WALK OF THE WARRIOR

     "Walk of the Warrior" is a nonprofit outreach organization. Our corporation is registered with the Califfornia Secretary of State and the Internal Revenue Service. We are also registered in the County of Los Angeles as a business.

     "Walk of the Warrior" is an outreach program delivering much needed recovery from alcohol & substance abuse and related issues, brought to American Indian reservations by American Indians. It is a ground breaking and innovative approach that will incorporate traditional healing ceremonies and teachings to bring back a sense of pride and dignity in our culture. To awaken a spiritual connection, we will incorporate each tribe's own particular ceremonies, customs, and tenets for their own personal experience. We will attempt to bring forgiveness and healing to long standing resentments brought on by European presence.

     We will use a twelve step format that is time tested for alcoholism and drug addiction. It will also deal with issues for family members or anyone who has been or is being deeply affected by close contact with the suffering alcoholic/addict.

     Forming cooperative relationships with established local organizations, we will inform clients of services for battered women, child parenting, diabetes, and suicide rates.

     It is true that there are American Indian recovery programs within the surrounding cities of reservations and it is not a new concept. This program is unique in the aspect of being an outreach program bringing solution to them, which will overcome some obstacles. It has been my experience after going to many different reservations that they can be somewhat hesitant of seeking outside help or allowing anyone to approach them from the outside offering anything and tend to keep to themselves. This outreach program will be brought to them by American Indians which will bridge the gap of trust by bringing it to them in a sacred manner. Respectfully coming from their people with whom they can identify that have shared similar experiences and have had to deal with common issues. It will be a program of attraction rather than promotion. Over the last year and a half I have gathered many different dancers, drum groups, artist, musicians, motivational speakers, sweat leaders, pipe carriers, sun dancers, traditional healers and elders from many different nations who have agreed to help out in this urgent matter of great importance.

     The first phase of the program will deliver Healing Gatherings, which will be different from regular Pow Wows in the sense of no competition dancing or drumming. This will remove the focus of trying to win the prize money. So they may focus on the message of instilling and waking up a sense of pride and dignity in our culture. That will help them remember what a noble and wise people we are, who have a deep understanding of harmony within and without ourselves. At these Healing Gatherings, there will be motivational speakers and elders delivering the message of recovery from drugs and alcohol and the importance of bringing back traditional healing ceremonies to deal with these issues.

     After the Healing Gathering is over, we will begin the second phase of the program. We will set up meetings on a regular basis for those who have expressed interest and show them the format of the meetings so they can govern their own meetings in the future. Then we will provide instruction in tribal ceremonies and healings for the purpose of cleansing, purification, and detoxification from alcohol and chemicals.

     The third and last phase will be to establish after care, do follow up progress reports and continue giving support. We will also help with evaluation of efficiency.