Winona Ryder Becomes College Fund Trustee

American Indian College Fund
Wednesday, 1 July 1998

DENVER (July, 1998) --Citing the importance of education and the spirit of Native cultures, Winona Ryder joined the American Indian College Fund's board of trustees in May. The actress' prominent voice will help support the Fund's fundraising and public awareness missions on behalf of the nation's 30 tribal colleges.

On May 7, 1998, the College Fund honored new trustee Winona Ryder in New York. Executive Director Richard Williams formally welcomed Ryder to the Board of Trustees.

"Everyone is entitled to an education," Ryder said. "It shouldn't have to be such a struggle."

Ryder was already a donor when she agreed to co-chair last year's Flame of Hope Gala. After helping raise scholarships for some 200 students, Ryder asked how she could become more involved. Fund trustees responded by inviting her to join the board.

Ryder's friend Matt Damon was among 200 guests who celebrated her joining the board. Damon went home with a College Fund cap.

"We are honored to have Winona Ryder's important support," said executive director Richard Williams. "She will help us tell more Americans about tribal colleges' success rates in fighting the poverty and cultural loss which Indian people face."

Ryder has received two Academy Award nominations and won a Golden Globe Award in such films as Little Women and The Age of Innocence. Raised near Indian reservations in California, Ryder says she was struck by public schools' failure to teach tribal history and culture. Her first name is a Lakota word which means "first-born daughter."

On May 7, Ryder joined Williams and 200 friends in New York City to celebrate her new role. The event included Native songs and a traditional tribute--in gratitude for her support, Ryder was given the gift of a Northern Cheyenne star quilt by Dr. Alonzo Spang, the president of Dull Knife Memorial College.

"Their stories are so moving and inspiring," Ryder said of Indian students. "They are trekking miles and miles through horrendous weather to get to a leaky classroom. There, they can learn and bring it back to their communities."

For more information, or to contact American Indian College Fund, see their website at: www.collegefund.org