The First Gift
“It’s a small gift that can make a family feel connected back to the community”
The First Gift is a program where adult and teen volunteers come together to make a pair of baby moccasins for the American Indian families at the Children's Hospital's and Clinics of Minnesota in Minneapolis. This is one of several programs Children’s Minnesota is sponsoring through its advocacy team and American Indian community liaison, Lisa Skjefte.
Lisa Skjefte
Lisa Skefte (Red Lake Ojibwe) graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. In 2014, she began working at Children's where she works with the Advocacy and Health Policy and Social Work teams to connect patient experience and community voice back to Children’s.
Lisa not only launched the First Gift but is also a co-founder of an Indigenous Women’s Wellness movement called KWESTRONG. Kwe, pronounced “qway” in the Ojibwe language, means woman.
Lisa is a valued community member and a force to be reckoned with, empowering community by keeping traditional values at the forefront and at heart.
To learn more read the story via Star Tribune: At Children’s, American Indian babies get gift of moccasins.
This group is intended for Native community members and meets every other week at the Two Rivers Gallery in the Community Art Space and is open to any skill level of creators.