Shelter for Family Safety Awarded $100,000

On November 9, Children’s Home Shelter for Family Safety was awarded a gift of $100,000 from the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation (LCRF) to support victims of domestic violence who need emergency shelter.

Posted on November 20, 2023

Lyon Country Riverboat Foundation representatives awarded a check for $100,000 to Children’s Home Shelter for Family Safety for the building campaign. Janet Andersen, Amy Carter, Angie Smith and Staci Kroupenske attended the awards ceremony on Thursday, November 9.

On November 9, Children’s Home Shelter for Family Safety was awarded a gift of $100,000 from the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation (LCRF) to support victims of domestic violence who need emergency shelter. This gift is part of $1.5 million in grants awarded by LCRF to 28 organizations in northwest Iowa, southeast South Dakota and southwest Minnesota for 2024.

“LCRF seeks to be the catalyst to help qualified organizations meet needs within Lyon County and beyond with a primary emphasis in the areas of Community Development & Beautification, Education & Arts, Economic Development, and Human & Social Needs,” said Ken Kerkvliet, Executive Director of the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation.

“The Shelter for Family Safety project was selected to receive a grant as it aligned well with one of the LCRF four areas of emphasis: Human and Social Needs,” Kerkvliet said. “The Shelter will provide security, freedom from danger, nutrition, clothing, and sleep, which are all basic human needs, to victims of domestic violence. An area of focus for the Foundation during 2023 was on brick-and-mortar type projects that will have a long-lasting impact on their communities. The Shelter also aligned well with that objective and received overwhelming support from the Foundation Board of Directors.”

For more than five years the Shelter was at or above capacity. Despite overcrowding, adults and children who experienced domestic violence continued to seek refuge, hope and compassion. Because of this growing need, the Gift for Good Campaign was launched in 2021 to raise $12 million in funds for construction and an endowment to ensure long-term sustainability. To date, more than $10.2 million has been raised, and thanks to the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation’s $100,000 gift, the Shelter is closer to its goal.

Amy Carter accepted the award for $100,000 on behalf of the Shelter for Family Safety

The new Shelter opened on November 15, 2022. Capacity increased from 40 to 96 guests per day and during the first year the daily average grew from 50 to 76 guests per day. Intakes have risen by 30%, highlighting the need for endowment funds to cover the associated costs, including additional staff, increased quantities of food, toiletries, clothing and household supplies.

“We are grateful to the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation for recognizing the growing need to support women, men and children who are victims of domestic violence,” said Amy Carter, Shelter for Family Safety Director. “We couldn’t do this work without the generous support of our community partners.”