Expanding to Meet the Needs of Local Youth

Diamond Willow Ministries is a Christian nonprofit organization with the vision of empowering and strengthening the youth and families of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in Fort Thompson, SD. In 2014, local community leaders approached Diamond Willow to consider providing daily youth programming. In response, the Tokata Youth Center was formed. The Tokata Youth Center’s programming focuses on Godly principles, Dakota Oyate values, Dakota culture, educational tutoring, life skills mentoring, proper nutrition, physical fitness, gardening, environmental stewardship, creative arts, and traditional crafts.

There is an incredible need for the critical services provided by Diamond Willow Ministries and the Tokata Youth Center. OVER 200 YOUTH are enrolled and vying for space and time to participate—and the current facility can accommodate only 25 youth. To meet the growing demand, Diamond Willow is breaking ground on a new 7,400-square-foot youth center in September 2021. This new facility will accommodate 75 youth and 15 staff. It will be open 12 hours/day for community use, filling a gap that currently exists for a community gathering space.

Rod and Valerie Vaughn founded Diamond Willow Ministries over 20 years ago and have since built the organization into a respected and financially stable organization. “Trust” is a word that comes up frequently when describing Diamond Willow’s reputation in the community. Rod and Val have done a tremendous job building relationships with the local tribal community by offering a safe, culturally-sensitive, and empowering place for youth to thrive.

Fox Advancement is proud to partner with Diamond Willow as they pursue their campaign plans. To learn more about Diamond Willow and the Tokata Youth Center, visit https://www.d-w-m.org/.