Jessica Lee, York, NE, decided to address the needs of the children who come to Epworth Village, Inc., and created The Closet. Jessica was able to collect donations from three states (SD, NE, MN) in the form of clothing, personal items, school supplies, games and toys. These items are set up in the basement of Epworth Village, Inc. and individuals can go to The Closet free of charge.
Jessica Miller, Rapid City, SD, developed a program called Tidbits to Healthy Nutritional Habits that she implemented at her local YMCA. Her program lasted seven weeks, with each week featuring a different topic about healthy nutrition. The children participated in hands-on projects and received fact sheets about what they learned that week to bring home and share with their families.
Erin Misialek, Minto, ND, recognized the need in her community for Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). She was able to raise enough money to purchase 5 AEDs for area buildings in Minto, ND, and the surrounding area. Erin trained 20 community members in the use of AEDs, as well as basics in first aid and CPR.
Emily Mundahl, Bismarck, ND, decided to raise awareness of the needs of Central Dakota Humane Society (CDHS), including making 80 Buddy Blankets for the shelter. She created and distributed flyers to inform the community about the needs of CDHS. The flyers also had instructions on how to create the Buddy Blankets. Emily also created a how-to video and shared it on YouTube.
Helen Schuster, Minto, ND, decided to create the Veteran’s History Project. The main focus of the project was to preserve the history and stories of veterans. Helen interviewed and recorded 9 stories from veterans for the Library of Congress and raised money for the Freedom Shrine at the Minto School. To complete the project, Helen dedicated 91 hours.
After the 2011 Missouri flood, the Steamboat Park Cabin landscape was ruined. Rhiannon Sears, Pierre, SD, wanted to improve the landscape conditions. Rhiannon designed a new landscape plan and executed her design. She planted brightly colored bushes and flowers. Not only does the new landscape improve the cabin, it increased the appearance of the whole park.
Malle Stephens, Brandon, SD, filmed a short video featuring two families affected by organ donors. One family lost a daughter to a brain aneurysm and her donated organs saved many lives, while the other family’s son was saved by an organ transplant. Once completed, one video was distributed to each state to driver education programs, along with a survey for students to complete.
Shelby Stotz, Rapid City, SD, saw the needs of the homeless in her community so she created Sewing for HOPE. She worked with the HOPE Center in Rapid City, SD, to develop a Tuesday morning sewing club to teach homeless men and women to make items for themselves, as well as mend their clothing. The Tuesday morning sewing club has been continued through the help of community volunteers.
In just two short months, Haley Ullom, Valley Springs, SD, implemented a reading program for preschool students at Blessed Redeemer Lutheran Preschool in Brandon, SD. Haley was able to utilize donated books from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and turn them into recorded books available on computers. The recorded books contain audio and visual effects.
Miranda Wilcox, Horace, ND, worked with local community partners to build dugouts for the Horace softball diamond fields. To complete her Gold Award project, Miranda dedicated 135 hours. She is hopeful the addition to the softball diamond fields will help kids develop a lifelong love of the sport of baseball or softball.