The “Run for Recognition” team was formed in an effort to raise money for the Mashpee Wampanoag Housing Program. Among the 21 runners who will participate in the August 8 race are John Peters, Jr., the director of the Commission on Indian Affairs in Massachusetts; State Representative Mathew Patrik, and Cheryl Frye, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Board of Directors.
Alice Lopez, director of the Mashpee Wampanoag Housing Program, said she believes the tribe is on the home stretch to federal recognition. Such recognition would help preserve the tribe's rich heritage and the ability of tribal members to continue to thrive in their ancestral homeland, she said. Presently, over-development and the rising cost of housing in Mashpee is driving many away from a place the tribe has called home for thousands of years. The Wampanoag Housing Program has taken on the commitment to make sure Wampanoag tribal members have a place to call home for generations to come. The Wampanoag Housing Program has been in existence for a 18 months, and has assisted more than 100 tribal families in securing rentals, mortgages, quality housing, and permanent homes in the tribal territory of Mashpee.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe filed a Petition for Federal Recognition with the Bureau of Indian Affairs 27 years ago. Without federal recognition, the Mashpee Wampanoag is not eligible for any of the federal tribal housing funds that many other tribes use to preserve their communities. Funded entirely by private donations, the money raised from the Run For Recognition will provide critical support to this program.
Each team member has committed to complete the 7.2 mile race and also raise a minimum of $500 each in sponsorship. Eden, a Cape Cod charitable organization, will match every dollar raised by the team.
