Montana Woman is a Top 10 Finalist for CNN’s Hero 2023

A Fort Belknap, MT woman is a finalist for CNN's 2023 Heroes Award.

Tescha Hawley, is one of the Top 10 honorees this year to receive national recognition from the cable news channel. A member of the Gros Ventre tribe, Hawley's struggle with cancer in 2016 prompted her to start a non-profit called Day Eagle Hope Project. Her humanitarian efforts on and off the reservation have helped around 3,000 people writes CNN.

We're hoping she'll win on 12/10/23.

Hawley shares her inspiration for Day Eagle Hope Project on the foundation's website,

Having grown up on the Fort Belknap Reservation my entire life, I knew that it was not going to be easy to navigate through the already stressed healthcare system in our community.  I often asked myself, "How will I make the 300 mile round trip to the nearest cancer center?"  Through many trials and errors I was able to complete my last chemo treatment one year ago [2017], and through this personal experience, Day Eagle Hope Project was created.

 

Their services have expanded over the years.

They now provide other crucial services in the isolated community, such as addressing food insecurity on the reservation with a novel food bank program, crisis services, equine therapy, and more. Learn more about what they do HERE.

Accessible healthcare is a major issue on Montana's reservations.

Fort Belknap Reservation is on Montana's Hi-Line, between Havre and Malta. Spread over 650,000 acres, the Native American reservation is located in a rugged, yet beautiful part of Montana, with mountains on the southern end and wide-open plains on the northern half.

It's a three-hour drive to Great Falls and four hours to Billings, where cancer patients travel for cancer treatment and other major medical issues.

Cast a vote, make a donation.

You can cast your vote for Tescha Hawley HERE. It's super easy. Anderson Cooper shows you how in the clip above. If you'd like to donate, now is a great time. The Elevate Prize Foundation will be matching donations to all of the 2023 Top 10 CNN Heroes up to $50,000 per hero. Donate on the official GoFundMe HERE.