IMPACT
in Sturgis
Your Generosity in Action
Thanks to your support, United Way of the Black Hills is proud to share real stories — told in the words of our partners — that show how your generosity is making a difference every day.
Prairie Hills Transit
In 2015 we began providing service for a young lady, Jessie, who is supported by Black Hills Special Services, Inc. In her early childhood, both Jessie and her brother were enrolled at BHSSC while they were in foster care.
Eventually, her brother moved to another community. Currently, Jessie is able to live independently and uses the bus nearly every day to go to the bank, grocery store, her mental health counselor, and the veterinarian for her guinea pigs. When one of the guinea pigs passed away Jessie asked us to take her to a friend’s house so the guinea pig could be buried.
Her brother recently lost his life in a tragic car/pedestrian accident, and her mother moved to Sturgis. Her mother is also a rider using Prairie Hills Transit (PHT) to get to her appointments and other locations she needs to go to. While Jessie continues to be supported by BHSSC she can live independently and complete activities of daily living on her own.
The Women’s Shelter in Sturgis frequently uses PHT for the moms to get to work and the children to get to school. At times, we are the source of the trip from the Women’s Shelter to a new start for mom and the children. This allows anonymity for this family unit and gives them transportation to the locations they need to go to which allows independence to begin to return for them.
Thanks to generous donors like you, United Way of the Black Hills is able to make stories like this possible!