Editorial: Kola Project/Help the first Americans Published December 25, 2003
The lights have gone out at the Kola Project off of East Franklin Avenue -- and not just because it's Christmas. These days, the drop-in center for American Indian alcoholics is dark much of the time. Volunteers still stop by to open the doors for a few hours a day, and the doctor who caters to hard-up clients still comes by to treat the sickest of the sick. But the program is a shadow of what it used to be -- for a reason you can guess. Several years back, a few generous souls started wandering Franklin Avenue looking for the Native American alcoholics who dwell there -- bringing them food and clothing and medical care. They named their endeavor "Kola" -- after a Lakota word meaning "friend" -- and ultimately opened a drop-in center to serve Indian chronic inebriates. Their goal wasn't to get these longtime alcoholics to straighten up completely: For people who've lived the roughest of lives, that's probably aiming too high. Alcoholism among Native Americans, after all, is largely distinct from chemical dependency among non-natives: Ample research suggests that many Indians carry a genetic variation that dramatically increases their sensitivity to alcohol, increases their risk for lifelong addiction and makes sobriety harder to sustain. http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/4286258.html Posted by Shawn Lewis, Field Neighborhood -- ___________________________________________________________ Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
