About Us

Helping Hearts for Cheyenne River

Meet Julie Garreau the director of the Billy Mills Youth Center in Eagle Butte, SD . It is located in the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation about 100 miles north of Rapid City, SD. Julie is our group's contact at the reservation. She will see that all donations get to the most needed source.

My hubby and I have been married 42 years. We have 4 children and 8 grandchildren - one of which resides in Heaven. Have had about 20 foster children.

I crochet, sew, embroidery by hand and machine, and knit by machine. I have done several different crafts from time to time.

I am from Louisiana, but we live in central Texas now. We have 43 1/2 acres in the country and it taking time to get this place ( the grounds, driveway, out side stuff) fixed up from scratch. No one has lived on the property before. We do have several mature pecan trees on the property.

This is Gail (at a high school football game), our site's webmaster and a new moderator. Gail lives in NE, Ohio and she and her husband, Wayne have six children and three foster children. Gail loves to sew, knit , and crochet and is active in the charities Caps for Kids, Knitting 4 Children, Fostering Love , Ship Support and now Native American Support. Gail is the Flagline/Danceline Advisor for her local high school and makes about 60 costumes, and 35 flags for the girls each year as well as warm-up pants and uniforms. Gail is a member of the Western Reserve Knitting Guild and loves the Lord, attending Cannelton Baptist in PA. She is a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate or otherwise known as Guardain ad Litem) for her county's juvenile court system and loves to garden in her spare time as well as raise chickens and ducks on the small family farm.

The Native American Support Group was formed by several women who wished to do what they could to help the people of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Jannette felt the Lord was telling her to do something for those on the reservation and her friend Marilyn suggested they begin this group. It's still just in it's starting stages but, already they have many ideas for things to make and donate to the Reservation. Right now their goal is to primarily send things to Julie Garreau at the Main (Billy Mills Youth Center). Children meet at the Youth Center for a variety of after school and other programs. Donations will help the center give the children what they need.

My name is Marilyn Stevens and I live in Pasadena, Texas - which is a little to the east of Houston. I am 58 years old, and married for 40 years to Charles. We have 4 grown children and 7 wonderful grandchildren, with another due in January of 2003.

My father's mother taught me the basics of crochet when I was only 4 years old. I was a very active child and she needed something to keep me quiet for a little while. I learned with thread, and didn't progress to yarn until after I was married and wanted to make things for my children.

Through the years I have managed to at least touch on several crafts, and have held a few jobs connected to these crafts. I have taught my crafts on several occasions, too. Among the crafts that I feel confident in are: crochet, knit, needle tatting, macrame, ceramics, candles, ceramics, painting, sewing and just about anything else you could think of. I have never backed away from something interesting. I have tried my hand at beadwork and jewelry making, but this just doesn't entertain me as well as the needlework does - but I can be talked into doing a bit occasionally. I did do some basic instruction with one of my grandaughters this past summer. I really love passing on the skills necessary to do anything that interests me.

I have never fully participated in a charity group before. I have made an item or two and sent it off on other group activities, but the Native American Support really got me enthused for charity work. I really feel like I have found my nitch in the world now. I know that this will be a part of my life as long as I am able to get any kind of help from my friends and family, and as long as I can lift a crochet hook or knitting needles, I will see to it that someone at the reservation has something from me to keep themselves warm through the cold winter.

Marilyn Stevens
Native American Support