HENRYETTA – The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reintegration Program (RiP) will be hosting a dodgeball tournament Dec. 6 open to all for a fee, these funds will be going towards a toy drive for the children in need within their program. There are prizes for the 1st-3rd place winners. The deadline to enter is Dec. 3rd. This tournament will be located at the MCN RiP Fish-Out-Of-Water Activity Center in Henryetta.
The tournament is double elimination with a max of ten teams with 6-8 player roster and $10 per player or bring a $10 toy. Donations are also welcomed and concessions will be available.
Their goal for this dodgeball tournament is to bring the people together and have a friendly family atmosphere, especially trying to put on an activity for their own program. They want the community to see their campus, their new facility and want them to see what the RiP program is about.
“Most of the time when people hear the term or the name of ‘reintegration’, they automatically think jail or prison, assuming that the individuals that we help are the just the worst people in the world, and that’s not even the case, they’re normal people. They just got caught doing bad stuff or they were at a bad time in their life,” said MCN RiP Outreach Specialist Mark Harjo (Mvskoke).
These funds go towards gifts for the children’s clients within their program- case workers reach out to their clients to get the ages of the children and then purchase gifts. The RiP program will wrap the gifts and either have them ready for pick up or deliver them if needed.
According to Harjo, this is the third time RiP is hosting the event. In the past, RiP had held the tournament at Heneryetta’s High School Gymnasium, now they will have it at their new facility- the Fish-Out-Of Water Activity Center. Previous tournaments have had a good turnout with lots of citizens and tribal leadership, like MCN National Council Representatives, participating.
Harjo enjoys being able to give back to families that are in need as he can relate to children that don’t have a lot. Harjo shared that many on staff at RiP program staff can relate to that as well or they have the heart to give back too for that reason for the children in need.
“I can kind of relate to the children of the population that we serve, my family doesn’t come from money or wealth or anything like that. So every year I always look forward to Christmas, I might get one or two things or my family would reach out to like churches and stuff, they’ll do things like that, get gifts from churches or whoever. So I can kind of relate to how it is for children that have formerly incarcerated parents or just children in need,” Harjo said.
Harjo knows that children always look forward to Christmas every year and he knows it’s not always about the gifts, however in the children’s eyes he knows that some see it that way. That’s why he, and his staff, is very glad to help their client families, Harjo even acknowledges the MCN Angel tree for helping the other children as well.
“They just light up, they’re so appreciative and thankful, once they do receive something,” Harjo said.
If anyone would like to donate to the MCN RiP toy drive, the deadline is Dec. 12, if anyone would like to join the dodgeball tournament that deadline is Dec. 3. Harjo hopes to see everyone have a good time, and wants everyone to come out to play.
For any information about the toy drive or tournament you can contact Harjo by his work cell at 918-633-7106.
