First things first: This newsletter is brought to you by Jada Dobesh Healing.
- Jada Dobesh Healing's new Miracle Mavens Collaborative Reiki Clinic is bringing gentle, restorative healing to the community while providing hands-on experience for Reiki apprentices. You can experience Reiki from multiple providers at once during open office hours, and your free-will donation for Reiki also supports women's healing through the Circles of Care nonprofit. Find more details and register to participate here.
Happy Friday! Megan here.
Weather check: So fun that the pools stayed open an extra week just for it to rain a whole bunch...
This week, you'll hear about how an upcoming panel is sharing the importance of visibility for people with disabilities. And, because there's not much summer left, I'm keeping it mostly "super simplified" for ya. Get out and enjoy yourselves before the clock strikes and everything turns into a pumpkin.
And now, news:
COMMUNITY
This Rare by Design panel will share the 'power of being seen'
Simplified: An upcoming event from local nonprofit Rare by Design aims to start conversations about the importance of representation for people with disabilities and rare diseases. Here's what you need to know.
Why it matters
- Rare by Design is a local nonprofit focused on creating awareness, inclusion and representation for individuals with rare diseases and disabilities. Their annual events include a fashion show and a film festival, but this panel is meant to be a more intimate experience.
- Founder Kendra Gottsleben said she wanted a panel featuring people who have disabilities – both visible and invisible – who could share firsthand what it means to them to be seen, whether that's in a commercial, on a board, in a leadership role, etc.
- Panelist Kayley Shade recalled being a child and seeing a video game in which one of the characters used a wheelchair. It was one of very few instances in her childhood where she saw someone like her represented in media, and even as an adult, she said it's "mind boggling" that more people don't view disabilities as a normal, everyday thing.
"It feels very important to me to show that just because you have a disibility doesn't make you any different, and people shouldn't view you differently," Shade said. "Everyone on the panel has a disability, and they're great at their job, and I think that will do a lot to show people we have our good abilities."
Tell me more
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- All the animals, none of the kid chaos.* The Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium is hosting a series of three Adult Nights at the zoo this fall, giving the grown ups a chance to enjoy all of the amenities and good vibes the zoo has to offer. You can enjoy live music, specialty drinks, and – at the upcoming Tiki Night on Aug. 22, you can even play in the splash pad before it closes for the season. Get your tickets here (and you can even snag a pass for all three nights).
- Get ready for school. Siouxland Libraries is teaming up with the Sioux Falls School District for a back-to-school resource fair on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Stop by the downtown library from 4 to 6 p.m. to find help registering your child for school, applying for free lunch, connecting with health and literacy resources, learn about family support programs and snag a library card while you're there. It's a one-stop shop to get ready for the new school year.
- Grants for teachers. The Sioux Falls Education Foundation is expected to award 63 grants for new teachers next week, totaling more than $15,000 in grant funding. All new teachers will get a $250 grant to help stock their classroom. You can learn more here about the Education Foundation and how it's supporting teachers in Sioux Falls.
- Limits for Flock cameras. Attorney General Marty Jackley this week said he plans to introduce state legislation limiting the use of automatic license plate readers, such as Flock cameras, to "legitimate law enforcement purposes." South Dakota Searchlight has the full story.
*Denotes a paid partnership
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 SafeSplash Swim School, Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center, Startup Sioux Falls, Encompass Mental Health, the Sioux Falls YMCA, EmBe, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, the Washington Pavilion, The Premiere Playhouse, The Good Night Theatre Collective and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.
Oh, by the way
Your feedback is extremely helpful – hit the reply button and send any news tips, typos, complaints, compliments or cups of coffee my way. ❤️
Special thanks to Jada Dobesh Healing!
Check out the Miracle Mavens Collaborative Reiki Clinic, and give yourself permission to rest and reset your nervous system. Learn more here.
