SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Olympic champion runner Billy Mills is marking the 50th anniversary of his 1964 gold medal by launching a grant program to help young people.

Mills' organization called Running Strong for American Indian Youth will award 50 "Dreamstarter" grants of $10,000 each to youth-oriented community groups and nonprofit organizations over the next five years.

The Oglala Lakota runner from South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation won the 10,000-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics on Oct. 14, 1964. He was the first American to win that race. He co-founded the Running Strong organization in 1986 to help impoverished American communities.

Mills says he wants young people to think about how they can make their community a better place, and to pursue their dreams.

Grant applications begin Nov. 1.

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