You are invited to attend the Annual Meeting of the United Way & Volunteer Services of Greater Yankton to be held at Mount Marty College on Tuesday, February 23 at 5:30 p.m. As well as recognizing retiring board members that have generously shared their time, talents and treasures for a number of years, the newly elected officers and board members for 2010 will be introduced. Ten of the following agencies who will be sharing information about their programs are: Big Friend Little Friend, Boys & Girls Club, The Center & Senior Nutrition, Family Education & Counseling Center, Family Visitation Center, Literacy Council, Red Cross, Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Women’s/Children’s Center and Yankton Transit.
The Shoot From The Heart event was a revelation to many that not only do we have very supportive people in this community but they are also very good shots! Our local celebrities that stepped up to the shooting line were: Mayor Dan Specht and City Commissioners Wanda Akland, Dave Carda, Duke Ellingson, Charlie Gross, Dave Knoff, Paul Lowrie, Nancy Wenande; County Commissioners Bruce Jensen, Mark Johnson and Allen Sinclair; School Board Members Doug Ekeren, Kathy Greeneway and Chris Specht; Gary Dybsetter, Daisy Halverson, Sister Jennifer Kehrwald, Larry Ness, Pam Rezac, Bill Shorma, Sr. Maribeth Wentzlaff, Dr. Derek Wesley, Sheila Woodward and Larry Young. Bow hunters, more often found in tree stands, also stepped up to the shooting line and aimed at a paper target were: Jared Adamson, Ken Bertsch, Matt Bertsch, Nate Franzen, Brett Hacecky, Jae Koletzky, Jarod Meyer, Matt Tereshinski and Justin Wagner.
The fun turned very serious when four area sharpshooters stepped up to the shooting line and aimed at targets that were considerably smaller and farther away than the others. A hush fell over the crowd when Randy Balland, Danny Dorby, Keith Hofer and Ron Lewon aimed at three diminishing in size objects – a cracker, an Alka Seltzer and a Life Saver!
Delta Dental Dakota Smiles Mobile is a noteworthy program that reaches our neighbors in need for children and youth up to age 21. The mobile dental office will roll into Yankton and begin seeing the young clients by noon on Monday, March 22nd. To register for the program, the forms are available at all of the schools in Yankton, Head Start, Contact Center, Social Services, Community Health Office and United Way & Volunteer Services. The forms can also be emailed out by sending a request to volunserve@iw.net. Please return the forms to United Way at 231 Broadway by Wednesday, March 17th.
The six-page forms require general contact information, dental history, medical history, treatment consent and agreement, release of health information, photo consent and release, flu shot information and immunization record. All of this information provides the Dakota Smiles staff necessary information to quickly and efficiently address the appropriate dental treatment.
Another United Way program supported by you through your donations is the Boy Scouts. Derek Lee, District Executive of Lewis & Clark Trail District with Sioux Council, Boy Scouts of America shares the following: When William D. Boyce, a Chicago newspaper editor, encountered a young man in the fog, he could not have known the impact that chance meeting would have on the lives of millions of young men.
That young man’s “good turn” helped Boyce find his way in the fog and set Boyce on a path that would lead to the founding of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. This year marks the centennial anniversary of the program, and each scout is still reminded to do his good turn daily.
In the fall of 2009, Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs performed the annual Scouting for Food drive. This resulted in over a ton (2,000 pounds) of food being collected in Yankton. This is but one example of how scouting groups in Yankton impact the community today and strive to fulfill the promise “to help other people.”
With nearly 200 boys in Yankton scouting units and hundreds more attending the Sioux Council resident camp just west of town, Scouting continues to be a significant part of Yankton and surrounding communities.
As we set out on our next 100 years, we would like to thank everyone for their continued support and the opportunity to positively affect youths’ lives. Through cheerful service and a promise written a century ago, we will continue to do our duty to our community, our nation, and our world.