The Giving Tree

John Sullivan of Whitman, Mass., is an awesome dad to daughters Lauren, 12, and Christie, 11. But he's also father to a tribe of 20,000 Lakota Indians on a remote South Dakota reservation. For the past seven years, John has trekked out west, sometimes with his girls, in a 24-foot Ryder truck loaded with donated toys, furniture, toiletries and food for the poverty-stricken Lakotas.

Most live in crowded, crumbling shacks with no electricity or running water. John learned of the Lakotas' hardships when he went to a Native American craft store and picked up a pamphlet about "adopting" Lakota kids. The fee was $75--a hefty sum for a single dad supporting his daughters. He was barely getting by, but he knew he had to help. So, he sold his prized Beatles record collection and beloved John Lennon pic. Soon after, John began providing for 4-year-old Isabel. He mailed her school supplies, clothes and other goodies. Isabel is now 13, and John still supports her. John claims he's simply "afflicted with a big heart." When his daughter Lauren was diagnosed with diabetes, John considered ending his trips to the reservation. Lauren insisted, "You can't, Dad! If you don't help them, who will?" The Lakotas have welcomed John into their world, playfully calling him The Great White Hope. If you want to help John's cause, any little bit makes a difference. Why not let go of a little allowance for the Lakotas?