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We are committed to the ideal that education must be our first line of offense in the battle to overcome poverty. St. Bonaventure School educates more than 175 Navajo children each year in Preschool through Grade 8. Our students do well in school because we have a quality professional staff that includes teacher's aids from the students' own culture and background who serve as wonderful role models. St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School works to fulfill its mission of developing self-sufficiency, by encouraging and supporting our Native American teacher's aids to continue to pursue their education to become certified teachers themselves. In every step along the path of education, we reaffirm the notion that every member of our staff serves as a role model for our Navajo students to embrace the importance of education in this ever changing world. The second line of offense in overcoming poverty must be a strategy for creating jobs. Here on the Eastern Navajo Reservation many families survive on as little as $8 a day. St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School is currently the largest provider of employment in Thoreau, New Mexico, with 80 employees , 75% of whom are of Native American ancestry. We continue our commitment to developing the local workforce and providing living wage jobs for Navajo people. Sadly, there are still many Navajo who have never had the opportunity to obtain an education or find decent employment and therefore are not able to climb out of poverty. As a Catholic social service agency, we remain committed to following the call of our Lord Jesus to feed the hungry, cloth the poor and provide shelter to the homeless, all at the same time providing hope where there often is too little hope. We cannot walk away from the needs of elderly Navajo people, neglected by their own families as a result of the continuous social dynamic breakdowns. St. Bonaventure Mission maintains Meals on Wheels and Home Visitor programs which are integral to the health and wellness of the elderly Navajo. In addition, increased droughts and a continued lack of infrastructure for potable water delivery on the Eastern Navajo Reservation, compels St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School to continue to meet the ever growing need for water by the Navajo people living there. Currently, our water truck travels nearly 7,000 miles and delivers nearly 100,000 gallons of water each month to the rural households spread across the vast expanses of the Eastern Navajo Reservation. The St. Bonaventure Indian Mission Thrift Shop provides quality new and used clothing, blankets and household items to hundreds of individuals and families at nominal prices. It is important for us that all people have the opportunity to maintain their dignity even during difficult times of financial hardship and for those families that qualify we provide large bags of clothing for only a penny. Inadequate shelter in the harsh living environment of the high desert region where the Eastern Navajo Reservation is situated is tantamount to having no shelter at all. Therefore, we diligently work to ensure that all Reservation homes in the St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School program area are adequately maintained and safe for residents. St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School currently maintains two mobile home parks, comprising 119 homes, in addition to seven other residential properties located in Thoreau. A portion of these homes are allocated for teachers and other staff; however the majority of the homes are made available and affordable to low- and very low-income families. So, as you can see, St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School strives to meet the needs of the Navajo people to ensure that each and every one of God's children is able to meet their daily survival needs and maintain their dignity, and that the doors remain open to allow self-sufficiency and improvement through education and jobs. By your financial support and prayers, St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School is able to be a leading advocate for the poor by promoting dignity and self-sufficiency through all of the programs we provide. If you are in New Mexico and would like a tour, please stop by to see how your support and commitment is assisting all of our "love in action" programs. Thank you for all of your support and if I can be of further assistance to you in answering questions or setting up a visit, please do not hesitate to contact me.