Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Impact: South Dakota

From Spryte Loriano, Chief Humanitarian Officer:

"Chris and Janet Attwood, HUB Master Faculty, brought Temba Spirit to a HUB Actioning Your Brilliance event in June 2008. He sang his passionate song, “It’s Time to Reclaim Your Power” to over 500 cheering HUB members and guests. From that day on, Spryte Loriano, HUB’s Chief Humanitarian Officer, kept receiving emails and calls from Temba about his projects on the Lakota reservation in South Dakota.

“We’ve wanted to find ways to do more humanitarian work here in the US, and know that our members have a heart to help our Native Americans. So as Temba kept sharing about the work he was doing, and what he was accomplishing, I knew it was time to get involved,” shares Loriano.

Temba began months ago building eco-sustainable dome houses on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He has had over 45 volunteers from all over the world come lend a hand, some sweat, and their love to the project. And this week, Spryte Loriano is joined by HUBbies Faith Rivera, Nolan Hee, Nereyda Perez and her husband Gary Harris to help Temba complete the last of the domes!

“We were ready to work hard. I think we all psyched ourselves up to be in the heat, cold, wind – whatever we had to do. Then the first day, Temba told us to relax, he was almost complete and the pace and work would be easy. Yet, after that first day, there were some very tired faces around the dinner table! Mine included!” laughs Loriano. The group learned how to make the bags that form the dome - out of a mixture of rice hulls, sand, limestone, water and earth. They filled a total of about seven bags, and strategically placed them where needed – that took several hours! After making just a couple of bags and placing them, Spryte looked at the house and then at Temba and said, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Temba just grinned ear to ear with that boyish, love-filled face and replied,”Now you understand why I had to have you come out here and see this! I just feel so blessed to have gotten so much help this summer.”

Temba is one of the most devoted and selfless individuals on the planet – having raised all of the money and equipment for this project through donations, he has slept in his car on the reservation for months, laboring everyday. The family who will receive this home currently lives in a black-mold-infested run-down trailer without running water or proper heating and cooling. “I just want to get this complete before the cold sets in and give this family the first warm winter they’ve had in a long time.”

For more information about Temba’s work with the Lakota please go to www.NaturesCompassion.com."

Cheers!

- Julius

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