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The road trip, day three.

August 05, 2010

Citi Community Development's Ruth Christopherson, George Wright and Ashley Thompson set out recently on a road trip to visit our non-profit partners and grant recipients across South Dakota. The journey covered 1,000 miles in three days. Here is Part Three of their story:

Day three. We headed north to the town of Eagle Butte, on the Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Citi has worked with Four Bands Community Fund for the past seven years to revitalize that area, through business creation and financial education, and we were looking forward to meeting with our friends at Four Bands.

Four Bands officials led us on a walking tour of downtown Eagle Butte, to visit several entrepreneurs who got started with business development loans and training from Four Bands. At Eagle Butte Saddle Shop, for instance, we met John Bachman, an engaging gentleman who is not only the owner of that business, but also the local executive director of Habit for Humanity and the town's mayor. We ate lunch at the Out Rider Café, another local Four Bands success story.

Then we headed home.

Tracing the path of Citi's presence in South Dakota was an amazing experience. Most amazing and wonderful, of course, were the people we met. The story of Citi Community Development is a story about partnership and, in South Dakota, we stand shoulder to shoulder with fantastic and dedicated people.

Many of South Dakota's towns have Indian names and there's a rich Native American heritage in our state. Native Americans represent almost 10 percent of South Dakota's population. Regrettably, their communities face some of the most pressing challenges. It's wonderful to work for an institution that is committed to doing so much to help Native Americans and all of our neighbors who are in need.

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