A few words
About Us
History
Our story starts way back,
The Idell Rudd Daniel Native American Charity grew out of Idell Rudd Daniel’s deep passion and fierce advocacy for Higher Education Opportunities for her own children—then for all children—to receive a quality multi-level education. She had an intuitive understanding that all levels of education prepare people for the open doors God provides and, although she was not privileged with a formal education herself, she made the way possible for all of her fourteen (14) children to complete high school and encouraged them to go further.
Daughter, Mary L. Johnson-Gordon (founder of the IRDNA Charity), was born the second child of Idell and Howard Daniel and is a blessed recipient of Idell’s fierce advocacy for Higher Education Opportunities. After her High School Graduation, Johnson-Gordon…
Attended North Carolina College at Durham North Carolina from 1955 until 1957.
Transferred to the University of the District of Columbia, Washington DC, where she earned her BS and master’s degree ~ MA/Education Supervision and Administration in 1978 writing her master’s thesis: An Historical Analysis of Reverend Jesse Jackson’s Operation Push for Academic Excellence, with Implications for the Use in the Public Schools of the District of Columbia.
Later became an Ordained Elder of the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, July 18, 1998.
Has worked as a classroom teacher for many years with honors…then took a position at the Department of Social Services of Washington, D.C until retirement.
Became a Published Author of three (3) Books (available on Amazon.com).
Thereafter becoming a World Missionary and traveled to many nations. In the continent of Africa, she ministered in Congo, South Africa, East and West Africa; then to Cambodia, India, Asia, China, Israel and Guyana, and South America among other nations from 1994 until the year 2016.
Being born and raised according to Native American, Haliwa-Saponi Indian/Native American Indian standards, Johnson-Gordon has become a compassionate Activator and Advocator always enthusiastically engaged in community issues of City, Nation, and International Affairs, where she fights for Human Rights and Just/Justice causes. Even as this began in her early childhood it continues until this day—being a “Cause Change Agent” to defend the defenseless!
So it is that Johnson-Gordon sees the Education needs—specifically the Higher Education Scholarship Opportunity needs—among all Native American Indian Tribes and particularly the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe of her heritage.
Achievements
The Idell Rudd Daniel Native American Charity is established in Partnership Alliance with the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe confirmed by Tribal Chief, Dr. B. Ogletree Richardson, in honor of Johnson-Gordon’s Mother, Idell, as a Legacy of Hope.
The Haliwa-Saponi Tribe is one of eight Native American Tribes recognized by the state of North Carolina, as the Haliwa ancestral homelands located in Halifax and Warren counties dating from the 1730s. In 1979 the Tribe added Saponi to their name to reflect their descent from the peoples formally located in present-day Virginia and the Carolinas. Since the late nineteenth century, the Tribe has created schools and other institutions to preserve and build its culture and identity.
The Protestant/Christian religion has been a strong centering force for the community as well, which for years was united through subsistence activities and oral traditions.
Today the young people attend The Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School which is committed to excellence through transforming learning experiences. Here they develop Math, Science, English/Journalism, History, and Technology skills, while adding to the creation of newly inspired arts and crafts. Favorite courses are Success 101, Leadership, and Lifetime Fitness.