Happy Friday! Megan here.
Weather check: A little rainy
đź’¸ Status check: Do you work for a local nonprofit? I want to hear from you. I've put together a survey to gauge how services are faring in the face of economic uncertainty and federal funding cuts. If you've got some insight, please fill out my State of Sioux Falls Nonprofits survey.
🩷 A Little Help check: We have less than a week to hit our goal to raise $5,000 for Owen's Outfitters. Thank you to everyone who's donated so far! I really think we can hit this goal – can you help us out? If everyone reading this email gave a dollar, we'd be there.
This week, I'm going a little off-brand, but bear with me. I'm breaking from the Simplified format to bring you a story about one family's generosity and the remarkable impact it's having on another local family. It's all part of our month-long A Little Help campaign. Plus, you'll find some Super Simplified Stories and a look behind the scenes at The WP Café.
And now, news:
A LITTLE HELP
How a 16-year-old van became a life-changing gift
Editor's note: This story is part of Sioux Falls Simplified's second annual "A Little Help" give-back effort. We're sharing stories all month long about Owen's Outfitters with the goal of raising $5,000 to support this fast-growing nonprofit. You can learn more here and donate here.
It doesn’t look like much, the navy blue 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan.
But when Mike Turner shows it off in the parking lot behind Owen’s Outfitters – the nonprofit medical equipment lending library he and his wife started to honor their late son – his excitement is what you might imagine from someone showing off a brand new sports car.
It’s not that Turner is a big fan of early aughts minivans. It’s the meaning behind it.
This minivan is the single largest donation Owen’s Outfitters has received, and it’s a very big deal because it’s not just any old minivan.
It’s a minivan that’s been modified to accommodate a person in a wheelchair.
It’s the minivan that Darlene Fick used to drive around her now-32-year-old daughter for more than a decade before deciding it was time to pass it along to another family.
And as of last week, it’s the van that Tammy Roth used to bring her husband, Loren, home for the first time in 10 months after a farm accident caused a traumatic brain injury that left him paralyzed.
“You don’t expect something like this to happen, but then when it does, it’s humbling the number of people who want to help,” Roth said.
Find the full story here
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
Meet the chef behind your favorites at The WP Café
This is a paid piece from Washington Pavilion Management, Inc.
Simplified: Elizabeth Nickel has spent her entire career in the restaurant and culinary industry, and now she's bringing her creative talents to The WP Café and Parlour Ice Cream at the Washington Pavilion. Meet Chef Lizzy.
Why it matters
- The WP Café opened in the summer of 2023 with a new name, a new menu and a cozy space for Pavilion visitors to rest and refuel.
- Nickel joined the staff a few months later as the Pavilion also acquired Parlour House Ice Cream, where she had previously worked to develop ice cream flavors for several years. She brought with her a culinary degree specializing in pastry.
- Since then, Nickel has brought not only imaginative new ice cream flavors, but she's also continuously updating The WP Café menu with fresh, healthy options for lunch, creative pre-show specials and flavors that connect to what's happening in other areas of the Pavilion.
"I like to make people happy with food," she said. "I see food as a form of community connection."
Tell me more
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Wanna be a firefighter? Sioux Falls Fire Rescue is looking for more folks to join the crew. The application period for the 2026 Cadet Academy will be open April 28 to May 21, and interested candidates can apply here.
- Preparing for the worst. The Sioux Falls School District is hosting a mock mass-casualty training event Tuesday, April 29 at the Career and Technical Education Academy. You might see emergency vehicles at the school during that time, but know that it's just a training event and not an actual event.
- Super smarty. Jefferson High School senior Landon Gross has been named a finalist in the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars program, one of just 621 students nationwide to receive that recognition (and only one of six in South Dakota).
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
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Thank you
Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc., Live on Stage, the Sioux Falls YMCA, EmBe, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, the Washington Pavilion, and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.
Oh, by the way
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