Happy Wednesday! Megan here.

First things first: This issue is sponsored by Dakota Adventure Supply.

  • Dakota Adventure Supply creates South Dakota-made adventuring gear that's high quality enough to last a lifetime. They're celebrating National Trails Day with a hike at 10 a.m. Saturday at Great Bear Ski Valley in partnership with the Great Outdoor Store. The first 50 attendees get a free patch. Learn more about the hike here, and check out Dakota Adventure Supply's heirloom-quality gear here.

Weather check: Warm and spring-y

This week, you'll meet an Eagle Scout whose project gives us a new view of the city. You'll also find a pair of great features from our sponsors where you'll meet a nonprofit inspiring hope and learn about a unique summer camp that's showing kids options for STEM careers. Plus, find our regular roundup of weekly events.

And now, news:

COMMUNITY

This soon-to-be Eagle Scout is sharing a new view of the city

Simplified: One of the highest points in Sioux Falls just got a new vantage point thanks to the work of a local teen pursuing his Eagle Scout. Here's how Ian Klinski brought a viewfinder to the top of Great Bear Recreation Park.

Why it matters

  • Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts, and one of the requirements to earn this title is to complete a project that benefits the community.
  • Klinski, an incoming Roosevelt High School senior, has been involved in the scouts since first grade.
  • It took a couple years of fundraising, planning and hard work, and earlier this month, Klinski saw his final scout project come together when the viewfinder was installed. He said the project helped him become a better leader.
"It has helped me to step up on things like school or everyday life," Klinski said.

How did this all come together?

SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS

This summer camp gives kids hands-on STEM experience

This is a paid piece from the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

Simplified: A one-day camp from the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and Forward Sioux Falls will help middle schoolers see all of the ways what they're learning in school could translate to a future career in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Here's what you need to know about "Your Future STEM."

Why it matters

  • By the time kids leave middle school, their academic path is largely already set. That's why it's so important to make sure kids are exposed to different career paths, experiences and project-based learning before they choose their high school classes.
  • The Your Future STEM day camp will take place at Augustana University, and kids will get to do hands-on projects. They'll also get to tour a local business with a specific tie to STEM fields – for example, Daktronics, Sanford, Avera, the airport and more.
  • Exposing young kids to STEM experiences can also help them see themselves in career fields they may not have otherwise considered. It breaks down barriers, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Foundation.
"The more we can do to expose these kids to STEM and give them different experiential learning opportunities, it helps them identify their strengths," Guzzetta said. "It helps them find those areas that they like, and it keeps them excited about school."

Tell me more about the camp

SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS

He started a nonprofit, and his team was right there to help

This is a paid piece from Midco.

Simplified: When Darin and Kari Palmer founded a nonprofit in memory of their late son, Darin's team at Midco rallied around them to show support. Four years later, the team's support has only grown stronger.

Tell me more about the nonprofit

The couple started Journey of Hope in 2020 with the mission of meeting people where they're at, giving them space to be heard, and inspiring hope and possibility for the future.

  • They accomplish this by providing basic necessities and hygiene products to people who are unhoused, re-joining society after incarceration, struggling with addiction or who just need a helping hand.

Why it matters

  • Journey of Hope regularly hands out blue tote bags with essential hygiene products – an homage to Sven Godwin, the couple's son who died in February 2020 of an alcohol overdose after years of struggling with depression and addiction. He always carried a blue tote, and his parents knew he often needed a new pair of socks and access to basic hygiene items.
  • The nonprofit has grown to help not only people who are battling addiction or coming out of incarceration, but also to help people who are unhoused, kids in juvenile detention and kids in local schools who are in need of basic hygiene products.
  • Darin's colleagues at Midco have also grown closer as a team through volunteering with Journey of Hope – particularly in the times they've volunteered together to fill the tote bags.
"When you work with someone five days a week, 40 hours a week, they become family," he said.

Tell me more about Midco's support

EVENTS

Stuff to do: May 29-June 4

  • *Play in the past. The 23rd Annual Siouxland Renaissance Festival runs Saturday and Sunday at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds. Enjoy a costume contest, viking storytelling, several performers, dozens of merchants and learn 'how not to die' in the combat arena. Find a full schedule and get your tickets here.
  • Cruise Familyfest. Hood Magazine's annual Familyfest fun cruise runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Visit local businesses on all sides of town, find fun activities and win prizes. You can find a map of the self-guided cruise stops here, and be sure to follow along on Instagram Saturday on @sfsimplified as I tour the cruise with my two daughters.
  • Celebrate 25 years of the Pavilion. The Washington Pavilion is marking 25 years of science, art and theater with a big party on Saturday. There'll be live music and a beer tent, free access to the Kirby Science Center, the planetarium and the art galleries, free cupcakes and an evening performance from Broadway star Sutton Foster. Details here.
  • Catch the first Levitt show of the season. Levitt at the Falls is kicking off its summer season Friday night with Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience. It's the first of 50 free concerts all summer long. Find a full lineup here.
  • Eat vegetables. It's the third annual Veg Fest this weekend at the Good Earth Farm near Lennox. Take a yoga class, try food samples, do crafts, learn about plants, and find a cute dog to adopt from The Rescue Network. Full details here.
  • Hear stories. South Dakota Voices for Peace is debuting its Portraits of Courage documentary series at the State Theatre downtown on Tuesday. Hear the stories of three community elders, and then have a chance to hear from those elders directly in a panel discussion following the film. Details and tickets here.

*Denotes a paid event listing. Want to see your event shared? Email megan@sfsimplified.com.

THIS AND THAT

What I'm falling for this week:

ICYMI

More Simplified Stories

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Dakotah Jordan is the education and postvention manager for Lost & Found, a nonprofit that works to eliminate suicide.
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How Dorothy’s List shines a light on inclusive businesses
A new organization is working to not only help people support businesses who are allies to the LGBTQ+ community, but also to provide resources for those businesses to show that support year-round – not just during Pride Month.
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Reach out

What story do you want to see simplified? Falling for something local? Send any news tips, attaboys, missed typos or swim passes to megan@sfsimplified.com.

Thank you

Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including Dakota Adventure Supply, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Panther Premier Print Solutions, Barre3 Sioux Falls, Midco, the Great Plains Zoo, and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.

Special thanks to Dakota Adventure Supply!

Learn more here about their South Dakota-made, high quality adventure gear, and make sure to sign up for their email list to stay up-to-date on new products and releases. You can also learn more by chatting with co-founder Jeff Hayward at the Natural Trails Day Hike on Saturday.