Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Third annual Tipi Raisers ride rebuilds homes and hope

On their third annual ride, The Tipi Raisers passed through Kimball on Wednesday, Aug. 2 and stayed the night at the Kimball County Fair Grounds.

This group of riders, including Lakota Sioux natives from Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, are riding 400 miles on horseback to raise awareness of the hardships on the Pine Ridge Reservation as well as to raise funds to help the Lakota tribe members rebuild their homes and their community.

Executive Director Dave Ventimiglia began the ride, which originates in Colorado, to educate others of the poverty, homelessness and heartbreak suffered...