Thunder Valley CDC

About Thunder Valley CDC

Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation is a Lakota-led 501(c)3 organization dedicated to empowering the Lakota people. Through a holistic approach rooted in our language, lifeways, and spirituality, we strive to improve health, culture, and the environment of our communities. By focusing on cultural identity, we directly impact families and individuals on the reservation, equipping them with tools for healthier, more prosperous lives.

The story of Thunder Valley started many years before the formal organization was incorporated. It began with a family, and the matriarch of that family’s belief in helping those in need, especially children. She and her husband believed in the importance of providing children with a safe place -- she would offer her home, her time, food and clothing all while raising her eight children. It is this spirit of selflessness, generosity and compassion that continues to guide our work today. This legacy continues into the work we do in five areas of our work:

• Lakota Advocacy Center
• Lakota Land Systems
• Lakota Language and Education
• Regenerative Community Development
• Youth Leadership

This year for Native Nonprofit Day, we are highlighting and uplifting the work our our Lakota Language and Education Initiative, and it’s work in reclaiming our language for our children and future generations.

Lakota Language and Education (LLE)

Through our Lakota Language & Education Initiative, we reclaim and strengthen our Lakota Language and Lifeways for current and future generations of our children and families to create a balance where all children have safe opportunities to be confidently and fully Lakota every day of their lives. We do this through utilizing Montessori methodologies, land- and project-based education, and Indigenous Educational Frameworks to develop a community of language learners, fluent speakers, and educators that support a thriving living language practice in our communities.

By creating a space where children can openly and freely be Lakota in every aspect of their mind, spirit, body, and life, we are fostering belonging, resilience, and pride in identity. The result is that children grow up confident in who they are, equipped with both academic achievement and traditional knowledge to lead. We measure success not only through student outcomes, but also through cultural shifts that reflect our community’s needs–strengthened language use, family engagement, and restored practices of foodways, history, and ceremony.

We vision a school that embodies the core values of our Lakota community—love, compassion, humility, and honor. Through our cultural teachings in a Lakota Montessori setting, we aim to revive our identity, language, and traditions, fostering a strong bond between our youth and their Lakota identity.

At this pivotal moment, we have the opportunity to reverse generations of language loss by creating vital learning space where Lakota lifeways can thrive. Thunder Valley is acting boldly to scale what we know works–training Lakota language immersion educators, building classrooms that inspire, and expanding opportunities for families to carry our language into homes and the wider community. To meet these goals, we are seeking committed funding partners to grow our capacity and sustain this transformative work.

Join us in making a lasting impact on the lives of our students. $43 can support one child’s learning for a day, offering essential educational materials, language instruction, meals, and more.  Your gift goes a long way in creating loving, safe and nurturing environments for learning