Carol Binnington, President
Carol is a retired physician, married, mother of 2 and grandmother of 5. Her interests are sewing, knitting, reading, playing outdoor sports and gardening. She and her husband love to travel and have lived in Europe, Chile, and Canada. She is interested in children’s issues especially those from low income areas. She has volunteered for many organizations through the years – as a mentor, classroom aid and in library programs for schools; Crisis Nursery in CU Illinois for abused and neglected children, Illinois Habitat for Humanity, low income health clinics, and the Box Project where she assisted a family in Mississippi with needs for 20 years. Carol moved to California 10 years ago and began volunteering for Los Angeles Foster Care, Los Angeles Food Bank and others dealing with homeless issues. She is an active member of the Woman’s Club of Playa del Rey, CA which helps many organizations in Los Angeles. She volunteered for ONE Spirit, a nonprofit operating on Pine Ridge, as an area coordinator helping families with basic needs, supervised distribution for the food program and sponsored two families through One Spirit’s Sponsorship Program. Carol visited Pine Ridge on a few occasions and after seeing how extreme poverty affected Native American Children, she and fellow LFC board member, Janet Schnurlein, formed Sew For Kids to get assistance for children and their families living in remote and underserved areas of reservations in South Dakota. Over the last 10 years , in addition to still administering the Facebook working group, Sew For Kids Volunteers, with Janet, she has been and still is working with Lakota Friends Circle , serving on the board as VP and currently President . She is pleased that the Board has added new organizations that help children in foster care experiencing abuse and neglect, women in domestic abuse situations, children in school, youth in crisis and set up a scholarship program for those who want to go to university/community college or a trade school .
Janet Schnurlein, Secretary
Attended Ivy Tech and Ancilla Domini College majoring in business and science. Her past work experience includes secretary, office manager, bookkeeper, retail clerk and most recently her dream job of working in a greenhouse and farm market. She is secretary of her church’s Peace and Social Justice Commission and worked on fundraising for Sojourner Truth House, Habitat For Humanity, Meals on Wheels, and Red Cloud Indian School. She met fellow board member, Carol Binnington, while volunteering for the nonprofit One Spirit as an area coordinator and assisted Carol with the food program. She began sponsoring an elder through One Spirit’s Sponsorship Program and built a beautiful friendship which continues today. Carol and Janet began their own group Sew For Kids which focuses on women and children living in under-served areas of the reservation. She is a long time knitter, quilter and crocheter donating many of those projects to the Ship’s Project for our deployed soldiers, to local hospital NICU’s for preemies and to many organizations on Lakota reservations in South Dakota. She and her husband are long time supporters of the Nature Conservancy and if they’re not working in the garden getting their hands dirty, they’re on the road fulfilling their vision of visiting all our nation’s National Parks.
Barbara Reinert, Treasurer
Graduated from Miami University in Ohio with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Having grown up in several Northeastern states she has lived in California for the past 30 years. Barb has worked in many fields including banking, a retail buyer, real estate, property manager and the US Postal Service and has more than 20 years of online selling experience, managing rental properties and fundraising for animal rescue organizations.
Agnes Smith, Board Member
Agnès is originally from France and has lived in Florida for 40 years. Married with two children, she earned a degree in financial management and computer science. She has been involved with groups serving Native Americans for over 20 years and is a member of several groups promoting charity and education in Florida and around the country. As an Administrator of the group For The Children of Pine Ridge and Rosebud, Agnes (along with three others) leads donation drives for the Bright Start baby program, the homeless Veterans, local schools, the Boys & Girls Teens of Rosebud Reservation, a Juvenile Detention Center, several shelters, and a Oglala Lakota nursing home.