Cherokee Nation offering $150 in clothing assistance for all qualifying Cherokee students, regardless of residency or income

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation is providing $150 in clothing assistance for every qualifying Cherokee student regardless of residency or income, with applications accepted beginning Tuesday, July 20.

The Cherokee Nation clothing assistance program was established to assist Cherokee families in purchasing new clothes for children ahead of the upcoming academic year. Cherokee Nation Human Services will accept applications for the school clothing assistance program until Aug. 20, 2021 through the tribe’s online Gadugi Portal at https://gadugiportal.cherokee.org.

“Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and I both understand how important it is to provide clothing assistance to our Cherokee students and I am excited that for the second year in a row, we are able to extend this assistance to all Cherokee students, regardless of their residency or family income,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “We know the clothing assistance program will help ease the burden of back-to-school costs so many families face each year.”

To qualify, students must be enrolled Cherokee Nation citizens as of July 16, 2021. Students must be 5-18 years old during the application period, or must be enrolled in kindergarten through 12^th grade or an equivalent school program. Students can be in public, private, virtual or home-school programs. Post-secondary education students do not qualify for this program.

“Starting a new school year can be stressful for our Cherokee children and their parents or guardians. I know the last thing that Cherokee children should be worried about is whether or not they’ll have a new outfit to wear when school begins,” said Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner. “The Cherokee Nation clothing assistance program is so very important because it allows our students to focus on excelling in the classroom.”

Applications for the assistance program must be complete when submitted on the Gadugi Portal. Processing of applications containing incomplete or incorrect information may be delayed, and applicants may be contacted after the deadline for additional documentation or clarification.

Clothing assistance payments may be made electronically or by paper check after the application has been verified. Details about dates for payment processing will be forthcoming.