Dear Friend,
Because you are such an important member of the American Indian Education Fund™, I wanted to take this time and introduce myself and inform you of my new role with AIEF.
My name is Charitina Fritzler (Balapuuxe Heeleenbaah Chilish “Found Her Good Fortune in the Aspens”). I am a member of the Crow Tribe in Montana.
While Paula Long Fox, previous AIEF Chairperson, takes a well-deserved retirement, I am honored to be named your new Chairperson. I am so excited about the opportunity to continue the great work of Paula and our Program Partners in serving Native American students.
Following college and a short stint at the Little Big Horn Battlefield, I worked at Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency, Montana, for twelve years, first as a financial aid administrator and then as a grants administrator. I went on to work as a grants administration consultant before moving to Wyoming, where I was a senior associate grants administrator for the Daniels Fund, a private foundation dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations. When the Daniels Fund returned its central office to Denver, I served as director of development and public relations and then ten years as executive director with the First People’s Center for Education (formerly the National American Indian, Alaskan, and Hawaiian Educational Development Center), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving and supporting teacher effectiveness in Native communities.
As the first in my family to go to college, I have a heart for helping other Native Americans appreciate and achieve a college education. I believe that the true value of college is that it opens your mind and exposes you to things you would never otherwise know about. It starts you thinking about the big picture.
We can’t control an individual’s family life, but we can offer resources to help them overcome and move on from hardship. I like what PWNA [through AIEF] is doing because it fits so well with my own value system. They help Native Americans who live in challenging situations meet immediate needs, but they also help them prepare for a successful future.
I look forward to serving as the American Indian Education Fund Chairperson and, with your support, continuing the important work of AIEF for Native American students. May you be blessed for your generosity!
P.S. Thank you in advance for your support as I will need your help. AIEF needs your help. And most of all, Native American students need your help. If you are able, we would appreciate any donation that you can make today to help us prepare Native students for success.
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