2009 Hoops On The Rez

We continue to always be amazed at the many ways in which God works through this outreach. The camp was held July 6-9 this year. This was an exceptional year! Every year we fine-tune this camp because of the experiences we have learned over the years. As we began to meet about this years camp we decided to push ourselves a little and add a camp specifically for 9-11 year olds and organized activities at The Kennel in the evening. This meant that we would be having a Jr. High camp in the morning, a Sr. High camp in the afternoon at the Chief Alchesay Activity Center, an elementary camp in the afternoon at Alchesay High School, and evening contests. None of this could have been possible without great leadership. This year Brian Bechtel (Goshen, IN) directed the elementary camp, Jake Deer (Kissimmee, FL) directed the Jr. High camp, Jon Everingham (Waterloo, IN) directed the Sr. High camp, and Kristyn Richardson (Columbus, OH) directed the nightly activities. These guys are veterans of the HOTR basketball camp, each having more than 3 years experience. And just like all of the AYM programs, our strength is our staff and their desire to build a meaningful relationship to share Christ's love with students.

This year we had over 30 staff to take care of the 120+ basketball campers. Daily activities included: station drills, shooting drills, dribbling contests, one-on-one moves, league and tournament play, and devotions. Pastor Ross Runnels, of Canoe Creek Christian Church, did an excellent job in leading the staff in devotions and preparing the daily devos for the students. Ross would also sit down the students in the evening for a brief time of teaching. Evening activities included a hot-shot contest, knock-out contest, 3 on 3 contests, etc. Every night The Kennel would be packed with students that would come back. Thursday night capped off a great week by playing the championship game, from the Sr. High basketball camp, under the lights at the Kennel!

This week of camp continues to be a meaningful part of the summer for both the Apache youth that we serve and all of the players and coaches that come in to pull it all off.

Red Carpet Premiere

On June 1, 2009, the Little Bluebird Studios/Apache Youth Ministries had a Red Carpet Premiere showing to celebrate the completion of their hour long film entitled, “The Other Side of the Rez: Southern California”. This reality show-style documentary is the story of a group of four Apache teens, and one young adult, leaving the White Mountain Apache Reservation on a road trip to Southern California. On the trip they stayed with host families of many different backgrounds (provided by partnering churches), experienced different areas in Southern California, and documented it all along the way. Much of the video was taken by the participants on the trip and edited by students at Alchesay high school. The score for the opening credits was composed by Alchesay High School Junior, Marquez Kane. The showing was held at a small scale movie theater located in Alchesay High School’s media arts department. People began showing up to the premiere around 5:45 pm, after which the media team, and stars of the production, drove up in the 15 passenger van that they took on the filming of the production. Cameras were flashing, and AYM director Ron Everingham was interviewing visitors and stars on the red carpet runway, as the crowd (made up of family and friends of the students) made their way into the theater to get their seats. Free popcorn and soft drinks were served. Immediately following the film, a brief award ceremony was conducted by Little Bluebird Studio’s Media Director Joel Bidderman, AYM staff, and Alchesay High School’s Media Arts teacher Rick Sanchez, to celebrate the work and achievement of the students who worked on the project. After the night was over, Ariel Edison (a junior at AHS and member of the media team) was asked what she thought of the night. She replied, “I felt like a star”.

Little Bluebird Studios Launches Project GreenTee

by Carolyn Cannini

This month we are excited to announce that our t-shirt shop, Little Bluebird Studios is launching a national t-shirt reclamation effort. Through Project GreenTee we will “reclaim” used t-shirts from our friends and supporters all over the country for redesign in the Little Bluebird shop. We will be working with some talented and artistic students to design new screen prints that will be printed and sewn onto the existing shirts to create unique custom-made clothing. Redesigned t-shirts will be for sale through our youth center and the Little Bluebird Studios online storefront. For examples of reclaimed and redesigned work from Little Bluebird Studios, click here.

The idea for Project GreenTee was born during a recent brainstorming discussion of several AYM staff members about what we can do to increase social and environmental consciousness and responsibility within our organization. Although Project GreenTee is a small step, we believe that through efforts like this we can model a creative, resourceful and sustainable ethic for our students. We believe that these principles of business not only align with strengths within the White Mountain Apache culture, but are also indispensible elements of thriving contemporary businesses.

Project GreenTee further provides us a tangible avenue to explore with students the spiritual significance of reclaiming and redesigning something discarded. We hope to use the visible transformation of the cast-off, used t-shirts into new, presentable and unique clothing as an illustration of what Christ is doing inside each of us as believers. We pray this project will create open doors to share the good news, the message of reconciliation in Christ, with searching students.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. II Corinthians 5:17-19

If you would like to partner with Project GreenTee for your next church, school or community group service project, click here to find out how!

Meet Carolyn Canini

Kevin and I came to Whiteriver in August of 2007 with a small short term mission group to do a work project and lead Kids Club in East Fork. We had been in Whiteriver for approximately 12 hours when I felt this huge tugging inside and I did something crazy that has changed our lives forever. It was Sunday morning and we were sitting in church on the rez, so I wrote a note in a tiny notebook and passed it to Kevin. He looked at me like I had written in another language when he read it:
“I’ve been thinking about staying -- here.”
Later we discussed Kevin’s dream of many years to live in Arizona and the desire in both our hearts to serve God through a ministry like AYM. We started praying, we started dropping hints to Ron, and then God began amazing us as the preparations gradually came together over the course of the last year.
We arrived in Arizona one week ago today and we still have some boxes to unpack, some address changes to make, new schedules to get used to, and a whole lot to learn. One thing we do know is that God is faithful and that we wouldn’t be here without his tugging and without the counsel of the many people in our lives who have shaped us and loved us. Our hearts are full of gratitude for your friendship and care and concern for us.
Another thing we know so far—the air here is fresh and clean and the pine-covered mountains are incredible! The air in the south part of Columbus is not really that fresh and clean, so when I got here and first took a whiff outside our new place I thought I smelled leaking natural gas. Someone told me that was the smell of PINE. Like I said, I have a lot to learn!


(Carolyn graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Ohio University and completed her Master of Social Work degree from The Ohio State University.)

Funtivities!

by Marissa Bidderman
One place where relationships between AYM and teens have suffered in the past is the summertime. AYM usually operates on a school calendar, and the summer usually consists of short-term missions groups coming out too. This has often resulted in a little bit of disconnection with the teens in the summer. With this in mind, the staff decided that this summer we would not only keep the Kennel open, but would extend hours and plan weekly activities to do with the teens. These activities were named: "Funtivities". There are even teens that have come to these events that do not come to the Kennel, so now, this school year, these teens may also come to our programs at the Kennel now that we have met them and gotten to know them. So far, we have taken them to Sedona (Slide Rock State Park), and tubing at the Salt River. Slide Rock is a natural rock "waterslide" area just outside of Sedona; it is so beautiful there with the green trees and red rock. There is even a cliff to dive off of (40 ft?) which a few of us took the plunge from. And most recently we went tubing for about a 3-4 hour trip down the Salt River in Mesa (outside of Phoenix). It was HOTTTT (funny, almost like you're in the desert :-) so being in the water was a most welcome relief. I think it has been good to take some of the teens off the rez for even just a day; most will not be able to take any summer vacations with their family so it's been good just to get wet and have fun with them.

Upcoming Event: Hoops On The Rez 2008

by Krystin Shipman, Columbus, Ohio

July 7th-11th 2008, Hoops on the Rez will be returning to Whiteriver for our 5th year. The highlight of my summer for the past 3 years has been traveling to Whiteriver to help run this basketball camp.

Hoops on the Rez is a basketball camp that serves middle and high school students on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Over the past 3-4 years, I have had the opportunity to meet many Apache teens, and develop great some great friendships. Each year many kids count down the days until we return to the rez for camp.

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Each summer, coaches from all over the US (Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Idaho, and Ohio) all come together to pull this camp off. Our goal is to develop meaningful relationships with campers, encourage them to make positive choices and lead them to Christ. We end each day of camp with a devotional time, and pray for the teens as they are facing many temptations, tough home situations, and health issues. The campers are also encouraged to get involved in programs offered through the Kennel and Apache Youth Ministries.

Over the past four years, I have developed some amazing relationships with many Apache kids. It is always neat to receive emails, cards and letters from kids that I have had the opportunity to coach at camp. I have also committed to praying for each camper and their families throughout the years. Being involved in basketball for the past 18 years of my life, I have attended many camps as a player, and also as a coach. Hoops on the Rez is by far the most rewarding camp that I have ever been a part of. God has truly blessed me, and all coaches who have shared in this experience.

A Community Connection

A few months ago, a couple of the pastors from the youth department of Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA) came out to visit us to talk about a potential partnership. It was great getting to know them and share with them our heart for the Apache people. As we brainstormed together about what we might be able to do with so many volunteers we began to imagine having a "carnival" type of event in the backyard of our youth center. It would be a big event for the whole family. We also wanted to get work accomplished on our new building that will house a business education program and fix up our dilapidating skate ramps.

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Over Memorial Day weekend they brought out a team of 45 junior highers along with several adult sponsors to do some outreach and work at our youth center. The weekend was amazing and the team accomplished so much. They were able to completely wire the building electrically, hang most of the drywall in the building, repair all of our skate ramps, and pull off a really neat community event in our backyard!

This team really blessed us by purchasing all of the supplies needed for the construction and by bringing all of the games and prizes for the event. We estimate that there were over 150 people that stopped in to enjoy the carnival with us. Knowing the stress and oppression that comes from living on the rez, it was awesome to see so many just relaxing, eating hot dogs, playing games and just having a good time with us and their kids!