Giving back: Runners, former rez resident form nonprofit to help needy families

WINDOW ROCK

A new nonprofit group is looking to provide immediate help and in the future they want to offer permanent assistance to struggling families within the Four Corners.

Jennie Ramos (née Wynes) said she founded the nonprofit, Fundamental Needs, as a way to help families in need, especially in the midst of the pandemic.

“I’m not Navajo,” Ramos said. “I’m bilagáana but this was my home and this is where I grew up. My parents were schoolteachers in Rock Point, Arizona, and I went to school there all the way through my junior year in high school.”

Members of the nonprofit include Ramos’ family and former Kirtland Central cross-country star Kashon Harrison, who is currently running for the University of Colorado men’s cross-country and track teams.

“We want to help Navajo communities,” Harrison said. “There are some people that you and I may know who don’t have running water or electricity so our nonprofit is trying to do whatever we can to help.”

Harrison said he’s witnessed some of the hardships that these families face while growing up in Cove, Arizona, and in San Juan County.

He said the lack of resources these family encounter is disheartening so he got involved with Fundamental Needs.

“With all the things that is happening right now with the pandemic some of our Navajo families are struggling,” he said. “I got involved to help make a difference. We’re a community helping out a community.”

Ramos said the nonprofit was started about a month ago but the idea was conceptualized during the spring of this year.

“My son, Justice Ramos, had graduated from college and with the pandemic it’s really hard to get a job,” she said.

Nonetheless, Ramos said her son is really interested in disaster relief and he had thought about joining the Peace Corps. But in midst of the pandemic that kind of work is not available right now so in hindsight she proposed starting a nonprofit.

“I suggested that we could do some Peace Corps work right here in our backyard,” she said.

Justice, a runner on the CU team, liked the idea and he enlisted a few of his running friends, including Harrison to join the nonprofit.

“I wanted to do Peace Corps but they weren’t sending people out,” Justice said. “My mom had been talking about wanting to start a nonprofit on the reservation because she grew up there.”

And with some time on their hands, Justice said, the nonprofit was established with the intent of devising ways to help improve the livelihood of people who lack the proper resources.

“We have some projects on our website that we like to get done but right now we’re fulfilling some current needs with firewood,” he said.

Jennie Ramos said the sawmill in Cortez donated wood and the volunteers in her group, which includes her other son, Joshua, and husband Joe, delivered them to needy families in both Shiprock and Rock Point.

Just recently, the nonprofit gave away perishable food boxes to families in need. Jennie said the food boxes were extras the Ute Mountain Casino in Towaoc, Colorado had and they delivered them to 18 families in the Rock Point community.

“Those are immediate needs,” Jennie said of the two projects.

“Our main goal is get the water systems put in place,” she said. “I grew up with friends who had no access to water through their houses. They had to get it elsewhere so it was hard for them to get it. And when the pandemic hit, it just got more harder to get.”

As a solution, Jennie said they would like to install water tanks to where these families can run water into their homes.

According to Jennie, the system will include a water tank, a solar-powered pump, plumbing and a water heater. They intend to have the systems refilled biweekly, which will eliminate the time required for these families to acquire water for their needs.

The nonprofit is also looking to equip homes with electricity by providing families access to solar panels and other green alternatives.

Another project in the works is providing a platform for selling handcrafted goods for families to use as a source of income.

“We’ve noticed that people who normally make jewelry and arts and crafts don’t have a place to sell it,” she said. “They don’t have that option because of the lockdown due to the pandemic.

“We’re listing their things on consignment and so far we’ve had a few artist that we have been in contact with,” she said, while noting that they do charge a little to ship the items to people.

“We had four different orders go out,” she said. “We’re helping the local artists. We’re giving them a platform to sell their stuff.”

As a new nonprofit, Jennie said they’re searching for funds to cover the nonprofit’s core projects. In addition they are enlisting volunteers.

“We’re just starting out so we don’t have a lot of funds but we’re helping out wherever we can,” she said.

“We’re trying to get the word out so that we can help people with our long-term projects,” Harrison said, who added that he joined the nonprofit as a way to give back.

“I want to make a difference,” he said. “I feel that this is good experience and it’s giving me more knowledge of my home and community.”

Likewise, Justice said he’s happy to be a part of the nonprofit.

“I came from a place to where I was very fortunate,” he said. “I just want to give back to the people. That’s the simplest way I can put it.”

Jennie said she’s amazed with the commitment she’s seeing with her young group of volunteers, which includes grant writers Karina Mann and Alexa Marsh. (Mann is a runner on the CU team and Marsh is her roommate.)

“I just feel blessed because we’re giving these kids an opportunity to give back, especially in today’s times,” she said. “They’re so willing to spend all their time and hard work helping our nonprofit. These kids jump in and do it.”

While they’re trying to establish their identity, Jennie said they’re planning on collaborating with other nonprofits in the area.

“I know there are other nonprofits but I think there is enough need out there that all of us can help,” she said. “It’s not like we’re going to be stepping on each other’s toes. Hopefully, we can join together and connect with one another.”

Jennie said they’re not limited to serving the people on the reservation as they are looking to expand.

“Here in the Cortez there are some families struggling,” she said. “If there is a need there we’ll try to help them too.”

Information: https://www.fundamentalneeds.net

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