anyone who tasted one. She was a fine baker and shared her talents with us as generously as she did with the Elders.

Besides coming faithfully on Tuesdays and Fridays, Shirley was usually in attendance when there were special functions at the warehouse. Craft day, where we make Christmas ornament for the Elders, was one such event where she was usually present.

In this photo, taken in 2008, her daughter Kathy is also present. Kathy now works for ANE in the office.

In 2012 she shows an ornament that she created on behalf of Sally Tah at Many Farms.

In addition to regular volunteer days and craft day, Shirley was typically present for the semiannual packing of Rainbow Food Boxes for the food runs.

This photo from 2011 shows Shirley with a number of family members many of whom were as devoted to the program as she. Her daughter Kathy is fourth from the right, and her daughter-in-law Kate is third from the left.

In more recent years, Shirley's health began to fail and she had siginificant problems with her vision which meant she could no longer drive. Other volunteers, however, would faithfully pick her up and bring her to the warehouse and return her to her home. When she reached a point where it was necessary for her to move to a retirement facility, her attendance at the warehouse necessarily dropped off. But she did make one more appearance at craft day this past June with her daughter Kathy.

Shirley's example of dedication and service is one we can all admire and aspire to follow.

We extend our sympathies to her family.

Walk In Beauty Sneaker Delivery - Fall 2015

by Melyssa Holbrook

I feel very lucky to be the coordinator of the Walk In Beauty program.  Is it a paid position?  No.  Does it involve hundreds of hours of time and weeks away from my home each year?  Yes.  Do I love delivering sneakers to children at Navajo Elementary schools?  Yes!!  It is a special opportunity to be able to have the connection to the Diné  people and their land.

The Walk in Beauty sneaker delivery happens twice each year, usually April and September.  On this delivery, we brought 403 pair of brand new socks and sneakers to 15 Navajo Nation Elementary Schools.  That adds up to 806 pair of very happy feet!!!!

Joining me on this trip was my mother, Claudette (her 2nd delivery), and Dan, a first time ANE volunteer.  Having a third person to help, and having that person be a male was a HUGE help (for multiple reasons)!  I remember at Monument Valley School, I was trying to help a 1st grade boy take off his sneakers.  He didn’t want any help.  He wasn’t even saying any words to me, just gesturing with his head.  When it came time to try and put the new socks on his feet, he was really struggling.  His feet were so hot and sweaty that he couldn’t get the socks to slip on easily.  I asked him if he wanted me to do it for him.  He shook his head NO.  I asked him if he would let me help him.  Again, he shook his head NO.  I asked him if he wanted Dan to help.  I pointed over to Dan.  The little boy looked up.  He nodded his head YES!  Dan had never been to the Navajo Reservation before and had never experienced anything like this before.  It was a proud moment for him, that this little boy would accept his help.

Its hard to imagine the NEED in the United States of America, like the need that there is on the Navajo Reservation.  Something so basic as a pair of shoes and socks.  Of the 403 children that we put new socks on,  I would estimate that 90% of them were wearing socks that we would have already thrown away.  Socks with holes.  Socks that were worn so thin, you could see through them.  Some children weren’t wearing any socks.  Not because they thought it was cool, or just chose not to wear any that day.  Because as one boy said “We don’t have those at my house.”  A 4th grade girl at Many Farms School came in wearing only one sock.  And a boy at Mesa View School in Chinle said to me, “These will be the only socks that I have.”
But then there are the happy comments! 
“How did you know that I always wanted new sneakers?”
“These are racing socks!”
“These shoes are awesome sauce!”
“Today is my birthday.  This is a great birthday present!”
“Yay!  My new shoes are finally here!”

The pictures above show the pride and excitement that these children have about receiving a pair of brand new sneakers.  Something so simple.  Something so small.  Do you feel like this when you put on a new pair of shoes?

When we arrived at Black Mesa School, people were outside cooking fry bread and tortillas, and roasting mutton and peppers, for later that afternoon.  It was parent night at the school of 60 students.  Once we had completed the task of fitting 30 students with new sneakers, they offered for us to come eat with them.  It sure was good!

We had even more help at the Leupp and Dilcon schools.  A granddaughter of one of the Elders in the ANE program had approached me earlier in the year and said she wanted to be able to give back to the program that had done so much for her family.  So I contacted her a few weeks before the deliveries to see if she was still interested.  She was!

And then again at Rocky Ridge Boarding School, the Whitehair/Robertson family came to help.  Doing good, makes people feel good.  So the more the merrier!

And then of course, there was the special moment of showing Martin Whitehair the newly published Walk In Beauty – A Navajo Shoe Adventure book, that I wrote and he illustrated!

And while we were in the area, we were privileged to make kneel-down bread with the family!

There are so many good memories of each and every sneaker delivery.  No two deliveries are ever the same.  The experiences at each school are all so different.  At some schools we are in the gym, at other schools we are in a classroom, or the nurse’s office, or the lobby.  Some schools are new, and some are over 40 years old.  But EVERY school is happy to see us come!  At Aneth Community School, a couple of parents came in with their children to thank us and tell us how appreciative they are.  At another school, a couple of the women that work in the lunch room joked with us that they needed new shoes too!  And at another school, a couple of the maintenance men wanted to know what they could do to help, and that they were so grateful for what we were doing for “their kids”.
Of course the kids are the reason that we are there.  And they say the cutest things!

A 3rd grade boy at Black Mesa School exclaimed, “It’s a good thing that you guys always come around here, because we torture our shoes!”.
“These shoes give me extra boost!”
“Wow!  These shoes feel way better than my cousins.  I’m gonna give his back to him now.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter what the children or the adults say, or don’t say.  Their faces say it all!

For more information or to make a donation please visit the Walk In Beauty page of our web site.

Packing Rainbow Food Boxes - 8/1/15

by John Aldrich

Saturday it was time to once more pack Rainbow Food Boxes. There's no better sign that food runs are approaching than this semiannual event. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day and in response we had an excellent turnout of volunteers. At 8:00 everyone gathered in the parking lot for an opening circle including a Navajo prayer by Rodger Williams.

Then we moved inside to begin packing the first half of the boxes for the fall runs. This photo shows how things were laid out in the warehouse. The picture was actually taken toward the end of the morning when there were far fewer empty boxes to obstruct the view.

As we move around the room in a clockwise fashion two boxes in each cart are filled with the designated items and then delivered to the taping tables. Some volunteers man the carts and pack the boxes while others hand out food items as the carts go by.

The last stop is the taping area where a stalwart crew lifted the boxes from the carts, taped them closed, and stacked them along the wall arranged by food run area.

We were also graced with royalty. Our Shi Yazhi princess, Delaina Becenti, made the trip from Green River with her mother. They have been very busy this summer representing ANE at a variety of pow wows and events throughout the West.

One of the more specialized jobs at food packing is compacting the cardboard in the dumpster as it builds up. Marci and Cody tackled this task with the enthusiasm of youngsters on a trampoline.

Here are just a few of the other volunteers who came to help.

And as always, our gratitude goes to CJ, our ever-amiable organizer, for making the whole thing fall into place. There is a myriad of details that must be tended to for everything to come off without a hitch. And that's just how it happened.

We will complete the remaining food boxes this coming Saturday, August 8th. If you missed out on the fun last Saturday please join us at 8:00 at the warehouse.

Walk In Beauty Sneaker Delivery - Spring 2015

by Melyssa Holbrook

There are weeks of preparation in getting ready for a sneaker delivery.  About 6 to 8 weeks before the actual deliveries, I get in touch with each of the coordinators at the 17 Navajo Reservation schools that Adopt-A-Native-Elder works with.  I email and call the school coordinators to reconnect after the 5 to 6 month break between sneaker deliveries.  We discuss how the school year or summer break has been and talk of the upcoming sneaker delivery and how many sneakers we are able to bring to that particular school.  Throughout the next 4 weeks or so, the school coordinator works on identifying the students that are in the biggest need of brand new sneakers.  Once I receive that list …..  I go shopping!

It’s not as easy as it may seem.  Each spring and fall, we deliver 300 to 400 pairs of sneakers.  Each pair is bought with a particular child in mind.  The list that I receive from the school coordinators tells me the child's name, sneaker size, and color preference.  I go to some stores because they offer a variety of half sizes, others I know will be good for finding wide sizes, both of which are difficult to find.  It is not a one stop shopping experience!  It is many hours and many days, bordering on weeks, of sneaker shopping.

I have a room that I call “My Shoe Room”.

This is where I organize, sort and store all the sneakers and socks that are purchased.  All of the sneakers get put into different bins.  One side of the room is for girl sneakers.  One side of the room is for boy sneakers.  Each and every half size gets its own bin, starting from toddler size 8, all the way up to Mens and Womens size 13.  After the shopping and sorting, I go through each of the schools order forms, and start picking through the bins to find a pair that will be perfect for each child.  Each pair of sneakers then gets a brand new pair of socks put inside, and a tag gets put on each pair that states the childs’ name, grade, and sneaker size.  Once each school order is complete, they get put into a large tote bag, and that bag gets a tag that reads the name of the school that will be this bag of sneaker’s final destination.

Once I have all of the school orders organized into tote bags, I load them all into my truck.  I put the school that I will deliver to last, in first, and continue in backwards order from there.  Until the last bag that is put into the truck is the first school I will deliver to.  Then I also fill bags with extra sneakers (these are for when the sneaker size requested isn’t really the perfect size for the child, especially since every brand of sneaker doesn’t measure sizes the same).  I bring 2 or 3 pairs of every size (including half and wide sizes) in both boys and girls.  This adds up to an extra 140 pair of sneakers, on top of the 300 to 400 pair that are tagged with the name of a child.  That’s a lot of sneakers to squeeze into one F-350 Super Duty!

Its all worth it!

Day 1 (Monday):  Bluff Elementary.  Bluff is in Utah.  A town of 250 people.  Bluff is one of the southern-most towns in the State of Utah.

Day 2 (Tuesday ):  Aneth and Monument Valley.  Aneth Community School is a new school to our program this year.   The town of Aneth is within the Navajo nation, has a population of about 600 people, and the school serves approximately 160 students.  Monument Valley Elementary School is located just outside of the Park, and has amazing and very large Navajo Rugs on display, just inside the lobby area.

Day 3 (Wednesday):  Rock Point and Tsaile.  Rock Point Community School is another new school to our program.  Rock Point is located just over the border of Utah, in Northern Arizona.  Rock Point is named for the point where Chinle Creek enters an area of high sandstone cliffs.  Tsaile, Arizona has a population of 1200 and is home to the main campus of the Dine College.

Day 4 (Thursday):  Mesa View and Many Farms.  Mesa View Elementary is one of 3 elementary schools within the town of Chinle.  Chinle is the gateway to Canyon de Chelly.  Many Farms Public School is one of the larger schools that Walk In Beauty delivers to, with a population of 425 students in grades K thru 8th.

Day 5 (Friday):  Pinon and Black Mesa.  Pinon Elementary is the largest school that we provide sneakers for.  This school has a population of 560 students in grades  Pre-K thru the 5th grade.  Black Mesa Community  is one of the most remote schools, which requires travel over miles of dirt road to reach.  It is also the smallest school, with 65 students in grades K thru 8th
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After the first 5 days of sneaker deliveries …  it is finally the weekend!!!!!!  We are beat …exhausted … drained, but also full of gratitude and appreciation from the children.   We hope to rejuvenate with some rest and relaxation, before we start all over again in 2 days.

We were lucky enough to be offered a Hogan to stay in, in the area of the Hard Rock Chapter of Arizona.  That wasn’t the only amazing thing that came our way … we were fortunate to be able to watch and participate in sheering some sheep (well, ok … one sheep ….ummmm … maybe it was just the shoulder of one sheep, but still …. :), it was a sheep and we sheered it!)  We also witnessed twin goats being born!  So amazing!!!!

Day 6 (Monday):  Rocky Ridge and Cottonwood.  Rocky Ridge Boarding School is located near the Hopi Partition Area.  Cottonwood Day School is located in the heart of the Navajo Reservation, about 30 miles west of Chinle.

Day 7 (Tuesday):  Seba Dalkai and Dilcon.  Seba Dalkai is the second smallest school that we serve, with 105 students in grades K thru 9th grade.  Dilcon Community School can be found in the southern area of the Navajo Nation, not far from Winslow.  Dilcon is said to mean “smooth black surface” or “bare rock”.  Dilcon is also known for being the Native American community that challenged and defeated a company claiming to want to build a recycling plant but actually wanting to build a toxic waste dump.  The environmental movement in Dilkon, Arizona was featured in the People of Color Environmental Leadership Conference Resource Tape, 15 minutes long, the tape features five different communities of color and their struggle with environmental injustices.

Final Day 8 (Wednesday):  Leupp and Little Singer.  Leupp Boarding School is not far from Interstate 40, in Arizona, in the southwest corner of the Navajo Nation.  Leupp is one of 5 Navajo areas that existed before the year 1936.  Little Singer Elementary school may one of the cutest and quaintest schools on the entire Navajo Reservation (That might be just our opinion, but lets just pretend it’s a fact!).  The school consists of 7 geodesic dome buildings that each house classrooms, and a giant dome that is the gymnasium.  There are 120 students here.  So adorable!

In total, we delivered 471 pair of brand new socks and sneakers to 15 elementary schools!  This was a record breaking amount in the history of the Walk In Beauty Program.  471 pairs is the largest amount of sneakers ever delivered and 15 schools is also the highest number of schools delivered to in one season.  It is an amazing accomplishment!  It feels great to do great!!!!

The Spring 2015 Walk In Beauty delivery was a major success!  13 days on the road.  1670 miles traveled.

We can't wait to do it again in September!