“This concept of life and its relations was humanizing and gave to the Lakota an abiding love. It filled his being with the joy and mystery of living; it gave him reverence for all life; it made a place for all things in the scheme of existence with equal importance to all.”
– Luther Standing Bear
This month our cover is a portrait of Patrick Kills Crow, by our friend Danielle SeeWalker. Patrick was Standing Rock Sioux Lakota (1950-2023), a Marine Corps and Vietnam War veteran, and a beloved Elder of the Native American community in Denver. He was awarded the 2022 Mayor’s Diversity & Inclusion Award, as he dedicated his life to service for the Native American Elder community as the Outreach Coordinator for the Denver Indian Family Resource Center. As Outreach Coordinator, Patrick drove around Denver dropping
off care packages with food and necessities to Native American elders around the Metro Area. More than dropping off packages, he built community with these Elders. Patrick epitomized love through service, a truly selfless man. Not only is he honored in this painting, but this portrait is also one of the many puzzle designs of our center feature, eklektik pieces. We are grateful for the opportunity to be an additional vehicle to help spread the word of Patrick Kills Crow, in hopes that more people will learn about him and his inspiring work in the community. If you would like to make a donation in his honor, please contact the Denver Indian Family Resource Center at www.coloradogives.org/organization/difrc. We need more humans like him, now more than ever.
Your neighbors,
Shaleen and Sam DeStefano