The Youth & Family Services Foundation is designed to help sustain YFS programming well into the future.
Foundation Information
Youth & Family Services Foundation (YFSF) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that was established in 2004. YFSF promotes philanthropy, receives and administers charitable gifts, and supports the mission and activities of Youth & Family Services, Inc. throughout western South Dakota.
The YFSF provides an opportunity to create a permanent legacy of support for Youth & Family Services’ (YFS) programs in a lasting and meaningful way. YFS provides comprehensive and award-winning programs to more than 14,000 children and their families across 24 western South Dakota counties each year. The majority of programming focuses on meeting the needs of underprivileged youth; however, YFS offers resources to virtually everyone in the community. The YFSF is governed by a volunteer board who broadly represent the Black Hills community.
Sustainability
The Board of Directors for Youth & Family Services, Inc. and Youth & Family Services Foundation have identified three critical initiatives for the next decade to ensure the growth and support for future generations:
• Build a strong endowment to ensure YFS programs can continue to effectively meet the current and future needs of children in our community. Achieving this goal will help guarantee that YFS programs go uninterrupted during times of trying economic conditions.
• YFS will serve an additional 3,000 to 5,000 children and their families in western South Dakota. Achieving this goal will require building and expanding YFS service centers in the Black Hills area, creating alliances with other service providers and expanding successful YFS programs.
• YFS will build a network of coordinated services that give children hope. Achieving this goal will require enlisting the cooperation of parents, YFS staff, teachers, and community providers; developing community-wide networks for creating bridges out of poverty for families and increasing economic literacy among young people and their parents.