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.
7th Circuit CASA Program
Relationship is at the core of the work we do here at CASA. Success doesn’t always look one way. The most profound thing that can happen is for a child in our community to know that they are truly valued and that they live in a community that will support them along their journey.
The following is an excerpt from a CASA volunteer’s first encounter with a child whose case they chose to advocate for.
“I arrived at Juvenile Services Center a little before 5 to meet RY for the first time. I was met with a smile. When I asked RY why he wanted a CASA (requesting one when he came into care two years ago), he said he saw another kid at a different facility with one, and he wanted a bond like they had.
I asked RY to tell me about himself. He asked what I wanted to know. I told him to start at the beginning. He did. I am thankful I had access to his full report because RY has been through a lot, and I feel it would have been a lot to follow. I still got lost in some of it. RY talked for almost two hours telling me his story. He spoke fondly of his time in Mitchell, but he also said it wasn’t a good place for him in terms of the people he hung out with.
RY does feel like his grandma abandoned him. He hasn’t heard from her since she left, and he did add she has her own issues with alcohol abuse. RY would like to go to the Marines. He wants to get his credits and graduate and sign on. RY admittedly needs structure.
He is an endearing young guy. He is conversational, and he wants to do better, but he knows he lets himself drift off to the dark side. RY is like a helium balloon that is very slowly deflating. It bounces low and high and continuously waiting for someone to catch it and tie it down. RY wants someone to catch him and hold him.”
When it comes to early childhood education, high-quality learning environments make a lifelong difference. In Rapid City, Starting Strong teachers are proving just how powerful that impact can be — not only through the children they teach but in the measurable progress they continue to make in their classrooms.
Thanks to generous donors like you, United Way of the Black Hills is able to make stories like this possible!