Terrance Medina (he/him)
My Story
Terry Medina (Santee, Santee Sioux Nation) is a retired probation officer for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. During this 33 year span he touched many lives with his influence and purpose. He also impacted the lives of many Native American men through his Flame of Hope program and ReZZurected program which he created for those struggling with everyday life situations. This all started 16 years ago when he was trained in the Fatherhood is Sacred® program by Albert Pooley.
Through this training and his persistence, Terry is still helping struggling Native men to better their lives and the lives of their families. He also created a prevention program for youth and their families called Brotherhood is Sacred and Sisterhood is Sacred. This program allows youth to communicate what is on their minds and talk from the heart to each other to create lifetime relationships that cannot be broken. They become loyal to each other and loyal to a lifetime of strength in their families.
The effects of this work has been like a pebble dropped into a pond and the effects have been felt by many. Terry explains it this way:
“Every month we go into the Drug Dependency Unit, which is a 20 bed in-patient treatment facility, which is part of the Indian Health Service Hospital here in Winnebago. They average 15 to 18 clients. The in-patient DDU goes in 30 day cycles, so they graduate with a certificate of completion for treatment and fatherhood/motherhood certificate as well. Over the past 72 months we have had 72 plus graduations. (2017) In addition to that, we have classes in the community through Probation and Human Services. Our numbers are staggering. During that time we have had 1,089 graduates. Out of that number we have had only 14 re-offend. A lot of the fathers and mothers keep coming back.”
By teaching these programs week after week and year after year, thousands of Native men and women have been saved with their families. Thousands of Native people's lives have been touched by Terry’s influence. He is living an incredible life and his example shines to us all. The power of one is great.