Shakopee Mdewakanton Donate Ambulance to Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
Prior Lake, Minnesota – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) recently donated an ambulance to the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. The ambulance, formerly in service for Mdewakanton Public Safety, will be used by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe to provide emergency services to the residents of its reservation.
“This has been a very good ambulance for us, and it has the capability to perform a lot more emergency service during its lifespan,” said Greg Hayes, director of Mdewakanton Public Safety, which is a full-time, professional fire department staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the SMSC Reservation. “This ambulance will fit the needs of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe well.”
The donation included the Ford E350 ambulance and a stretcher, worth approximately $16,000.
Over the past five years, the SMSC has provided $5 million in grants for Lower Brule projects, including economic development and community improvement projects, Lakota Foods, the West Brule Recreational Youth Center, the ambulance program, and the construction of a new convenience store in West Brule. The SMSC also made a $1 million bridge loan to the Lower Brule in fiscal year 2012.
The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe – also known as the Kul Wicasa Oyate – is part of the Oceti Sakowin, the Seven Council Fires of the Dakota Nation. The tribe’s reservation is located along the Missouri River in central South Dakota approximately 60 miles southeast of Pierre. The reservation population is 2,600 on 221,646 acres in Lyman and Stanley counties. The Lower Brule owns and operates the Golden Buffalo Casino and Motel, which employs 50 people.
About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to community partnerships, charitable donations, a healthy environment, and a strong economy. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) are the largest employer in Scott County. Out of a Dakota tradition to help others, the SMSC has also donated nearly $272 million since 1992, including more than $152 million to other tribes, tribal organizations, and American Indian causes.