Legacy Heart Club

Driver’s Edge
Need:  The leading cause of death for South Dakota and US teens are car crashes.  In 2004, 14-20 year-olds made up 10.3% of licensed drivers, but were involved in 23.4% of fatal and injury crashes.
Service:  Driver’s Edge is a national non-profit program founded in 2002 by former professional race care driver, Jeff Payne.  Driver’s Edge is a no cost educational program for young drivers (ages 14-21) that teaches real life accident avoidance and emergency response techniques and overall driver safety.  The program is conducted through a 4 ½ hour class.  Over 360 youth participated over a 2-day period last summer from 59 different communities.  There was a waiting list last year to attend.  The request is to offer the program again, but to add an additional day to serve 600 kids (6 sessions with 100 kids each session).

First Children’s Finance – Sioux Falls Growth Fund
Need: Quality of care is directly tied to the quality and consistency of child care staff; however many programs struggle with staff turnover.  Gaps in childcare management, business practices and human resources are issues with most agencies along with needs in marketing and board governance.
Service: The project will target investments and management assistance to three existing nonprofit childcare and early education centers supported by Sioux Empire United Way.  Over a one-year project period, the centers will participate in an in-depth process of assessing their business, human resource and financial condition and will create a plan with concrete action steps.  They will recruit local corporate advisors to serve as Growth Fund Advisors.  This group will review business plans and offer advice, feedback, and referrals to help each center achieve. Each of the three centers will receive $10,000 as part of their business plan.

Growing Healthy Initiative – HOPSSports
Need: 1in 3 kids are either overweight or obese and 65% of adults are as well. Sioux Falls School District elementary schools currently have two 35 minute sessions each week for physical education, while national standards say that each child should receive 150 minutes weekly or 60 minutes daily.
Service: HOPSSports is a multi-media approach to educate and provide physical activity at the same time.  The goal is to create positive, healthy habits for students and staff using the school environment as the delivery vehicle.   Kids can use the program at home with use of a “cyber gym”.  They would have a trial run this summer and will kick-off the program in the fall of 2008 for 3^rd-5^th grades at Harvey Dunn Elementary.  

Kilian Community College – Bridges Program
Need:  The 2002 Robinson & Muenster survey commissioned by Sioux Empire United Way & Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation indicated that 70% of the refugees and immigrants surveyed said that language was the one issue causing the most difficulty in their lives.  82% of those surveyed indicated they were interested in improving their ability to read, write and speak English. 
Service:  The program assists non-English speakers in their transition form general standard English to a higher academic level that will prepare them for future college/university classes or improved employment.  Individuals must have either their GED or High School Diploma to enroll but are not yet ready to enter college.  

Lunch is Served
Need:  Labor Ready indicates 90% of workers need a mid-day meal.  According to the Community Food Banks of South Dakota, 1 out of every 7 individuals lives at or below the poverty line. 
Service:  The program serves a nutritious mid-day meal to the working poor in Sioux Falls by dropping off brown-bag lunches at Labor Ready, Kilian Community College, and Dakota Staffing.  The program was launched in September of 2006 and volunteers prepare and distribute 150 lunches on Tuesdays.

Pathways – Augustana Friendslink
Need:  When individuals with disabilities turn 21, they graduate from the school system creating limited opportunities for activities.  There are also limited activities provided through group homes.
Service:  The program provides specialized education and recreational opportunities for adults with disabilities along with reverse integration opportunities for Augustana college students.  The program began in 2004 and has since switched partnership from the Sioux Falls School District to Augustana College.  Also changed, is a focus to pair up a person with a disability with an Augustana student.  Some students are paid, some volunteer, and some participate for practicum hours. Through the program they also desire "reverse integration" by increasing the number of non-disabled individuals who participate.

Sioux Council Boy Scouts of America – Soccer and Scouting
Need:  The Hispanic population has grown 89% in Sioux Falls from 2000 to 2006 (3,091 to 5,848). Scouting, as well as local soccer programs, have indicated that they do not seem to serve the Hispanic population as well as they could could/should because of language barriers, transportation, cost, and time.   
Service:  Soccer and Scouting is a new approach to engage Hispanic youth (boys and girls in grades 1-5) in Boy Scouts, but is not limited to this cultural group.  The twelve month program is divided into four seasons, each 12 weeks long. Each season begins with a “Jump start” day (orientation) and is then followed by ten weeks of game/den days to be held on Sunday afternoons.  Each season concludes with a tournament and graduation.  The program will be held at Whittier Middle School.

Sioux Falls Housing & Redevelopment – Housing Application & Security Deposit Assistance
Need:  1,800 unduplicated families receive a housing voucher every year, but the wait time to receive the voucher is over two years.  Once they receive a voucher they have 60 days to locate appropriate housing, but 50% ask for extensions.  If they can’t find suitable housing then they go to the end of list and start again.  Every month approximately 25 families are not able to use the voucher.
Service:  The program will allow families who have received a HUD Housing Choice Voucher to utilize the voucher and access better quality and affordable housing.  The program would provide a revolving loan fund that will provide assistance to extremely low income families (annual incomes at or below 30% of the median income or $15,100 for a family of 2).  Families could request a loan to pay for application fees (average $35/person) and security deposits (around $300) that they would repay.  They project to serve 240 families with application fees and 32 families with security deposits.

South Dakota State University– Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Youth Sports
Need:  Over 40 million youth play sports in school or within their community in the United States.  However, 50-70% drop out of sports by the age of twelve.  Kids report the top five reasons for quitting as: loss of interest, not having fun, too much time required, poor coaching, and too much pressure.
Service:  The purpose is to change the attitude of youth sports within our community by piloting with YMCA (specifically the basketball program).  The program includes three strategies.  1) A “Tip Off” event would be held in the fall of 2008 to inform parents, coaches, youth and the community about the importance of youth sports.  Fun family activities and motivational speakers will highlight the event. 
2) Ten workshops offered will help coaches and parents to create a positive sports environment through a nationally-recognized, research-based curriculum.  The coaches and parents will be required to attend at least one workshop in the year. 3) Three “Coaching for Youth Coaches” Clinics to coach basic basketball skills along with positive youth development ideas.  4) Monthly newsletters and web-based information for parents and coaches are provided as well.

Tuffy’s Tots
Need: Centerville currently has five in-home programs that are full and are turning away around 20 kids.  Tuffy’s Tots will be the first childcare center in Centerville. 
Service:  Tuffy’s Tots will serve children ages newborn through ten years old. Hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays and two Saturdays a month.  They received a Governor’s house that can serve 20 kids on the main floor but up to 38 kids if they can finish the basement.  The funding from Sioux Empire United Way will allow them to finish their basement to serve more kids.