Employees from the city of Rapid City work together to paint a new shade structure YFS Child Care’s playground.

YFS was buzzing with energy yesterday as individuals from within the agency and other organizations participated in United Way’s Day of Caring. Employees from the city of Rapid City and the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center pulled together to help with some projects around YFS’ 120 E. Adams Street facility for the afternoon.

Employees from the city worked together to paint a new shade structure and some of the pathways for YFS Child Care’s playground. The shade structures are an important part of the playground. They allow the children to play out in the fresh air while being shaded from the sun to avoid being burned or overheated.

Employees from the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center helped clean up the landscaping around YFS’ Counseling Center. These individuals worked on pulling weeds, raking, and transplanting plants to give the Counseling Center a nice, welcoming look.

YFS thanks both of the groups for pulling together to help make our facility better for the children and families we serve!

A volunteer from the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center helps with a landscaping project at the YFS Counseling Center.

Employees from YFS also teamed up yesterday to help a community member with yard work and some fall cleaning around her home. The YFS team pulled together to mow, clean windows, trim shrubs, and pull weeds.

The YFS team doing some yard work for a fellow community member during United Way’s Day of Caring.

Ellsworth Air Force Base’s 28^th Operations Support Squadron made 28 members of Youth & Family Services’ Girls Incorporated^® of Rapid City very happy by bringing them new backpacks filled with school supplies to help them prepare for the upcoming school year!

This was the first year that the EAFB 28^th Operations Support Squadron donated back packs to YFS, bringing in 28 bags total. Several girls receiving a back pack from the group were present to pose for photos and were all very excited about their new gear for school.

School supplies no longer entail just pencils, paper, and erasers. With additional costs parents face preparing their children for school, some families have a difficult time affording all the supplies their children need. YFS appreciates the support they are receiving from the community and groups such as EAFB’s 28^th Operational Support Squadron to help ensure that children in our community will have all the tools they need to learn this coming fall.

South Dakota Representative Jacqueline Sly (left) and Melanie Barclay, YFS Development Coordinator (right) unload 75 Sack Packs donated to YFS by the NFWL.

South Dakota Representative Jacqueline Sly, a member of the National Foundation of Women Legislators (NFWL), swung by YFS offices last week to drop off a great surprise for YFS children– 75 Sack Packs, each containing school supplies!

The Sack Packs and school supplies were donated by the NFWL and the Office Depot Foundation. This collaboration has benefited more than 2.9 million children since it began in 2001.

What a wonderful and helpful treat for children who will be entering school this coming fall!

From left to right: Carrie Robley, YFS Girls Inc. Director, Mike Oster from Day of Excellence, Inc., and Connie Olson, YFS Development Director pose with four members of Girls Inc. at the check presentation.

On Wednesday, August 8, Mike Oster presented a check on behalf of Day of Excellence, Inc. to Youth & Family Services’ Girls Incorporated® of Rapid City in the amount of $2,000!

These funds will used to support programming and membership costs for the 1,300 members of YFS’ Girls Inc.

This morning, more than 30 members of Youth & Family Services’ Girls Incorporated® of Rapid City teamed up to husk 600 ears of corn. This was a new experience for many of the girls and a great learning experience for all of them.

“When children are involved with food experience and food preparation they are more interested in trying it. Husking corn gives the children an opportunity to see how corn looks when it leaves the field. They are learning that the corn simply does not just come out of the freezer or a can off the shelf.  It is an opportunity to touch, see the husk of the corn kernels, and hear the snap and crackle of the corn husk as it is pulled off of the ear,” stated Darcie Decker, YFS Nutrition Services Director.

The girls will also be able to enjoy the corn they husked for lunch! Decker states, “They get to smell the freshness of the corn and at lunch they get to enjoy the taste of the delicious sweet corn. We have some students that have shared that they have never husked corn and we have others who love to demonstrate to their friends how to pull back the corn husk and pull the silk off the corn. It is a great learning experience.”

This is the second year that members of Girls Inc. have husked corn.