By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
Local Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains leaders recently traveled to Washington, D.C., representing South Dakota during Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Days of Advocacy.
The state delegation included Jody Shaw Hernandez, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains; board member Kevin Moe of Yankton; and Stacy Jones, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire.
Over two days on Capitol Hill, Hernandez said the group met with members of South Dakota’s congressional delegation — including Representative Dusty Johnson, staff for Senator Mike Rounds and Senator John Thune — to highlight the impact of federal programs supporting youth and families across the state.
Those programs, she said, help serve nearly 4,500 youth annually through the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains alone.
A highlight of the trip, they said, was witnessing the ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Bureau of Indian Education. The agreement formalizes a shared commitment to advancing academic achievement and expanding educational opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native youth.
The partnership carries local significance, as the Northern Plains organization operates two club sites on the Flandreau Indian School campus and continues to expand its collaboration with the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe.
Local leaders said the visit reinforced the importance of strong relationships at the federal level and continued advocacy for programs that directly impact South Dakota families.
“It is great that BGCA and BIE entered into this partnership/MOU so more youth are able to get the same opportunity that we are able to provide to youth at FIS,” said Hernandez.
Leave a Reply