By: Renee Fajardo
LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Carrie Howell, prevention services specialist at the Denver Indian Family Resource Center, is dedicated to ensuring that the youth of Denver have a chance to grasp a piece of the American dream. She believes that dream can happen with a little help from the spirit of community and the power of art.
Howell has been dancing up a storm as a pow wow dancer since she was a young adult. She has been the troupe leader for the past 21 years of the exhibition group Seven Falls Indian Dancers, which performs in Colorado Springs during the summer and in Denver year-round.
''I think that involvement in one's culture is the key to success here,'' Howell said. ''If the kids are involved in activities that teach the traditional values like honesty, respect, wisdom, generosity, etc., it is easier for them to connect to their education. There are a lot of children who are not graduating. I want to be able to offer them some hope. In the two decades that I have been dancing with children from the metro area, I have seen the power of art and culture. It gives the children and teens a sense of belonging and purpose.''
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