On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation today diabetes and cancer have reached epidemic levels, affecting nearly every family in some way. Diabetes, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses can be combated by choosing to live healthy lifestyles. The Thunder Valley Wellness Center will be a positive place for youth and their families to start living a healthier way of life. The Wellness Center will have the following components to start with, but they will also expand over time:

• Fitness Center. The fitness center will be divided into two areas: an area designated for the elderly to work out, and a place for youth to work out (many elderly feel more comfortable working out around other elderly people). The Fitness Center will provide effective equipment (free weights, leg extensions, treadmills, bikes, stretching area, etc) and at least one trainer on staff to assist people as they work out.
• Swimming Pool and Spa. The Olympic-size swimming pool will serve many roles. It will serve as a means of exercise for youth to stay more active (increasing physical activity is one of the most affective forms of diabetes prevention). It will also serve as a form of physical activity for elderly and people coping with diabetes. Walking or swimming in the heated pool strengthens muscle and circulation which increases the chances for a longer, healthier life. The pool will have swimming classes for children and provide a positive activity for youth to participate in.
• Sauna. The sauna will provide a way to purify your body before or after exercising. Although we have our own sweat lodges for prayer, the sauna will be a means of physical cleansing of your body.
• Gym. The gym will be a full-size basketball court, used for open gym, basketball training, league games, basketball tournaments, and an alternate site for high school basket ball games. There will be a retractable divider for times when younger and older people are both playing.
• Class Rooms. The class rooms will be used for the youth mentoring part of the leadership development program. They will be used for students to receive tutoring and helping with homework. They will also be a place to host health education classes for all ages. Having class rooms in this building is important because it’s not just the physical health that we are trying to change, it is mental and emotional health as well.
• Locker Rooms. There will be locker rooms for both the men and women, with a place for participants to lock their belongings and change into their swimming suit, workout clothes etc.
• Meeting/conference room. This meeting space will be a place to host community meetings, gatherings, conferences, seminars and board meetings for the organization.
• Office Spaces. Rather than have several different offices spread out, we would have all the office space for the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation in the Wellness Center building. This will centralize our work and maximize our resources.
• Check in Area. The building will have a welcoming check in area. Guests arriving to work out and guests coming to inquire about the general work of Thunder Valley will immediately feel welcome in the building.
• Indoor Hockey Arena. Hockey is a growing sport in the state of South Dakota, and there is a lot of interest within the National Hockey League (NHL) to introduce the sport to Native communities who have never had access to the sport. We plan to build an indoor hockey arena as a part of the wellness center. The sport is extremely physical and healthy for the body. This will provide a new sport to the community and increase community members’ physical activity.

There are a limited number of community spaces on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation that are open to the community and remain politically neutral and positive. This type of community space will be the only one of its kind on the reservation, and will serve all residents of the reservation