The Rez Refuge story began with one man's dream of a harmonious and accepting environment for the Navajo youth and teens. Mr. John Van Eyk, with the help of his wife and close friends began etching the foundation of what we know as Rez Refuge.
We are an organization that specializes in creating harmony and acceptance among youth, teens, and community members. We run the Rez Refuge Community Center in Fort Defiance, Arizona located on the Navajo Reservation. Due to the violence and illegal activities that were prevalent in the Rio Puerco and Black Rock neighborhoods, our center was created to give the community members a safe place to learn and experience creativity, peace, harmony, acceptance, and healing.
Through our primary programs youth and teens are able to learn new avenues of living and personal productivity in a safe environment. In 2012, our doors opened with an average of 15-25 youth and teens served daily. Presently, we have increased our average attendance to 25-40 individuals daily; programming function and availability; and community outreach events.
The Rez Refuge Program Team is outstanding and dedicate their time to the youth and teens of the community. They create an atmosphere for relationships to grow and genuinely care for all of our attendees. Contributions make it possible for us to maintain all of these programming essentials.