CATOOSA – Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Brian Warner announced June 14 that up to $2.15 million in grant funding will help more people on the reservation and across the Cherokee Nation at large have access to health gyms, walking trails and other options to help improve the health of residents.
Hoskin announced the new public health and wellness grants during the tribe’s 2024 Annual Cherokee Nation Community and Cultural Outreach Conference, held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.
The tribe’s 86 Cherokee community organizations, located on the 7,000-square-mile Cherokee Nation Reservation and across the country, can each apply for grants of up to $25,000 to purchase exercise equipment for community buildings; add walking trails; fund basketball, pickleball and tennis courts, stickball fields, greenhouses and gardens; subsidize gym memberships for organization members; and other activities and programs that promote exercise and outdoor activity.
Under the Hoskin and Warner administrations, the Cherokee Nation has prioritized the overall public health and wellness of Cherokee residents through the addition of additional health centers and wellness spaces, additional walking trails at health centers, and enhanced behavioral health treatment and resources. These options are now available in more rural areas and across the Cherokee Nation.
The grants will be provided through the Hoskin-Warner Public Health and Wellness Funding Act.
The Public Health and Wellness Funding Act of 2021 directs 7 percent of tribes’ third-party health revenues to be dedicated to public health and wellness initiatives, including behavioral health programs, physical fitness programs and infrastructure such as walking trails and wellness centers.
“This historic investment allows Cherokees to prioritize their personal health and mental wellness wherever they live, whether it’s on the Cherokee Reservation or in one of our larger communities,” Hoskin said. “Having access to the right kind of fitness equipment and technology combined with strategic wellness programming can help create the systemic change needed for healthier communities and families and improve people’s lives.”
Applications for the new CCO Public Health and Wellness Grants will be available in the coming months exclusively to the 86 participating CCO nonprofits. Grants will be offered annually.
During the three-day conference, Hoskin also announced the CCO Community Building Cost Share Initiative, which will cover 42 community buildings owned by the Cherokee Nation and leased to CCO organizations. The Cherokee Nation will cover 50 percent of the annual utility costs, which will include water, gas, sewer, electric and trash services.
“This will allow our community organizations to increase their budgets for social gatherings, dinners, networking, safety and activities that build stronger communities. Our Cherokee organizations are Gadugi themselves, and they can now focus on doing more in places where more is needed,” Warner said.
The conference was attended by hundreds of people, including many Cherokee leaders.
“The CCO Conference is one of my favorite events because it brings together so many amazing grassroots leaders from around the country and we get to learn from each other,” said City-Ward Councilman Johnny Jack Kidwell. “I’m especially excited that City-Ward organizations are eligible for the new Public Health and Wellness Fund grant funding. While these organizations may not be running a community building, they can get creative with the wellness programs and activities that work for them.”
There are more than 460,000 Cherokees living in the Cherokee Nation, with approximately 140,000 living on the Cherokee Reservation and 320,000 living off the reservation and free.
This year’s annual CCO conference theme was “Gadugi: Working Together for a Cause,” and it offered members of Cherokee community organizations a wide variety of learning opportunities, including history, language, organizing efforts and networking opportunities.
To learn more about CCO, visit https://www.cherokee.org/all-services/community-cultural-outreach/.
