Sioux Empire United Way Funded Programs

Augustana College

• Augustana Reads - an after school literacy program for English Language Learners that maximizes student learning by increasing engagement in the reading and writing process.

Avera McKennan Hospital

• Family Visitation Center  - provides a safe and supportive environment for children to visit with non-custodial parents where there has been domestic abuse, child abuse, conflict with visitation or where there has been a long term difficulty between parents and/or child.
• Wee Care – is a childcare service for mildly ill children whose illness prevents them from attending regular child care or school.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sioux Empire - matches youth from single parent families with a caring adult volunteer role model.  Another component is the Mentor Mom program that matches teenage mothers with an older, more experienced volunteer parent.
• Native American Scholars - provides resources, such as a mentor, to empower Native American youth to graduate from high school.

Boy Scouts

• Juvenile Diversion—a program that works with first time juvenile offenders diverting them through a Teen Court (Minnehaha County) or a Juvenile Diversion program (Lincoln County).
• Scouting—provides character development, citizenship training and personal fitness to children from 1st grade through 19 years of age.
• ScoutReach—uses traditional scouting methods combined with a paid troop leader to reach youth that would not otherwise be involved with Boy Scouts.

• Project Awareness – provides Life/Skills Training program for rural communities surrounding Sioux Falls. Life/Skills Training has been evaluated and proven effective in reducing alcohol/drug usage. 

Center for Active Generations

• Day Break - supports the needs of the caregiver of an adult with social, cognitive, or physical limitations.
• Nutrition - allows an older adult to maintain a healthy and independent lifestyle by providing the USDA requirements for their nutritional needs.
• Rural Education, Recreation & Socialization - provides social/wellness opportunities for rural seniors.
• Workers on Wheels - helps older adults who are unable to do household chores continue living independently in their homes by matching them with volunteers who complete light household chores and provide transportation.

• CHARACTER COUNTS! – strengthens the character of today’s young people through teaching the Six Pillars of Character.

• Crisis Intervention – provides immediate information and support to victims of violence and abuse through the crisis hotline, partnerships with police, partnerships with emergency room trauma teams, crisis childcare, court advocacy and drop-in counseling.
• Crisis Shelter – offers women and children who are victims of violence a safe and secure emergency residence.
• Protection Orders - provides assistance to help file protection orders.

• Community Outreach – meets the basic human needs of low-income people by providing short-term financial assistance. A large part of the assistance provided goes toward rent, utility assistance and security deposits for housing needs.

• Connecting Kids - provides information and financial resources allowing children to participate in a youth development activity.

• CASA – provides abused and neglected children with a volunteer advocate, who serves on the child’s behalf through the overburdened juvenile court system.

• Alternative Services – designed to provide recreational and social activities for people with severe physical and mental disabilities.

• The Haven – provides before, after and summer school care for 1st-8th grade children in Dell Rapids.

Family Connection

• Children’s Connection—serves children in Sioux Falls who have an incarcerated parent by providing support groups, family events, and summer camp scholarships to programs.

• Counseling– provides counseling and therapy to individuals in the community who are experiencing emotional or personal problems.
• Family Life Education - designed to provide education to the public at large on topics related to mental health.
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• Heuermann Counseling Clinic - provides free psychiatric and counseling services to clients who have no visible means for paying for these services.

First United Methodist Church

• KIDSTOP – a free after-school program for low-income immigrant and refugee children ages five to twelve. During the summer a middle school component is also provided.

Furniture Mission of South Dakota, Inc.

• Furniture Mission – Through referral sources from over 100 agencies the Furniture Mission distributes gently used furniture that has been donated to those in need.

• Girl Scout Connection – delivers traditional Girl Scout program to low-income girls who have limited opportunities to access youth enrichment programs during the summer and after-school.
• Girl Scouting – gives girls the opportunity to build skills for lifetime success.
• Studio 2B - a space where girls have the freedom to explore who they want to be and what they want to do.  Groups of girls get together and have discussions about important topics as well as explore their interests through various activities.

• Child Care HELP!Line – provides information and referrals for child care services available in the community.
• HELP!Line – a 24-hour phone hotline and online database for information and referral on community services.
• Suicide Prevention HELP!Line - 24 hour hotline that provides suicide prevention trainings and support services to family and friends who have lost a loved one to suicide as well as responding to crisis calls.
• Volunteer HELP!Line – matches people with volunteer opportunities in non-profit agencies.

• Heartland House I & II – a transitional housing project for homeless families with children.

• Liberty Center – after-school and summer care for disabled children ages three to 21.

• Sioux Falls School Based Mentoring - provides positive adult role models to participate in the lives of children in the Sioux Falls Public School District.
• Consumer Credit Counseling – provides confidential and professional financial counseling and education on money management, debt liquidation and bankruptcy.
• Sioux Falls Area Counseling – allows people to seek counseling, mediation and education services regardless of age and income.

Multi-Cultural Center

• After School Program - provides after school and summer care to youth.
• Festival of Cultures - one day event that promotes cultural diversity.

• Family Violence Project – counseling to abuse victims, prevention education to juvenile offenders and educational and therapeutic interventions to male and female adult offenders.
• Education and Prevention Program – provides preventative information and educational programs to the community and Sioux Falls schools. Designed to increase knowledge and advocacy to victims of rape and/or domestic violence.
• Victim Services Progam – provides victims and their families with confidential counseling services and a 24-hour hotline.

• RSVP – matches older adults with volunteer opportunities in non-profit agencies. 

Salvation Army

• Social Services Assistance – addresses the needs of families and individuals who seek short-term assistance, usually due to a financial crisis. Most of the assistance provided goes toward rent, utility assistance and security deposits for housing needs.
• Night Watch - provides a meal to homeless or near-homeless individuals on Saturday and Sunday nights when the Banquet is not open. 

• Helps older people maintain their independence and remain in their own homes. Low-income volunteers over the age of 60 provide in-home care to clients in return for stipends and modest wages.

Sioux Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross

• Armed Forces and Emergency Services – provides for emergency military messaging requests for members of the Armed Forces and their families.
• Disaster Training and Preparedness – provides efficient, affordable disaster training and services.
• Volunteer/Youth Corps Development – allows youth as well as adult volunteers to be productive community members through a positive volunteer experience.

• Asset Development – generates capital for non-profit agencies and programs across the charitable spectrum.

• Adult Literacy Program – administers one-to-one volunteer tutoring for adult non-readers.

Sioux Falls Family YMCA

• Adult Fitness - a program designed to provide memberships for low-income adults that need access to a fitness facility, primarily because of health reasons.
• Aquatics – provides swimming instruction, water safety and recreation.
• Child Fitness – provides youth memberships to the YMCA for low-income youth who are not involved in an organized sports program at the YMCA.
• Grade School After School - provides a safe after-school environment to 33 Sioux Falls and surrounding communities grade schools. Students are bussed to and from the YMCA to participate in a variety of activities.
• Middle School After School – provides a safe after-school environment at all Sioux Falls’ public middle schools.
• Youth Basketball - a structured program based on organized recreational play, requiring all players to participate in at least 2 quarters. The league is open to 4th-12th graders.

• Family Self-Sufficiency – helps individuals and families attain the skills to improve earning power and end welfare dependency.

• Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic – meets the counseling needs of individuals, families or couples with limited or no financial resources.

Sioux Falls School District

• Ronald McDonald Dental Mobile - provides free dental care via a 40-foot long van at low income schools
• School Home Liaison Refugee and Immigrant Program - Liaisons work with refugee and immigrant families adjust to a new culture and language. School Home Liaisons work with the students and parents to complete registrations, orientations, and home visits.

South Dakota Achieve

• Supported Employment and Living – helps people with developmental disabilities live as independently as possible in the community.

Southeast Technical Institute

• Scarbrough Center – provides childcare/preschool to children with families attending school at Southeast Technical Institute.

• Counseling Services – provides outpatient mental health services to the community regardless of ability to pay.
• Employment Connection – provides employment assistance and support to the working-age adults with severe mental illness.
• Psychiatric Services – maintains access to psychiatric services for children and adults regardless of their financial resources.

• Bright Start – a preventative and intensive home visiting program for families with low resources provided by the Department of Health. United Way funds are used for additional services, such as counseling or parenting classes, and for four nurses. 
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library - provides the opportunity for children 5 years of age and under to receive a book each month sent directly to the child. 
• K-3 Book Club - provides Kindergarten through 3rd grade students in Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner and McCook counties certificates to purchase books through their classroom book orders each semester. 
• Parent Resource Packets - tools for parents to organize parenting information and resources.
• Parenting Guide – a monthly publication for families with children ages zero to three.
• Reading Festival - one day community wide event to promote literacy.
• Temperament – provides a child temperament assessment and educational program for parents and child caregivers.

• United Day Care – provides affordable childcare for children from ages two to nine.

• Speech and Language Therapy – provides evaluation, treatment and counseling/education for children with communication disorders and their families. The program is a partnership of United Way, the University of South Dakota, and the Scottish Rite.

Volunteers of America, Dakotas

• Bowden Youth Center—provides education and strategies to youth regarding prevention of suicide, teen pregnancy, early intervention and prevention of drug/alcohol/tobacco abuse, assistance with peer pressure and depression.
• Child Care & Family Literacy—provides quality child care and early childhood education programs for young children and literacy skills for family members.
• Circle of Hope—provides affordable, quality day care.
• LifeMarks—an outpatient counseling program, addressing the mental health concerns of youth, adults and families.
• Outreach Services– finds resources for homeless or unsupervised youth who are living on the streets.
• Parent Child Learning Center—provides parenting education and support for economically disadvantaged parents who are moving off welfare to work and/or studying for their high school diploma or GED.
• Teen Parent Program—provides middle and high school students with children the opportunity to complete their education while learning more about their new roles as parents.
• Vocational Training Services—provides youth and young adults with disabilities individualized services, basic life skills training, and on the job training in real work environments leading to competitive and supported employment.
• Youth Link – provides elementary and middle school students with assistance on issues including low self-esteem, poor communication skills, poor grades, study habits and attendance in school, behavior problems and trouble with the law.

Youth Enrichment Services

• Kinder Prep/Tots - a preschool program that provides child care for children ages two up to those who are ready to enter school and prepares them for kindergarten.
• Summer Care - provides quality childcare alternatives for school aged youth during summer.

YWCA Sioux Falls

• Adult Fitness – an adult exercise program that is affordable for everyone.
• Aquatics – teaches children and adults how to swim properly and to learn important safety procedures.
• Child Care – addresses the need for children to develop age-appropriate skills and for families to have affordable childcare in two locations - downtown and south location.
• Girls on the Run - an interactive life-skills program that is delivered through running, walking and other fun activities.  The goal is to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.
• Youth Recreation – provides children with opportunities to develop important mobility, flexibility and balance skills through recreational activities.