“The scholarships- we love to do that we love to help out,” Mondaca continued. That’s a challenge there as well, and to see that they are making something of themselves as well. It’s very rewarding, very fulfilling to know that one, they are still alive. They found it very difficult to be away from their family. A couple of them have come back home because remember, these are young men who left with a two- or three-year-old son or daughter.

At the time of the first story back in 2020, four kids from Pine Ridge had received scholarships from Athletes For Life to attend college and Mondaca says they are all doing very well. Not one of those things you think you’re going to receive back.” Getting Out Of Pine RidgeĪ big part of the warm-up for the community has been due to Mondaca and crew raising funds to allow their kids to go to college and experience life off of the reservation. We wore our garb, and it was very warm, very fulfilling. It was really neat to go back the second and third year, walk down the street and have people acknowledge us. “We really had to instill trust not only in the players and the coaches, but in the community as well. “We really had to prove ourselves,” Mondaca said.

When they knew we were coming, I later found out some of the parents and community were telling the kids not to give us the time of day.” They’d go there for a year, get government funding- whatever that was and the community, the schools, the players, the people never saw them again. “Several organizations have been to that reservation and have tried to make a difference in the past,” Mondaca said. The Oglala Lakota were used to having “well-wishers” come through with extravagant plans to help turn things around only to never return again which in turn made them skeptical every other group to come through. Helping the people of Pine Ridge was an uphill battle for Mondaca and Athletes For Life at the beginning. It’s tough on the reservation because if you want to make it, to become something, you’ve got to get off the reservation.” Athletes For Life Have A Breakthrough They needed some guidance as well, and to know there was hope after school, after sports, and that the connections they make in athletics will be their lifelong friends. These kids that we wanted to help at Pine Ridge High School were a product of that environment. There is nothing on the res, there is no infrastructure which then turns into despair and a lack of hope. “It’s the poorest county in the United States and the unemployment rate is up around 87%. “Pine Ridge is very unique,” Mondaca said.

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