Come out and support our biggest charity fundraiser – pickup some trees or wreaths and help local organizations do good in our community!
Tree Sale 2022 Starts Friday!
Food Drive 2022
Thank you for all those in the community that volunteered their time and made donations to the annual PRWSP Food Drive on October 15th and 16th.
Reflecting the generous nature of the surrounding community, the Food Drive this year was a resounding success, even with several other similar drives being held this month. With everyone’s helpful contributions, the PRWSP was able to make significant food and other donations this year to the Maine Township Food Pantry, the St. Paul of the Cross Food Pantry and the Elk Grove Township Food Pantry.
Thank you again for helping the PRWSP work towards a hunger-free community!
The Christmas trees have arrived.
Dads arrived Saturday morning at 8:00 am to unload the trailer, set-up the tree racks, and erect the tent for the upcoming annual Christmas tree sale. Dads returned early Sunday morning to unload three semi trailers carrying over 750 Christmas trees. This is a massive undertaking. Tree Masters Terry Jolineau and Joe Ott masterfully organized and managed the all volunteer crew. Dads completed the set-up in record time on Saturday and Sunday.
A special thank you goes to all of our volunteers this weekend. Without these dads help, this Christmas tree sale would not take place. All proceeds are donated to local charities and other non-profit organizations. Since 2008, the Park Ridge Wilderness Scouts and Princesses have donated over $125,000 to help the community.
Happy Memorial Day! From the Parade to Joining a PRISIP Tribe
This is an older post, but a good one for Moms and Dads who have seen the Indian Princesses and Indian Scouts in the Memorial Day Parade to check out! We welcome you and invite you to take a look!
—–
Greetings, and happy Memorial Day! It’s a wonderful day, not only because of the long-weekend or the excitement of the parade here in Park Ridge, but because it’s a day for looking back in remembrance, but also looking ahead and considering a course of action for the future.
If you saw the Park Ridge Indian Scouts and Indian Princesses in the Parade on Monday and are wondering about what your future with our organization looks like, I’d like to share a few observations with you.
First of all, there have been so many thoughtful, helpful words shared through the years concerning the PRISIP organization – in particular the Indian Princesses, who are truly the heart and soul of the broader organization in my view – and you’ll want to read them all. Reflections from dads and daughters who have been in our organization a long time. Thoughts on the Native American symbolism. Expectations around the annual schedule commitments. Take a look by reading this article from May 2012.
PRISIP is divided into 5 “Nations” (three girls’ nations and two boys’ nations). Far and away the very best Girls’ Nation is the mighty Iroquois (I’m somewhat biased as the outgoing “Nation Chief” for the Iroquois) and if you and your daughter are looking to join a tribe, this is the Nation to find your right fit. We’ve got guys from all walks of life and girls from all local schools. If you’re looking for a girls tribe to join, consider our Crow, Comanche, Nez Perce, Navajo, Seminole and Sauk tribes – you’ll be glad you did!
The Iroquois are also the most socially active of all the Nations – going far beyond the annual “required events” to enjoy a year full of campouts and activities. In 2012, our Iroquois founded the annual Together Forever 5K which just completed it’s second strong year earlier this May. This past winter, Navajo girls worked to enhance the annual PRISIP tree sale by creating holiday ornaments.
You and your girl (or your husband and daughter – Hi Moms!) will find a wealth of meaningful activities and a lifetime of memories in our Iroquois Nation. To get stared, just download the registration forms and have them ready for the fall to bring to our annual Registration Night. (Keep an eye on this site for more details.) Or send us a note using the contact form found on this very site!
We hope you had a good time at the Memorial Day parade and that you enjoyed seeing our PRISIP dads and daughters, and the fathers and sons, in action. That’s what it’s all about – making memories and having fun!
A Significant Part of Their Lives
Jay Pinkerton is both the past and future Tribal Chief of the Iroquois’ Comanche Tribe. Now in his eighth year with our Nation, the Iroquois have gotten significant mileage over the years out of this photo (above) of Jay and his daughter Abby, which remains an elegant expression of what Indian Princesses and the Iroquois are all about – a father and daughter, happy together. It’s that simple. In the coming year, the Iroquois are actively working to help grow the Comanche, and new recruits and interested families are invited to join Jay and his daughters in their tribe for the adventure of a lifetime. Here Jay shares some of his experiences with his daughters in the Comanche:
My youngest daughter, Abby, was asked by a friend of hers recently “What does your Dad look like?” Abby decided to bring a picture to school with her from the Daddy/Daughter dance sponsored by the Iroquois Nation of the Park Ridge Indian Princesses. I realized at that point that the Indian Princess group really does help define who you are and what type of relationship you have with your daughter.
Abby went on to talk with her friend about how fun the camp outs are – the plate hunts, games, haunted houses, sledding hills, ziplines, rock climbing walls and on and on. The girls also look forward to the other Indian Princess events throughout the year, including working on crafts together during our monthly meetings, Halloween window painting and the tree sales (actually, the hide and seek and chase around the tree lanes at the tree sale). When I think back on my time with this group, I see traditions built around friendship and activity. We have taken advantage of our December meeting over the past 4 years to go caroling around our neighborhood. It’s amazing to see how a wild and crazy group of girls can get so organized and perform so well on a moment’s notice as soon as a door is opened!
I first joined Indian Princesses with my oldest daughter, Taylor, almost 8 years ago. My wife is involved with our daughters through such things as Girl Scouts, serving as a room parent at school and being primarily responsible for taking them to and from school, sports practices and so on.
I wanted to be a significant part of their lives as well. I feel like Indian Princesses has given me an opportunity to do so. Who does Abby ask for when she gets hurt or isn’t feeling well? Her Dad. — Jay
The Greatest Gift
Ed Latko should be the “poster boy” for “too busy for Indian Princesses” – between his work schedule and his five children and their schedules, “taking on one more thing” sounds like the sort of thing Ed shouldn’t have done. But each month, Ed not only finds time to share in the Iroquois’ Sauk tribe with his daughter (where he has been tribal chief and continues to be actively involved in the Nation), but also attends a whole other set of of meetings with his sons! Why? Well, because – as he explains here in the following post– it’s more than time well spent, it’s a gift and a joy:
Attending the Park Ridge Daddy/Daughter dance with my then-preschool daughter has proved to be one the luckiest thing that has happened to us. There, we met a group of dads and daughters who were attending the dance together as an outing of their tribe from Indian Princesses. They invited us to join their tribe. Being new to Park Ridge and not knowing anything about Indian Princesses, I was hesitant. Nonetheless, with the insistence of my wife, we joined – and are overjoyed that we did.
This organization has given my daughter and I a vehicle to spend quality time together. As a father, it has allowed me to watch my daughter interact with other girls from other schools and areas that she never would have met otherwise. It has allowed me to watch her grow and gain confidence in her public speaking abilities by reciting the Seven Aims, being in charge of a meeting, or telling the group of the good deeds she has done since our last meeting. It has allowed me to see her understand and embrace helping others through the many charitable ventures the organization and our tribe undertake.
It has also allowed me to meet and spend time with other fathers. I’m pleased to say that these friendships made will outlast our time in Indian Princesses.
All told, the greatest gift a father can give his daughter is his time. To put all aside and spend time together attending monthly meetings, monthly activities, and campouts has been an experience of a lifetime that my daughter and I have been blessed to share together. — Ed Latko