Happy Wednesday! Megan here.
Weather check: Is it even Thanksgiving week without a chance of snow on a busy travel day?
This week, the newsletter is properly STUFFED full of news, as I hope all of you will be with turkey and whatnot tomorrow. You'll learn the latest in the city's ongoing discussion for addressing the childcare crisis, find a unique way to give back, follow the Lincoln High School band to NYC, and find a round-up of local events.
- I also wanted to take a minute to share my own experiences with shopping locally. It's a message you're hearing again and again this time of year, but I wanted to take that message a step further and share some specific examples of changing shopping habits to support more local businesses.
And now, news:
CITY
Thousands of S.D. kids miss out on childcare assistance
Simplified: More than 25,000 South Dakota children (birth to age 5) who are eligible for state childcare subsidies aren't receiving them, according to data presented to the Sioux Falls City Council on Tuesday. The question councilors are asking: Can the city be part of breaking down barriers to connect more families with those funds?
Why it matters
- South Dakota has a well-documented childcare crisis, in which parents are unable to afford care, centers are unable to afford paying providers, and at the end of the day, it's all affecting the state's workforce and business community.
- The city has been looking at ways it can be part of a local solution for the past few years, most recently in hiring a consultant to research specific solutions to the barriers families and childcare providers are facing.
- That consultant – Justin Smith, of Woods, Fuller, Schultz & Smith – shared a number of changes both to state law and state regulations that could help connect more folks to the already available resources in the South Dakota Child Care Assistance (SDCCA) program.
- Right now, South Dakota falls well below other states in the percentage of eligible families who receive childcare assistance. About 7% of eligible kids in the state are receiving SDCCA compared to about 23% in other states, Smith shared.
"When you talk about only 7% of eligible families accessing the benefits to which they're entitled, that frustrates me," Councilor David Barranco said.
Tell me more about proposed changes
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
How giving local can help you give kids a 'Hallmark' holiday
This is a paid piece from the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation.
Simplified: Family Visitation Center – a nonprofit committed to giving kids a safe, supervised place to visit with their parents – is one of dozens of local nonprofits using the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation's Giving Depot as a way to connect with donors this holiday season.
Why it matters
- The Giving Depot is a virtual bulletin board where local nonprofits can share their needs. It's also an easy way for community members in Sioux Falls to connect with ways to give-back in a timely, intentional manner.
- Dozens of nonprofits in town have already connected with donors through the Giving Depot, including Family Visitation Center.
- Family Visitation Center is using the Giving Depot this winter as an outlet to share information about a special holiday goal: to gift every child it serves with a nice, hardcover copy of children's Christmas book, "The Polar Express." It's a goal they expect would cost $2,000 to accomplish, according to Director of Development Carol Woltjer.
"I've worked in the nonprofit world for over 50 years, and not everybody has a Hallmark Christmas," Woltjer said. "So, if you can give them that kind of Christmas, hopefully those memories can replace some of those not-so-Hallmark memories."
Tell me more about Family Visitation Center
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Patriots on parade. Lincoln High School marching band students are marching in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Thursday morning. They've been preparing for this moment for about a year and a half now, and according to The Dakota Scout, it took $1 million in fundraising to make the trip happen. The Argus Leader has all the deets on how to watch. Plus, Keloland got an update from the band in the big apple.
- Get smart about viaducts. Officials from the city and state, along with several other planning organizations are hosting an open house on Tuesday to talk about the future of the 10th & 11th Street viaducts. The goal is to figure out what folks want to see as the state/city look to design options for replacing the viaducts. The open house will run from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Monick Yards. You can also submit public comments here through Dec. 20.
- How to help feed kids. Local restaurant The Barrel House's nonprofit Hungry Hearts is pledging to match donations to the Sioux Falls School District Angel Fund up to $100,000. The Angel Fund supports kids who have negative meal balances to ensure everyone gets a meal. Scroll to the bottom of this page to find PayPal and Venmo links to donate.
- Drop off those leaves quickly. The city is closing its seasonal branch and leaf drop-off sites on Sunday, Dec. 1. So you've only got a few more days to conveniently drop off all your yard garbage before you have to haul it to the landfill or just compost it yourself.
FROM MEGAN
What shopping locally looks like for me
I talked a lot about shopping locally this month. Heck, I created an entire BINGO game – in partnership with about 20 downtown businesses – just to, essentially, bribe folks to consider a local shop over a big-box retailer this holiday season.
But what about me?
It’s easy to talk about the importance of shopping locally. But it’s harder to turn talk into action – especially during the busiest months of the year. The call to “shop local” is important, but also vague and hard to put into practice.
When I founded Sioux Falls Simplified nearly four years ago, I made an internal commitment to support local businesses more. (Again, vague and hard to put into practice.)
- After a few years, I’m just now figuring out how to slowly and sustainably integrate supporting local businesses into my daily/weekly routine. So I wanted to share some of my own experience.
- I’ve got plenty of work to do yet, and it hasn’t always been easy. But these efforts to keep my spending local have really paid off for me in both tangible and intangible ways.
From where I set my coffee meetings to where I buy my shampoo, here’s how I support local businesses even when it means a little extra work or money.
Show me the receipts
EVENTS
Stuff to do: Nov. 27-Dec. 3
- Play bingo. Pick up your BIN-GO Shop Local card at participating downtown businesses or at a Voyage Federal Credit Union branch. Make sure you turn your cards back in by Dec. 2 (don't worry, you can fill them out in a day easily!). More details here.
- See some lights. The 32nd Annual Parade of Lights will take place Friday evening downtown. The parade kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and will run down Phillips Avenue between 13th and Fifth Streets. (Brag: my kid helped paint one of the snow plows that'll be featured.)
- Drink cocoa, sing carols. Want to warm up and get in the spirit before the parade on Friday? Swing by the Premiere Playhouse for some hot chocolate and carolers. Details here.
- Show off your beard. Remedy is asking folks to show off their facial hair in a competition to raise money for school lunches for kids in the Sioux Falls School District. The Beards for Box Lunches event will take place at Remedy Brewing Company from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday. Bonus – there's also a pickleball tournament as part of the event. More details here.
- Celebrate the Compass Center. The Compass Center is recognizing 50 years of supporting survivors of sexual and domestic violence. The nonprofit is also celebrating its recent merger with Move to Heal, which, incidentally is also celebrating a big anniversary this year at five years. Join the party at 5 p.m. Monday. More details here.
- Play D&D&D. Play Dungeons & Dragons (& Drinks) at Glacial Lakes. The fantasy realm fun kicks off at 5 p.m. Sunday. More details here.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
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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.
Oh, by the way
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