Imagination Library Program

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, once a month, no matter their family’s income. This program is operated and managed by the United Way of the Black Hills. 

Action for the Betterment of the Community

Program Supported by UWBH funding: After School Program

ABC Sturgis Youth Center facilitates a comprehensive after school and summer program that provides; tutoring, remediation, enrichment classes, recreational activities, life skills classes, support groups, family activity nights, community education, technology education and support for grades 1st-8th. The after school activities are free to all students during the school year. ABC charges a reduced rate for summer months to help cover the cost of transportation

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Black Hills

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Campus-Kids

Campus Kids (CK) is a program designed to serve the Littles who are waiting for a Big. CK is in partnership with South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T). CK matches college Bigs with Littles one night a week, for two and a half hours, during the school year. The college Bigs and Littles meet for a warm meal at the cafeteria on campus, have mandatory homework time, and leadership/team building activities that usually focus on STEM projects run by the college Bigs.

One-on-One Mentoring

Youth age 5-18 (Littles), are strategically-matched with a committed adult volunteer (Big), who develops and maintains a trusted relationship, serving as a positive role model and source of reliable support. Matches are based on Littles' needs and Bigs' backgrounds and skills, as well as common interests, aspirations, and personalities, allowing for a strong connection to grow over time. Bigs model positive behaviors, point out teachable moments, and provide guidance and inspirations.

South Dakota Youth Hunting Adventures (SDYHA) 

SDYHA provides opportunities for youth to forge a relationship with the outdoors and learn real-life skills. Bigs share their knowledge, passion, and expertise for hunting with their Little while being a trusted friend, confidant and a guide. They learn safe handling of firearms, develop safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunting habits, becomes aware of our hunting heritage, and understand the hunter's role and relationship with wildlife and the land (conservation).

Boys Scouts of America, BH Area Council

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Youth Leadership and Education

Our programs are designed to teach leadership, citizenship, physical fitness, character development, and basic life skills. Our motto is Prepared for Life. We teach through action what it means to help one another through service. Our programs encourages youth to get outside. We teach youth to lead one another. Our Exploring and merit badge programs give youth the opportunity to explore careers and discover interests and hobbies.

Boys and Girls Club of the Black Hills

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Great Futures Start Here

Boys & Girls Clubs help kids achieve great futures by providing a safe and fun space, an engaging Club experience, with caring professionals to guide them. Every kid deserves a place to feel safe, to feel connected, and to belong. Where kids can go after school and all day in the summer to grow beyond the classroom. No matter why they enter a Club, kids gain the knowledge that the Club Experience provides a fostering environment where they can be who they are and become who they are meant to be.

Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Girl Scout Leadership Experience

The overall purpose of Girl Scouts - Dakota Horizons is to prepare girls for a lifetime of leadership, success, and adventure in response to our mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. This is accomplished by offering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience Program. Program content is age-appropriate offering girls in K-12th grades multiple learning experiences to develop their academic and social skills through hands-on activities.

Kids Club Kids

Program Supported by UWBH funding: After School Program

Kids Club Kids is an OST program, committed to providing a quality before & after School program for children in grades K through sixth grade. Age appropriate activities designed to increase children’s self-esteem, individual interests and community involvement are provided. KCK is open when school is not in session, supporting parents and helping local employers, benefiting many aspects of our northern hills community. Kids Club keeps kids safe, engages learning, and helps working families.

Rapid City Club for Boys

Program Supported by UWBH funding: After School Program

The Club for Boys is a quality, comprehensive afterschool program serving all boys ages 6-18, most of whom face challenges of poverty, racial bias and unstable homes. The Club offers a range of activities specifically for boys that encompass education, outdoor recreation, creativity, athletics, nutritious meals and fulfillment of personal needs. This programming builds on what is known about how boys learn and grow and addresses the distinctive development styles and energy levels of boys.

Rural America Initiatives

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Mentoring

Ateyapi mentoring provides tutoring and cultural activities to 1000 fourth thru twelfth graders in Rapid City Area Schools. Our Head Start and Early Head Start Programs provide early childhood education to 400 children 0-5 years old.

YMCA of Rapid City

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Youth Development

Driven by the Y mission, YMCA programing is diverse and broad-based reaching all ages, races, genders, faiths, abilities and economic backgrounds in a sense of community. Specific programs include early learning childcare, out-of-school-time enrichment, sports, aquatics, wellness, leadership, feeding and specialty groups.

Youth and Family Services

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Girls Inc

Girls Inc. typically serves 700+ girls, ages 6-11, with age-appropriate prevention, education, and recreation programming after school and during the summer. Its mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Its goal is to build the girls’ capacity for responsible, confident adulthood, economic independence, and personal fulfillment. To this end, Girls Inc. promotes the girls’ healthy mental, physical, social, and emotional development and supports their academic progress.

Prairie Hills Transit

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Prairie Hills Child Care 

Prairie Hills Child Care Center is a licensed program committed to providing affordable and enriching child care services to families in the community. Our program is licensed to provide care to a maximum of 41 children at any given time. We follow state adult to child ratios of 1 adult for every 5 children underage three and 1 adult to every 10 children over age three. PHCCC’s staff members provide encouragement and resources that give children opportunities to learn on an on going basis

Rural American Initiatives

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Child Care

Rural America Initiatives is a 0 to 5 preschool which targets Low Income, Native Americans who have moved from a reservation in the last year. We also do cultural group mentoring in the Rapid city Area school District. We serve about 400 families in the preschool program and about a 1000 students in our after school program.

Youth and Family Services

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Child Development Center

The Child Development Center (CDC) provides quality, affordable childcare for children and families in the Rapid City area. The CDC offers full day, full year Infant/Toddler, Preschool and School Age childcare. Nine Infant/Toddler classrooms and six Preschool/Head Start classrooms offer varying hours to meet the needs of working families. The CDC staffs a full-time nurse, family support group, degreed teachers, and associates. Transportation is provided from nine Rapid City area schools.

2-1-1 Helpline Center

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Helpline

The mission of the Helpline Center is making lives better by giving support, offering hope and creating connections all day, every day. The Helpline Center is 24/7 with three main focus areas , which include the 211 phone number, volunteer connections program and the suicide crisis line. The Helpline Center serves thousands of people every year by connecting individuals to resources and support, providing local agencies volunteers, and offering hope to individuals with thoughts of suicide.

American Red Cross - Central & Western SD Chapter

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Disaster Assistance

The Red Cross strives to alleviate human suffering wherever it’s found. When emergencies occur, we deliver help to whomever needs it as part of our humanitarian mission. In addition to responding to natural and man-made disasters like floods and home fires, the Red Cross also provides aid and comfort following other types of emergencies that can devastate individuals, families and communities, like transportation accidents, explosions or mass casualty events. When they occur, the Red Cross cares for survivors through a variety of support activities, including food services, bulk distribution, disaster health services, disaster mental health, disaster spiritual care, child care services and sheltering. In times of civil unrest, we provide places of safety for people evacuating their homes and/or communities. Today, COVID-19 compounds our challenges, placing those vulnerable to disasters at even greater risk during what has been a year of relentless disasters. In this environment, we have also seen an increased demand for our services — disaster survivors have reported more needs that required Red Cross sheltering, financial assistance and disaster health, mental health and spiritual care services, than they did just a year ago. These patterns — likely our new normal — require more of the Red Cross, and coupled with the coronavirus pandemic, they make our work more important than ever.

Salvation Army of the Black Hills

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Basic Needs Assistance Programs

The Salvation Army meets human needs without discrimination through basic emergency services such as food, clothing and utility assistance, as well as longer term case management through the Pathway of Hope Program, which helps families achieve self-sufficiency. In addition, we have several programs for youth enrichment, including summer camping opportunities, character building youth troops, and music education.

Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Home building

We are a partnership housing ministry. In basic terms, we build, repair and sell affordable homes to families earning between 30-70% area median income who: -have a need for affordable housing, -are able to make an affordable payment, -are willing to partner with us through sweat equity, but do not qualify for conventional financing. Our program requires partner families to complete financial classes with a working budget, and home maintenance and homeowner preparation classes while saving toward closing costs to establish a habit of saving. They also assist in the construction of the homes to gain basic maintenance skills. As each homeowner pays their monthly mortgage payment, they 'pay it forward' by helping to fund the housing solutions for future homeowners. This process allows them to give a 'hand up' to families that follow while having complete ownership of their home.

NeighborWorks

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Home buying counseling & home maintenance program

NeighborWorks provides counseling to assist in all stages of homeownership including foreclosure prevention and mitigation. Homeownership counseling prepares homebuyers to navigate the complex process of purchasing and financing a home and better recognize and accept the responsibilities of homeownership. NeighborWorks currently employs 7 staff members at the office in Deadwood. Counseling is available Monday through Friday. Also, education courses are offered monthly at several locations.
 

Credit Consumer Counseling Services of the Black Hills 

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Financial Education Services

Improving Economic Stability for individuals and Families through counseling and education. When it comes to economic instability individuals and families have different reasons. Some families do not make enough to live on but do not know how much they need to cover their expenses. Other families think they need more income, but if they reviewed their expenses they may find they have enough to live on. Others think they have to get more education but are unsure if that will help them increase their income. We work with the family to review financial situation in detail and all their options and help them choose the best path to financial stability. When individuals are under stress it is very difficult for them to see options.

Dakota Plains Legal Services

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Adult Life Skills

Provides free, high-quality legal assistance in civil matters to eligible low-income and elderly clients in Western South Dakota.

Ellsworth AFB Airman &Family Readiness Center

Programs Supported by UWBH funding:

Financial Education Services

The EAFB A&FRC sees many members and their families for financial concerns. We provide support at various stages (prevention, solving an issue, and planning/educating to prevent a repeat issue). Our financial education/support program includes Credit When Credit Is Due, Home buying courses, car buying courses, renters courses, basic savings and investing, financial goal getters, and advanced investing. Our goal is to prevent disciplinary actions and mental health concerns related to finances.

Spouse Employment Education

Spouse employment has long been an area of concern for military members and their families. It has recently reached new heights as the 2018 Blue Star Family Survey Results showed that 56% of military spouses are underemployed and 30% are unemployed. The A&FRC has recently started to focus on spouse employment, working with the SD legislature to pass HB1111 for spouse licensure reciprocity and by providing spouse employment focused education, events, and job fairs.

Literacy Council of the Black Hills

Program Supported by UWBH funding: English Literacy Education for Employment Opportunities

Literacy Council of the Black Hills is engaged in workforce development at the grass roots level in the following ways: We meet new students “wherever they are” in their educational and employment journey. If our students are looking for employment we help them with the reading and writing tasks necessary to find jobs or start their own businesses. If students are underemployed we can help them qualify and hunt for better jobs. While students are looking for jobs, we help them find volunteer opportunities to practice their language skills and become familiar with American culture and the Rapid City community. We help students read safety manuals, employment handbooks, and qualify for drivers licenses. We practice telephone skills and work to improve diction and oral fluency. Many of our students are non-Native English speakers and are employed in small businesses including salons, restaurants, construction, and hotel cleaning and laundry facilities. But we also work with highly educated professionals who cannot perform their careers until they master English. Recently our students have included lawyers, accountants, a dentist, an anesthesiologist, a veterinarian, several engineers, school principals, and university professors in linguistics and English. Literacy Council of the Black Hills also prepares student for citizenship exams. US Citizenship opens up more employment opportunities for students.
 

Prairie Hills Transit

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Transportation Services

From its origination in 1989 as Spearfish Senior Transportation, Prairie Hills Transit (PHT) has grown from serving strictly senior citizens in Spearfish to providing transportation to youth, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and the general public – in a service area of fifteen communities in six different counties. Transportation needs in our project area for employment, seniors, healthcare appointments, students and daycare, and special events continue to grow.
 

Catholic Social Services

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Resilient Parenting and Counseling Services

Resilient Parenting is a brain-based trauma approach to parenting for parents and caregivers with children struggling with attachment issues, trauma, loss and/or separation early in their life. The 7 week course teaches skills to help reduce controlling behavior, improve relational skills, improve emotional control and improve caregiver safety. Resilient Parenting is helpful for biological, foster, adoptive parents and caregivers in any capacity.

Catholic Social Services (CSS) is a multi-program social services agency in Rapid City offering outpatient therapy and other behavioral health services, including two poverty-reduction programs; adoption and birth parent services; a Lakota identity educational curriculum; and disaster response to the 22 counties of western South Dakota. A staff of about 20 employees currently includes 5 licensed counselors; 8 mentors/program specialists; and 5 support staff

Ellsworth AFB Airman & Family Readiness Center

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Suicide Prevention training

The EAFB A&FRC has been focusing many efforts on the mental health of our Airmen and their families. Suicide and suicide ideations have become common place in the military culture, and Ellsworth AFB is no different. Our goal is to change that by putting into place programs that work on prevention, sustainment, and postvention. We are providing training's like Mental Health First Aid, ASIST, and safeTALK, as well as holding support events dealing with loss and conducting outreach sessions.

Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Counseling Services

Lutheran Social Services’ Behavioral Health Services provides mental health counseling for children, adults, families, and couples who are struggling with a wide array of mental health concerns, including family and relationship conflict, depression, grief, loss, anger, anxiety, abuse, chemical dependency, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and domestic violence. LSS counseling programs are accredited by the Council on Accreditation. LSS provides outpatient behavioral health services on a sliding fee scale based on family income. This makes counseling more affordable for low- and moderate-income people. Our Rapid City counseling office is open five days a week plus two evenings to accommodate client work schedules.

Canyon Hills Center

Canyon Hills Center is a psychiatric residential treatment center for youth ages 10 through 17 who have diagnosed psychological or psychiatric disorders. At Canyon Hills Center, youth are encouraged to learn and practice responsible decision making, develop self-respect, and build healthy relationships in a structured and supportive environment. Each youth has an individual treatment plan to meet his or her unique needs.

American Red Cross – Central SD & Western SD Chapter

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Mental Health Services

Disaster Mental Health program supports individuals, families, communities and Red Cross disaster workers around disaster responses. Preparedness: Provides education and training for the community regarding emotional responses to disaster. Conducts free classes to help communities build resilience as they prepare for disaster as well as recover after disaster. Response: Provides for the emotional needs of disaster clients, communities and volunteers in disasters of all sizes. They identify individuals who need additional support, provide short-term disaster mental health interventions and refer individuals to local resources as necessary, in order to supplement local community resources and strengthen community resilience. Disaster mental health interventions include: enhanced psychological first aid, psycho-education, referrals to local mental health resources, community resilience training, advocacy, crisis intervention and condolence support. Recovery: Provides resources to ensure that individuals, families and groups get the mental health support they need as they rebuild their lives. Training can help community members recognize stress responses in their families, friends, neighbors and themselves, effectively support people experiencing stress and identify when to get additional help.

Wellfully

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Crisis Care

The overview of the Crisis Care center is to provide crisis services 24-7 for youth in middle and high school. This outpatient, voluntary, walk-in center will work to screen, assess, observe, de-escalate and stabilize a youth in crisis in a culturally appropriate way. The center will be an access point to refer to appropriate services/level of care with a warm hand off. The primary function is to increase access to services for youth and families in a trauma informed manner. Through this center, a youth will receive streamlined care and a stabilization plan will be developed - connecting youth to support in the community, we can address underlying needs while keeping them safe.

Youth and Family Services

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Counseling Center

Therapists at the Counseling Center offer crisis intervention, assessments, and counseling for youth and their families to overcome challenges for an improved quality of life. The Counseling Center is providing tele-mental health services to youth and families that have internet capabilities and telephone therapy and support to those who do not. As COVID restrictions are slowly being lifted, the Counseling Center has begun to again offer in-person sessions. A licensed therapist is on-call at the center for crises. The Counseling Center also provides Equine-Assisted Therapy for children and youth that experience mental health illness and find it difficult to open up, discuss, and process emotions. The YFS Youth Trauma Center, a part of the Counseling Center, screens youth and families exposed to traumatic stress, assesses the severity of symptoms, and places or refers them into effective treatment programs.

Artemis House

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Victims of Violence Intervention Program

VVIP runs the Artemis House Shelter located in Spearfish, assists clients to recover from trauma, educates the community on preventing domestic violence and sexual assault, operates a 24/7 crisis line and runs court recognized courses for offenders of domestic violence. As a rural agency, we serve some of the most marginalized and isolated communities in our country. Additionally, as a shelter located near to four reservations, we also serve a disproportionately high number of Native American clients, making our agency a key resource for those who leave their community temporarily for safety reasons.

Crisis Intervention Shelter Service

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Shelter services

Crisis Intervention Shelter Services is a Domestic Violence shelter for victims in danger. We provide shelter, clothing, food, necessities, assist in getting protection orders,, IDs and much more. If it is unsafe for the victim to return to their home, we assist these individuals into permanent, stable housing. During their time here, we provide counseling and advocacy to give them the tools they'll need to live a violence free life style and to reduce the recidivism rates of domestic violence.

WAVI

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Program SAFE 

The primary goal of Project SAFE and our emergency safe shelter is to provide immediate safety and security for victims and their children, and address the barriers and necessities for victims to live independently and free from violence.

WEAVE

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Shelter Services

WEAVE assists victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, Stalking and child abuse. WEAVE provides hotlines, advocacy, safety, safety planning, shelter transportation, therapy, support groups, food, clothes and needed supplies. WEAVE assists victims and homeless with permanent housing that qualify. WEAVE assists with Protection Orders, Victims Compensation to assist with medical bills, lost wages. WEAVE assists children at the shelter attend school and counseling.

Seventh Circuit CASA Program

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Advocacy Services

The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program believes that every child deserves a safe, permanent, nurturing home. Seventh Circuit CASA Program recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers to advocate in court for the best interest of abused and neglected children. The goal of the CASA Program is to have a “voice” in court for every child who needs one.

Northern Hills Area CASA

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Advocacy Services

The Northern Hills Area Court-Appointed Special Advocate Program (NHCASA) recruits, trains and supports community volunteers, who are then appointed by judges to advocate for children involved in the court system due to abuse and neglect. Our impact actually includes all three of the United Way impact areas, as our volunteers advocate for health care and educational assistance for the children we serve with the goal of the children have successful futures as self-sustaining adults.
 

Community Health Center of the Black Hills

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Medication Co-Pay Assistance Program

The Medication Co-Pay Assistance Program funded by United Way allows CHCBH to cover a patient’s insurance copay that they would not otherwise be able to afford. In turn, we are then able to bill their insurance company for the remaining cost of that medication. Once CHCBH is reimbursed, these insurance monies are then used to subsidize other operational costs throughout CHCBH, for example our medication voucher program and our General Beadle flat fee program.

Compass Point

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Out-patient and in-patient services

CP is a drug/alcohol treatment agency, offering both intensive/outpatient services, as well as 3.7 intensive inpatient program. Along with our mission, our intention is to keep the community safe from the dangers of addiction. We are dedicated to keeping communities healthy ensuring that we have the capacity to help keep those abusing substances off the street. CP is the partnering treatment center for the NH Drug Court & the 4th Circuit DUI Court. CP is also home of the DUI first offender course

Lifeways 

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Substance Abuse prevention and screening programs

Lifeways provides Evidence-Based programming for 10-18 year old's which includes: 1. Prevention 2. Early Intensive Prevention (EIP) 3. Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) 1. Prevention is: planned, recurring education, structured activities to inform & impart skills. 2. EI is: afterschool education/skill building groups for students who have problems due to substance abuse. Also provide screening/assessments for referrals as needed. 3. IOP for youth experiencing Substance Use Disorder & support

Feeding SD 

Program Supported by UWBH funding: BackPack Program 

The BackPack program provides weekend food packages to at-risk youth in the Black Hills area. Currently 34 schools are partners with the program, serving nearly 1900 youth on a weekly basis. Statewide, the program reaches over 5000 youth. Backpacks consist of nutritious purchased products; including breakfast items, meals and snacks. Over 900 volunteers help package and distribute the food each week to make the program a success.

Meals on Wheels

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Senior Meals

Meals on Wheels provides the noon meal Monday through Friday, and frozen meals for evenings and weekends, each of which provides 1/3 of the daily reference intake standards which includes lean protein, no sugar added, low sodium, low fat, and whole grain products. Meals are delivered to the senior’s home or seniors dine together at one our 25 dining sites. Shelf stable blizzard meals are provided.

Spearfish Nutrition Site

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Senior Meals 

To provide contact and nutritious meals to the elderly, home bound, disabled or otherwise qualifying individuals.

Minneluzahan Senior Citizens Center

Program Supported by UWBH funding: HappyPak program

We are a social and service organization through which senior citizens may remain socially, culturally, and healthily engaged citizens by participating in the programs we host.

Senior Companion Program of South Dakota

Program Supported by UWBH funding: Senior Companions

Senior Companions are older adults who volunteer their time to help other older adults. They can provide transportation, in-home help such as light housekeeping, respite care and friendship. This is a free service. Our Senior Companions are lower income seniors and serve between 15 and 40 hours a week. Senior Companions receive a tax-free stipend which helps defray the cost of volunteering. They also receive mileage reimbursement. This is a federal grant program through AmeriCorps.