Gala winners selected

Congratulations Richard Booth, Matthew Blauvelt, Benjamin Roth, and David Tanner who have been selected to receive Outstanding Achievement Awards at our annual Recognition Gala on Saturday, November 6 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

            The Gala is our chance to recognize those who have made outstanding progress at Black Hills Workshop as well as organizations and individuals who help to make their success possible. Andrea Schaefer, Director of Barefoot Dance Studios and Outright Dance Theatre, will receive our Community Connection Award for creating opportunities for people from Black Hills Workshop to participate in mixed-ability dance. Forest Recreation Management and the Forest Service will receive our Volunteer Award for coordinating the annual Experience the Outdoors Day which many people from Black Hills Workshop participate in each year.  
            For more information about the Gala, contact JoAnne Schriver at 605-718-6205 or Brian Munsell at 605-718-6207.

Recent News

    Suzie Cappa artists show work at the Dahl Arts Center

    Artists from the Black Hills Workshop's Suzie Cappa Center for Art Expression and Enjoyment are showing their work at the Dahl Arts Center now through October 4 with an Artist's Reception Friday, September 3 from 5-7. The show, titled Face Ahead, will showcase 67 Styrofoam heads that have been sculpted into a variety of designs. Also on display will be the new book created by Julie Kowalski, a former volunteer at the Suzie Cappa Center. The book features black and white photos of fifty-one people served by Black Hills Workshop some with artwork they created at the Suzie Cappa Center. Face Ahead will be held in the Education Center; enter through Kansas City Street doors.

    Workshop undertakes housing projects

    Black Hills Workshop and other community support providers are playing a key role in the State Division of Developmental Disabilities’ goal to increase the availability of community supports in South Dakota. There are currently 147 people living at the South Dakota Developmental Center (SDDC) at Redfield, many of whom would benefit greatly from increased integration into communities closer to their families. This would also put the state in compliance with the integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act which requires public agencies to provide services “in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of individuals with disabilities.” The mandate was upheld by the Supreme Court in the Olmstead Decision in 1999. We are in the beginning stages of building three homes and leasing another, all of which will either house people currently living at Redfield, or create openings for them in our other housing options when people we currently serve move.

    Chantil Wilkerson Simply the Best

          Congratulations Chantil Wilkerson who has been selected as Black Hills Workshop’s Excellence in Service Award nominee. She and nominees from other South Dakota community service providers will be honored at Simply the Best September 15-16 in Chamberlain. The award is presented to direct support professionals for outstanding service and performance. Chantil has been in the disability field for 17 years and is currently a pre-vocational instructor in the sensory area.

    Shawn Bifulco's self-portrait to hang at Smithsonian

    As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, ANCOR (American Network of Community Options and Resources) will present an exhibit of self-portraits by individuals served by its member providers. The portraits will be presented at a party September 13 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery. According to coordinators, the show will provide an opportunity to see through the eyes of people with disabilities, reinforcing the message ANCOR members have been sharing for four decades: the value of individuals with disabilities as contributing members of our communities. Later ANCOR intends to use the submitted artwork to create a permanent installation at ANCOR National Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. All pieces, including Shawn’s which is shown above, will be photographed and ANCOR may also use the images to create note cards, calendars and other items for sale.

Read More News