User:Teamn7/sandbox

Past/Present Affairs
 According to the N7 2011 Annual Report, Sam McCracken, General Manager and Chairman of the Nike N7 Fund claims that 2911 was a milestone year for N7. 2011 brought over 300 individuals to the first ever N7 Sport Summit, held at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, OR. The Sport Summit provided leadership, grant writing, and connected athletes and people from US and Canada. McCracken said that multiple N7 Clinics with well-known athlete figures, such as athletes Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Durant, were a success and they have strived to make these kinds of clinics as yearly events for children. Additionally, McCraken reported that we can note the N7 Fund has raised more than $1.5 million for Native American and Aboriginal youth sport and fitness programs. This type of fundraising promotes one of their biggest and most focused concepts, which is “more kids” with “access to sport”.

 According to the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing in 2012 on reclaiming Native Identity. U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, held an oversight hearing on Reclaiming Our Image and Identity for the Next Seven Generations, yesterday. The Committee heard testimony from several leaders in Native American identity affairs, including Sam McCracken of N7. Chairman Akaka’s concerns included the fact that we are in the 21st century, and many children do not know what it means to be an American Indian. He believes that as leaders, they must work together if our next seven generations are to reclaim their heritage and capture the vision of American Indians in the 22nd century. To close their hearing, Chairman Akaka reassured that the leaders present, including McCracken of Nike N7 Fund, were all helping their cause with preserving American Indian heritage and teaching our children their culture. Akaka reaffirmed that he believes Indian Country is in good hands because of the leaders present working with so many different Indian communities, N7 included.

 Despite all of this positive feedback from past N7 affairs, there have been talk within the media and other communities that have found the Nike Air Native N7 products to be “off-putting,” according to NYtimes.com. One of the readers reported in the article called Nike N7 product marketing an example of “corporate manipulation of race,” others calling it a “ridiculously bad move decorating it ‘Native American style.’ However, Rodney Stapp responds in this article to these negative comments. Stapp is the director of the Dallas Urban Indian Health Center, and brings reality into play; “there are always going to be negative comments, but most of them are saying that because they are not really familiar with the whole process that Nike went through.” Which is true; Nike originally designed these products because Indians tend to have a wider forefoot, showing that they are trying to promote a good cause. Not only this, but they are promoting children activity in Native American communities everywhere. So, despite this negative stigma of past affairs on Nike N7, it has been projected that Nike N7 is primarily a good cause with positive ideas and goals for their future with American Indians.

 According to N7fund.com/news, there has been much accomplished as well as substantial money raised for the Nike N7 fund, helping Native American children in many communties around the world. Last year, the N7 Fund awarded 57 grants to Native American and Aboriginal sport and recreation programs last year in April of 2013. Besides this, last year April 18th through 20th in 2013, Nike also brought together Native American and Aboriginal youth recreation leaders for the N7 Sport Summit.The latest current affairs include the 2014 N7 Fund Grant Cycle opening in January 1st, 2013, and closed December 31st, 2013. Grant awards for the 2014 cycle were announced April 2014. The next grant cycle will open in June 2014.