Rosebud veteran changing the lives of youth

The Boys and Girls Club has seen great improvements under the leadership of USMC veteran, Dion Reynolds. In this photo, the baseball team is on an incentive trip to a professional baseball game. (PHOTO Credit: Dion Reynolds)

PIERRE – Following his retirement from the United States Marine Corps, Dion Reynolds brought his military experience back to Rosebud to change the lives of reservation youth. When Reynolds approached the Boys and Girls Club on the Rosebud Reservation, it was a much different place than it is today. The infrastructure needed some attention, as did the board which was managing the organization and its funding.
Today, the Boys and Girls Club is out of the red when it comes to finances, and students are able to travel and take incentive trips. These trips expose youth to life outside of the reservation and give them a glimpse into the possibilities and opportunities outside of their communities.
Dion Reynolds was an E8 Gunnery Sergeant who served as Drill Instructor in Parris Island with 4 years in Japan (1 year in Okinawa and 3 years in Iwakuni Japan). He did one tour to the Middle East in Iraq/Kuwait OIF 3 (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and has one Navy Commendation Medal, three Navy Achievement Medals, and two National Defense Medals. Reynolds spent most of his career in Camp Pendleton, CA, and 29 Palms CA.
In 2012, Reynolds became a board member for the Boys and Girls Club. The club spans the reservations with facilities in Rosebud, Mission and Parmalee. “I became a board member in 2012 and worked hard to change the concepts of the board and organization to mirror the certain aspects of the military, when it comes to timelines and accountability,” he said. “I was elected as the board chairman in 2015 and continue to fill that seat today.”
As a board member and now chairman of the board, Reynolds has made it part of his life’s mission to improve the club for the youth, this includes oversight, accountability and improving the services provided. “We provide many educational programs that center around education, values, and health. Over the summer, we have a little league baseball program known as ‘Thunder Baseball’ which expands our organizations reach to nine communities across the reservation.”
One of the programs he is most proud of is called ‘Marathon Kids’. This program tasks youth to run 1-2 miles per day until they reach the goal of 26.2 miles (this is the total length of a marathon). For doing this, the youth receive a certificate of achievement and improve their own physical health.
“We also collaborate with Rosebud Economic Development Corporation (REDCO) to provide the children with cooking skills where they make healthy Native foods,” he said. His goal is to get children working on improving their overall health.
Under the guidance of volunteers, Robin Dahlberg and Jo Shryer, the Boys & Girls Club has been participating in a Photography Club. The club allows for children to visit areas of the reservation to learn techniques of capturing images of their community and environment. ‘This club has taken youth out and about here in Rosebud and captured some great photographs, he said. During the summer of 2019, the club took six Rosebud youth to San Francisco, CA, to display their work in the California Academy of Science.
Another Rosebud veteran that serves alongside Reynolds at the Boys and Girls Club is Glen Marshall. He is the director of the organization and has played a key role in the transformation of the club and its day-to-day activities to improve conditions for youth and staff. Together, they focus on timeliness, organization and accountability from top to bottom.
Reynolds appreciates the hard work and dedication of his staff. “Ivette Shupla, Beth Elk Looks Back and Rose Elk Looks Back are all Site Directors for Mission, Rosebud and Parmelee. The Site Directors carry heavy burdens of the overall care of each facility, the children and their safety. They all do an outstanding job,” said Reynolds.
The board chairman has full trust and confidence in the staff who work directly with the youth, despite having a high turnover rate, he believes in the structure and schedule provided to staff to get the work done. Reynolds feels this structure helps in consistency, and providing youth with predictable activities and timeframes.
“I think the Boys and Girls Club is giving children opportunities that they may never have had, a chance to experience (activities) had the club not existed. I am hoping that through these experiences it sparks some of their minds to achieve greater things than they ever imagined possible,” he said. “Reservation life can seem dark at times, but our youth can be the light to shine the way into the nation’s future.’
Dion Reynolds does not get paid for his work at the Boys and Girls Club on the Rosebud Reservation. He is a volunteer for his role in improving the organization and lives of the Sicangu youth. “I enjoy doing the work I do for my tribe and I would like to see more people volunteer their time to build a better community. I am not paid for the work I do at the Boys and Girls Club or in the American Legion. I just do it out of devotion to the duty of being a tribal member. My years in military may have taught me different ways to deal with life but my roots have always been in Rosebud.”
Reynolds believes his work will inspire youth to use their talents, education and natural gifts to improve their own lives. For more information, or to follow the many adventures and activities of the Boys and Girls Club on the Rosebud Reservation, look for them on Facebook at Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud.

(Contact Richie Richards at richie4175@gmail.com)

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