Midwest SOARRING Foundation is grateful to the following companies for their generous grants which both beautified, organized, and technologically updated SOARRING’s cultural center.  Our foundation and members are ever so thankful.

Discover’s generous contribution of $10,000 through its Community Affairs Community Presence Program  It also included custom-made shelving designed by a local carpenter to display Native goods with the respect and care that they deserve. The grant was used to purchase five locking storage cabinets; to upgrade the security system, including cameras that can be accessed remotely; new signage stating days and times the center is open; new shelves to display some of donated and culturally significant items; and a small portion of the technology upgrades.This includes custom shelving for our front desk area, which has been a major help in maintaining our Center’s organization. We thank Discover for your meaningful assistance and hope to continue collaborating in the future.

Comcast’s thoughtful contribution of $5,000 has helped us for the Zoom Room System and one work station to make significant improvements to the technological capabilities at our Center. This has allowed us to increase our outreach and make meetings more accessible for those who can not travel. We thank Comcast for your meaningful assistance and hope to continue collaborating in the future.

Finally, Target through the Native Plants Program Grant- Indigenous Plants Program provided a grant of $7500 addressing food insecurity. This grant provided beautiful wooden planter boxes with seasonal flowers welcoming guests at our front door, funds for SOARRING’s native plant program, and addressing food insecurity. Midwest SOARRING Foundation is very thankful for this contribution.

Now that COVID is over, Midwest SOARRING Foundation is busier than ever with land acknowledgment requests and pow wow planning. In November 2022, Midwest SOARRING Foundation held it’s 26th Annual Harvest Pow Wow indoors at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL. Our family friendly Harvest Pow Wow was well received with four to five thousand people in attendance. SOARRING received many, many appreciative compliments on the event. In all ways SOARRING volunteers work hard to make the difference with our annual Pow Wow.

This years’ 2023 Annual Harvest Pow Wow will be held at the same indoor location, the DuPage Cty Fairgrounds October 14th and 15th. In addition to the Native American drumming and dancing filling the arena throughout the day, a live raptor exhibit is planned and a few other surprises are in store. Check the pow wow website for the latest updates. Online discounted tickets are available now at https://www.harvestpowwow.com/tickets.html

Guiding SOARRING’s land acknowledgement work is the principal that each event include a way to take responsibility for past historical wrongs by providing a better future for Native people. One way this is done is through the provision of scholarships for qualified Native applicants provided by an organization.  Often a special honor dance occurs with the donors and scholarship recipient present.

As we progress with beautifying our Native American Cultural Center in Lockport, SOARRING is looking for individuals to donate perennial wildflowers from their gardens in the fall. Please send us an email if you have perennial wildflowers to donate to msf@midwestsoarring.org. To further SOARRING’s environmental work, we will be hosting several clean –up days with locations to be determined.

Upcoming Events
Plans are underway for a large Fall Equinox ceremony on September 23rd in Churchill Woods Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn. If you have suggestions for Zoom programs for the fall and winter please send us an email with the topic, suggested speaker, and their contact information. msf@midwestsoarring.org. Finally, Brookfield Zoo gifted SOARRING with a number of free admission tickets, so SOARRING will be planning a fall outing to the zoo, with the date to be determined.  Check our calendar page for the latest information. https://www.midwestsoarring.org/calendar.html

Also SOARRING will feature two Native films for the public at the Roxie Theater in Lockport on September 30, 2023 at 3pm and 5:30. Check our calendar page for movie descriptions and tickets. https://www.midwestsoarring.org/calendar.html

We are planning a late summer picnic and a winter holiday party at Pilcher Park Nature Center in Joliet.

If anyone has a used pickup truck in good shape, SOARRING would welcome the donation.

Finally, we are seeking scholarship applicants. You may download the 2023 scholarship package at https://www.midwestsoarring.org/scholarship.html

SOARRING looks forward to hearing from you!

Warm regards,

Joseph Standing Bear Schranz