Happy Wednesday! Megan here.
Weather check: Might be more rain on the way
Help me help you: I'm starting to put together election resources ahead of November, and I'm not going to lie, it's no small thing to pull this kind of stuff together. And in the interest of maintaining my own independence as an organization, I'm not taking any paid ads from political parties, folks running for office, PACs, etc.
- All this to say, if you've valued my election guides in the past and want to support a more robust guide for November, consider buying in as a paid Sioux Falls Simplified member.
This week, I've got a look at how the first year of a new Community Learning Center after-school care model is going in Sioux Falls. You'll also find an outpouring of community support as a silver lining to an otherwise very tragic situation. Plus, don't miss our weekly event guide and some Super Simplified Stories.
And now, news:
EDUCATION
Why hundreds more kids are getting after-school care
Simplified: The Sioux Falls School District has helped about 1,000 more kids access after-school and summer care in the first year of it's new community learning center (CLC) program. But the district has yet to find a sustainable funding source to keep the program going long-term.
Why it matters
- Last fall, the district opened community learning centers at all 22 Sioux Falls elementary schools. These centers replace the former Kids Inc. program, and they operate through partnerships with four nonprofits – Embe, the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, and Volunteers of America.
- These centers, in particular, are aiming to help kids who previously had no place to go after school, and in year one it appears to be working, according to data presented to board members Monday. More than 400 kids received financial aid last year – a 50% increase from the year prior.
- The early successes are great and students in the CLCs are showing early improvements in academics and behaviors during the regular school day, said Rebecca Wimmer, the district's coordinator of community partnerships and after-school programs.
- But if the program is going to stick around, the district needs to figure out a sustainable funding model as costs of care increase.
"If we want to look long-term, we have to keep this up for generations," Wimmer said. "We can't offer it for five years and then have it disappear. This has to be generational."
Tell me more about the CLCs
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Community encouraged to 'Show Up.' The Sioux Falls School District – with the help of marketing partners at Click Rain and Lemonly – is launching a marketing campaign to let the entire community know the importance of making sure kids show up to school. This is just one of several steps the district is taking to combat chronic absenteeism. (More background here.)
- Data on bad driving. Sioux Falls police this week released the results of five multi-agency saturation patrols held between March and August. All told, those patrols amounted to 54 DWI arrests, 775 citations and 15 examples of exhibition driving or eluding police. The groups involved in patrols were the Sioux Falls Police Department, both Lincoln and Minnehaha County Sheriff's Offices, South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Minnehaha County Reserves.
- It's a ... thousand. The Butterfly House and Aquarium saw a rare hatching event this month with the birth of more than 1,000 horeseshoe crabs (aka trilobites). In an aquarium setting, these crabs typically do not lay eggs, but an aquarist found the trilobites and, lo and behold, there were 1,000 of them. Many will not survive to adulthood – the survival rate in the wild is 0.01% – but hundreds have already survived their first molt. The hatchlings are not on display, but the butterfly house will post updates on social media.
- Here's what they look like (both normally and under a microscope – they're about the size of a pencil eraser).
COMMUNITY
How the community is coming together to grieve an abandoned infant
Simplified: Several community members and organizations have come together to host a funeral for the infant who was found at the Sioux Falls recycling center. They've also given the child a name – Gabriel James Doe.
Tell me more
Sioux Falls police responded to Millennium Recycling on Aug. 6 where a baby boy was found dead.
The case is still under investigation with no updates to share at this point, according to police spokesman Sam Clemens, but the child's remains were released from the coroner's office to Miller Funeral Home.
- The funeral home has a long-standing practice of offering funeral services for children at no charge, Director Matthew Koball said.
"It's just the right thing to do," Koball said.
Koball then reached out to Travis and Jessica Remme, a local couple who runs the Oaklyn Foundation, a group that supports families through the loss of a child.
- The Remmes started the foundation in memory of their daughter, Oaklyn, who died shortly after her birth in January 2018.
- That experience also led Travis Remme to become a pastor, and he will also be one of three officiants of Baby Gabriel James' funeral service.
Several others also stepped forward to offer help, including the Angel Lee Cronin Fund, volunteers from Avera McKennan, the Flower Mill and Leifstyle Baking.
"It's just been really awesome to see an immediate and generous outpouring of love for this little one," Koball said.
What will this service mean for the community?
And find details for how to attend (0r watch online).
EVENTS
Stuff to do: Aug. 28-Sept. 3
- Reignite your entrepreneurial spirit.* Startup Sioux Falls is hosting a Founders Retreat Sept. 11 through 13 in the Black Hills. Attendees will have time to step out of the daily grind of their business, get a fresh perspective, connect with other like-minded folks, develop their vision and, of course, connect with nature. Learn more and join the fun here. (Editor's note: I'll be there, too, if you want to hang out.)
- Go to the zoo. It's Community Appreciation Day at the zoo on Monday, and visitors can get a discounted admission rate of $5 thanks to financial support from the Sioux Falls City Council. Visitors are advised to get tickets ahead of time, if possible. You can do that here.
- Eat pork. The Fourth Annual Downtown Pork Showdown kicks off Sunday with 26 participating restaurants. Try everything from pork waffles to bahn mi to brats to candied bacon ice cream throughout the month of September. Find all the participating restaurants here.
- Catch live music. The LifeLight Christian music festival will take place Sunday at Nelson Park. Find activities for kids, food vendors and performances from a variety of bands including headliners "Newsboys." Details and lineup here.
- Lean in to fall vibes. It's opening weekend for the County Apple Orchard's Fall Festival in Harrisburg. That'll kick off a whole season of weekly, family-friendly events. You can see the full lineup here.
*Denotes a paid event listing. Want to see your event shared here? Email megan@sfsimplified.com.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
- Amore
- Treats for doing good
- Two grand openings in the Steel District
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
WANT TO FEEL THIS SMART ALL THE TIME?
Support Sioux Falls Simplified
Here are a few ways to ensure this smarter, easier local news outlet is here to stay:
- Forward this to a friend. Sharing is caring, and the best gifts are the ones that make your life easier – like this smarter, easier local news.
- Become a member. Consider buying into a smarter Sioux Falls by becoming a member and offering financial support to the no B.S. journalism you've been reading here.
- Give a one-time gift. Not ready to commit to a membership? That's OK! If you want to help in a smaller way, you can give a one-time gift via buy me a coffee. :)
- Advertise with us. Tell the "simplified" story of your business to your target audience. Want more info? Reach out to megan@sfsimplified.com.
Reach out
What story do you want to see simplified? Falling for something local? Send any news tips, attaboys, missed typos or Labor Day BBQ invites to megan@sfsimplified.com.
Thank you
Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including Dakota Adventure Supply, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, Panther Premier Print Solutions, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Great Plains Zoo, and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.
