Sioux Empire United Way

Jeff Strand A message from our Board Chair:
On behalf of the Sioux Empire United Way Board of Directors I would like to say a heartfelt THANK YOU. First THANK YOU to the 1,000 plus volunteers, you are the LIFE BLOOD of our success! Next THANK YOU to the 30,000 plus investors/contributors, it continues to amaze me just how GENEROUS the Sioux Empire is! Then THANK YOU to the 47 agencies that administer the 98 programs the SEUW funds, you are all AWESOME! Lastly THANK YOU to the unbelievably MAGNIFICENT SEUW staff it is through your guidance and diligent care that everything comes together and make the Sioux Empire United Way the MARVELOUS organization it is; ranked number 2 in the nation in per capita giving (second only to Palm Beach, Florida) and allowing over $0.90 of every $1.00 invested to be spent on programs supporting the needs of the Sioux Empire.
Jeff Strand
2009 Board Chair

Larry Oppold Memorial Award - This award is given to a human services professional for outstanding dedication to his or her work and for demonstrating the qualities that Larry believed in during his life. Larry was a thoughtful, caring, and compassionate person who acted as an advocate for those in need.

Hugh Grogan, Minnehaha County Human Services
Hugh oversees the delivery of financial support to residents of our county. Recently, he worked with the City of Sioux Falls to develop the Siouxland Health & Human Services Building. This one-stop shop assists clients who seek health and financial assistance in a dignified setting. His efforts to assist the homeless led to the development of Project Safe Home. The program has provided supportive housing for 20 people, with a documented decrease in costs per person for their care. Hugh’s willingness to raise the tough questions has impacted not only the delivery of services for the Human Services Department, but has permeated into many community-based organizations. As a native Sioux Falls resident, Hugh has dedicated his life to dealing with difficult problems and challenging us to be a better community.

Helen E. (Oppold) Blair Memorial Award - This award is to be presented to an individual whose work in human services, law enforcement, education, or church based fields towards child abuse prevention and early intervention is exemplary.

Sheryl Barnett, Volunteers of America-Dakotas
Sheryl has devoted a life to helping others and serving children and families at risk during her 20 year career at VOA. Through her work she started Parent Child Learning Center, serving children of individuals enrolled in alternative education to complete their high school diploma or GED. She provided leadership in the start of Even Start, which helps children and families address adult literacy challenges and children’s early learning needs. She is a Board member for National Even Start, recently elected as Board Chair. Sheryl is bright and talented. She has developed innovative programs to meet unique social and human services needs of people in our community.

Judge Gene Paul Kean
Judge Kean became the twentieth circuit judge for the 2nd Circuit in 1981, retiring in 2006. He enlisted Junior League of Sioux Falls to research the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program. Because of his efforts, CASA began providing advocacy services to abused and neglected children in Minnehaha County in 1995 and expanded in 2000 to serve Lincoln County and the entire 2nd Circuit. When hearing abuse and neglect cases Judge Kean has always made the children the central focus. He is not quick to return children to an unsafe environment yet at the same time he is always conscious of the child’s sense of time and does not allow children to linger in the social service system longer than necessary. As a board member for the State CASA Association Board of Directors, Judge Kean has continued to keep abused and neglected children as the central focus of his volunteer work.

Volunteer of the Year Award - This award is given to the volunteer who selflessly and generously gives of his or her time and talents to help fulfill the mission of the Sioux Empire United Way.

Sue Aguilar
Sue is in her 11th year of volunteering for United Way through the Community Impact Division. Through her first role with the Success by 6 team she helped launch many initiatives. Currently, Sue is Chair of the Community Impact Division, and is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. In her role as Chair, she has empowered volunteers to make bold decisions. Sue also assisted with the most recent campaign by being a part of campaign materials and attending numerous United Way trainings to help volunteer campaigners understand how funding decisions are made. Sue has always made her United Way role a priority by making herself available to staff and other volunteers. She is innovative, dependable, and committed to serving others.

Heart Club Philanthropist Award - This award is given to a Heart Club Member who has demonstrated active involvement and has also encouraged or influenced others to contribute.

Dick Birath, First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard
Dick served as PREMIER’s Heart Club Coordinator. He started his role early and developed communication and education strategies to show employees the impact of a Heart Club gift. He hosted brown bag lunches for coworkers, speaking personally with many employees in these small groups. He also put together an interactive email that included key facts and figures about United Way and the Heart Club, all to the rhythm of a beating heart. PREMIER’s Heart Club has grown by double digits the past three years, incredible results that are often hard to replicate. This year, under Dick’s leadership, Heart Club grew from 244 members to more than 360 members, a 49.2% increase.

Business of the Year Award - This award is given to the company or organization that has greatly benefited Sioux Empire United Way through its generosity and/or its employee’s involvement. Businesses are broken down into three categories that correlate with their employee #s: 1-100 employees, 101-500 employees, and 500 + employees.

1-100 Employees - CorTrust Bank
Cortrust Bank has been a committed United Way supporter for years. Their campaigns have focused on education and stress community commitment. Most importantly their ECMs make sure every employee has the opportunity to give. Corporately CorTrust Bank shows its support by matching all employee giving dollar for dollar. The company has increased giving in the past four years from $20,000 to $40,000. Employee giving has had a double digit increase the last four years and the average gift/per capita has increased from $168 to $233. Even more impressive, one of every four employees is a Heart Club member and they have maintained 100% participation the past five years.

101-500 Employees - Home Federal Bank
Home Federal Bank’s committee does a great job of combining traditional values with new ideas. This year they served breakfast or lunch to all employees at rallies to accommodate different schedules. Always a strong supporter, CEO and Alexis de Tocqueville member Curt Hage talked personally about his passion for the community during these meetings. This year a new focus was placed on Heart Club. They encouraged each employee to consider Heart Club and hosted a thank you reception for all members. Giving and special events increased by 7.6%, on top of last year’s 14.2% increase. Per capita giving increased more than $50 in the past two years, from $201 to $252. Two years ago 37 Home Federal Bank employees were Heart Club members and there are now 54 members. Many employees volunteer for United Way including their internal committee, a Campaign Consultant, a Community Impact team chair, and a Campaign Cabinet member.

500 + Employees - First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard
First PREMIER’s United Way volunteers include our Campaign Cabinet, Campaign Consultants, Community Impact, auditors, Board of Directors, and Alexis de Tocqueville committee. United Way culture is all about leadership and Dana Dykhouse and Miles Beacom are an example of that. At a fall all staff meeting, they challenged employees to give just one more dollar to United Way. They promised that every additional dollar raised over last year would be corporately matched. They ran a great campaign including a company-wide game of Bingo, incentives and Heart Club brown bag sessions. Employees raised $53,000 more dollars than last year, achieving 95% participation and 47% increase in Heart Club membership. With their corporate match added into their total, PREMIER increased its United Way support by more than $100,000 and reached $500,000 in total giving for the first time.

Rich Garry Rookie of the Year Award - This award is given to a first-time Sioux Empire United Way volunteer who has stepped up and made a tremendous impact in their role, helping to fulfill the mission of Sioux Empire United Way.

Jill Nelson, Citi
When Jill was asked to serve as Citi’s Heart Club Coordinator, she immediately got to business. She attended training and worked hard to understand what a United Way gift does for our community. She worked closely with her team and United Way staff. While preparing for the campaign Jill shared with United Way staff the following, “I never knew I would enjoy volunteering this much. I have never volunteered before. I never thought I had the time so I gave money because that was easier. Then I was asked to volunteer and I am so glad I did.” Citi’s Heart Club members, grew from 458 to more than 510, a 13% increase. One out of every four Citi donors are now Heart Club members. Jill’s leadership, expertise, and new found personal passion was a key factor in Citi’s Heart Club results.

David Birkeland Memorial Award - This award is given to the business or professional leader who most exemplifies David Birkeland’s involvement in United Way and our community. A tribute to David reads: His smile invited conversation, his manner put strangers at ease, his style engendered trust and his humor broke down barriers. Dave was always there for others—his family, his church, his community, his college, his employees, his business. He was a servant leader whose example was an expression of his spirit.

Rod Carlson, Sanford Health
In the past year alone, Rod served on eight community boards and was a fundraiser with four different efforts. His role in Sales & Marketing Executives started in 1982. He was President in 1985 and currently chairs their Sponsorship committee. In 1979, Rod became a Chamber Ambassador. Since then he has continued to serve on the Ambassador Committee. He was a member of the Chamber’s Board from 1984-1989, chairing it in 1987-1988, and he currently co-chairs two Chamber committees. Rod’s involvement with Sioux Empire United Way has spanned 30 years, serving in a variety of roles from allocations to marketing to campaign. He is a member of the Board of Directors, serves on the Campaign Cabinet, and is a part of Sanford’s internal campaign committee. As Campaign Chair in 2006, he created the Bullpen, which builds relationships with non-giving companies. As Bullpen chair since its inception, Rod has seen his efforts introduce $100,000 new dollars to our campaign in the last five years.

Thank you to all of our volunteers, givers, partner agencies and the Sioux Empire community! Thank you to our event partners: Holiday Inn City Centre, Leonardo's Cafe, Minervas, Olive Garden, Westward Ho, and Wild Sage Grille. Become a fan of our Facebook page to see more photos from today's event. Learn more about past award recipients.

Thank You Event