IMPACT
in Rapid City
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.
Rapid City Club for Boys
It’s 2024 and Johnny has been coming to the Club for Boys since he was 6; now he’s 16. Like so many boys, he has had a lot of challenges. Despite all his challenges, he is cheerful and gives hugs freely—he’s a wonderful young man.
In the Club’s game room, Johnny works part time (for wages); he also worked selling trees on the Christmas tree lot last December. The Club’s family services director is working with his dad to stabilize their housing situation. He is a resilient young man who, given a fair chance, will succeed.
In compiling the educational statistics, I noticed that Johnny had several sessions over the past year with the educational coach for older boys. I know Johnny well and asked him to talk with me frankly about his experience.
Last year he was a freshman at Central High School, and he told me he was failing all his classes. He began working with the educational coach in February 2023 and improved his grades but not enough to pass his freshman year. He went to summer school and worked with the coach throughout the summer.
By fall of school year 2023-2024, he was able to continue as a sophomore. This year, he has continued having sessions with the older boys’ coach and his grades are up and he’s not failing in any class.
He said that the coach has “helped me get all my assignments in and pass my classes.” He likes her and she has made a real difference. Johnny is smart but I don’t know that he would have had an educational opportunity like this without the Club’s support.
Club staff try every day to reach out and help boys who need it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, it did. Johnny reached out to staff who care about him, help was there and now he’s further on his way to high school graduation. A reason to celebrate.
Thanks to generous donors like you, United Way of the Black Hills is able to make stories like this possible!