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Kids Fair The Rushmore Plaza Civic Center will become a giant playground for babies to pre–teens at the 21th annual Youth & Family Services Kids Fair. For 21 years now, the YFS Kids Fair has been a success, raising money for programs and educational activities for more than 13,000 children and their families in western South Dakota. This year Kids Fair has more than 75 booths full of hands–on activities, games and live entertainment, making this year the biggest yet. This year the Kids Fair introduced a few new activities for kids, and one in particular appears to be the fan favorite. Some kids on the other hand, preferred to keep it simple, and just jump as high as possible. If you didn’t have the chance to take your child to the fair Friday, don’t worry, you can catch all of the action Saturday and Sunday. Event Information Friday, April 22, 8 a.m. to noon and 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 8 a.m. to noon and 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 24, 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information or to reserve your seat, please contact Connie Olson at 342-4195.

Thanks to a generous donation of $1,000 from Midco, YFS Girls Inc. will be receiving two new computer units for staff members! Tim Reilly, Creative Coordinator for Midco presented Connie Olson, YFS’ Development Director with the check on Thursday morning. “This is such a wonderful gift for our Girls Inc. program,” stated Olson. “These funds are being used to purchase computers for our Girls Inc. Health Connections advocates– staff who play a critical role in the lives of at-risk girls in our community.” Health Connections is an innovative program offered to girls ages 5-15, with unmet health needs. Program advocates work with the girls to help addresses physical, mental and social health needs by connecting girls with service providers in the community. “These new computers will be replacing old units with outdated operating systems. Having an efficient and functional work station is essential to our staff assisting children in receiving the services they need.” Midco has been a strong supporter of Youth & Family Services for many years. Midco continues to support YFS’ events, programs, and helping secure funding for items such as computers, printers, and more.

Youth & Family Services’ 21st annual Kids Fair will be coming to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center this April 22-24. This three-day, family-friendly event provides nearly 11,000 children and families in the Black Hills area with educational and culturally rich entertainment, numerous inflatable attractions, train rides, costumed characters,  face painting, and a variety of engaging hands-on activities. Kids Fair organizers are still searching for volunteers to assist with a variety of positions at the event. “The success of Kids Fair depends so much on volunteers from our community who are willing to donate their time to ensure our event goes off without a hitch,” stated Darcie Decker, Community Outreach Director for Youth & Family Services. Volunteers are needed to assist with a variety of tasks at Kids Fair including monitoring attractions, painting faces, selling and taking tickets, and more. “We still have several hundred volunteer positions that need to be filled so we are reaching out to the community for their support.” Kids Fair volunteers must be at least 13 years of age. To sign up as a volunteer for this year’s Kids Fair, please contact Darcie Decker at 342-4195 or ddecker@youthandfamilyservices.org.

Two YFS staff members, Heather Tromp and Jodi Burk, were recognized on Tuesday, April 19 at this year’s Western South Dakota Child Protection Council Luncheon for their commitment to improving the lives of children throughout western South Dakota. Congratulations Heather and Jodi! We appreciate all you do for the children in our community! About Heather: Heather Tromp became licensed as a foster parent when she resided in Arizona and Texas in 2001. Heather and Ian celebrated the adoptions of their son Michael in 2006 and Christopher in 2007. Heather moved to South Dakota and became licensed with the department of Social Services in September of 2007. Heather has since welcomed 38 children into her home and provided respite care for six children.  In 2011, Heather adopter her son Evan. She celebrated the adoption of her son Dante in 2013. About Jodi: Jodi Burke has been a licensed, certified social worker and private independent practitioner at Youth & Family Services for the past four year. Prior to coming to YFS, she spent seven years as a certified social worker in treatment foster care at LSS and four years working in an orphanage in an independent additions counseling in Mongolia. Jodi received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in social work from Colorado State University. She is certified in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and trained in child family traumatic stress intervention. She is currently working on a license in addiction counseling and is also a Reiki Master. Jodi served on the Western South Dakota Child Protection Council from 2055 – 2011 and is now an honorary member. Jodi is married to Shawn and together they have two children.

Participants of the first ever Steminist Star 5K Glow Walk/Run lit up the bike path in Rapid City the evening of April 16, 2016! This inaugural event was hosted by SDSM&T’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) program as well as the Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority. Proceeds from this fun, florescent fundraising event were donated to Youth & Family Services Girls Inc. The walk/run was indeed a success as dozens of community members and students arrived at Main Street Square in their glow gear, ready to exercise with their friends and family for a great cause. The race began and ended near the Memorial Park Promenade. Once participants finished the route, they moved to Main Street Square where music, dance performances, and a food truck awaited them. Door prizes were also given away to several lucky winners! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ On April 27, event organizers as well as Dr. Wilson, President of SDSM&T, presented YFS staff with the proceeds from the event– a check for $1,972.00. These funds will be used to support YFS Girls Inc.’s Operation SMART program. Girls Inc. Developed Operation SMART (Science, Math and Relevant Technology) on a national level in the mid-1980s in response to the shortage of women entering careers in scientific, mathematical, engineering and technical fields. YFS thanks the Women in Science and Engineering program, the Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority, and the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology for their support of YFS Girls Inc. and their assistance in promoting science and math related fields to young girls in our community. Pictured above, from left to right: Lisa Carlson, WiSE Program Director; Vanessa Gomez, Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority; Sarah Folsland, WiSE Program Coordinator; Carrie Robley, YFS Girls Inc. Director; David Miller, YFS Associate Executive Director; Darcie Decker, YFS Community Outreach Director; Dr. Heather Wilson, SDSM&T President.

Black Hills Community Bank is encouraging its employees to support local non-profit organizations! On Wednesday, July 13, Leslie Rodriguez, a Credit Analyst from Black Hills Community Bank, donated $1,000 to Youth & Family Services Girls Inc. of Rapid City through the bank’s Pass It On program. Under the bank’s Pass It On program, qualifying employees are awarded $1,000 to contribute to a local Black Hills community non-profit organization. The bank’s employees become ambassadors for the bank with their gift. Since Pass It On was originated in 2010, more than $114,000 has been donated by Community Bankers. This is the second year in a row that Leslie has chosen to donate her Pass It On funds to YFS Girls Inc. “I originally thought of Girls Inc. because my daughter goes there. It’s just an awesome program and my daughter really loves it. I thought it would be nice to be able to support the other girls who attend the program,” stated Leslie. Leslie has also supported Youth & Family Services through volunteerism.