After a much needed rest, our NB3FIT programs are back in full swing. New this spring is the addition of our track program. We’ve had cross country in the fall, but this year NB3FIT decided to continue the running into the spring with a new track team. The track team is open to youth from 6-18 and is focused on getting youth active, learning the fundamentals of running and competing in track. The team will be competing in local youth track events this spring! Stay tuned to see how the first season goes.

Also back this spring is NB3FIT Golf! We are excited to be back at the beautiful Sandia Golf Club four days a week to host programming.  Truly a unique experience, the program is focused on teaching not only golf, but also the importance of healthy nutrition and youth leadership. Youth practice twice during the week and meet up on Saturday’s at local golf courses to get on the course experience. NB3FIT Golf is a great way to get a junior golfer introduced to the game and to help fine tune skills for more advanced players.

Today the Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation announced a donation it received from writer and philanthropist  MacKenzie Scott. This $6 million gift enables the organization to continue advancing its mission of ensuring Native children achieve their full potential by advancing cultures of Native American community health.

“The NB3 Foundation is exceptionally grateful for this gift and what it means for organization and, most importantly, the youth we serve,”  NB3 Foundation COO and Acting President and CEO, Jon Driskell said. “This support will allow us to significantly expand our existing programs while also developing new initiatives that otherwise would not be possible. Ultimately, this support will help us further ensure Native youth across the country are empowered to achieve success and live out their full potential.”

Over the past 17 years, the NB3 Foundation has been leading the way to improve the health of Native American children by supporting and funding Native-led programs and providing opportunities for youth to live healthy, active lives.

With this funding, the NB3 Foundation will continue to support community-led approaches addressing Native children’s health, engage Native-led organizations and communities in policy/systems/environmental (PSE) changes, strengthen and learn from Indigenous-centered evaluation methodologies and build our long-term internal capacity.

“I am incredibly thankful to MacKenzie Scott for her investment and confidence in the foundation’s work to make long-term change benefitting Native American children’s health,” Notah Begay III, NB3 Foundation founder said. “This funding will help us broaden our reach in communities; impacting the lives of even more Native youth and families for years to come.”

Spring soccer is in the works!

We are wiping the dust off our soccer ball and working to expand our knowledge to help us provide the best programming possible. In preparation our NB3FIT coaches attended the 2022 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Kansas City, Mo. January 21-23.  Director of NB3FIT, Clint Begay led a session at the convention titled, ”Soccer in Native American Communities and How it can be an Example to other Underserved Communities.” Begay spoke on the  history of the soccer program and the impact it has had on the communities NB3FIT serves.

“I enjoyed sharing about NB3FIT, what works in our communities and ways that we can all improve for the youth we serve,” Begay said.

The convention is the world’s largest gathering of soccer coaches and was a great opportunity for NB3FIT to learn from fellow leaders on the field.

“It was awesome meeting with other coaches from around the world,” Autumn Quiver, NB3FIT program coordinator said. “We hope to take all of the knowledge that we learned and implement it in this upcoming season.”

NB3FIT has not hosted soccer since 2019 when the season abruptly came to end with the emergence of COVID-19. NB3FIT hopes with a new tailored curriculum, focused on Covid safe practices, it will be able to provide a safe atmosphere for  youth to return the field this spring.

Stay tuned for updates on all upcoming NB3FIT spring programs.

The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation, a local Native-led nonprofit dedicated to Native children’s health, partnered with local organizations to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for community members on Saturday, December 11 at the Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque, N.M.

During the three-hour event, over 180 individuals received their COVID-19 vaccine. The clinic was hosted to encourage Native youth and families to get vaccinated.

“With the recent surge in cases and the emergence of the new Omicron variant, we felt the best way to promote safety in our communities was to host a vaccination clinic at a central location that is well known in our communities. We’re grateful to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and Native American Community Academy for providing us the space to do that,” Cyanne Lujan, director of advancement said.

NB3 Foundation recently received a funding from IllumiNative to help combat COVID-19 and increase vaccinations in Indian Country.

“There is a lot of misinformation regarding the vaccine being shared especially on social media,” Lujan said. “We wanted to use our platform to help reassure Native families that the vaccine is effective and is another tool we must utilize to keep our communities safe.”

As more youth become eligible for the vaccine it is important that families and communities encourage their youth to get vaccinated.

“Our communities can’t wait,” Lujan said. “We need to be doing our best to keep our youth safe so they are able to stay in the classroom and participate activities that benefit their physical and emotional health.”

Families in New Mexico looking to get vaccinated can visit www.VaccineNM.org to register for an appointment to receive the vaccine in their community.