“Come look at my painting!” “This one’s mine!” “I got an award!” Excitement filled the halls of the Admin building last Friday as children explored the colorful conference room searching for their artwork.
Dozens of clay sculptures, canvas paintings, drawings and papier-mâché structures filled the first-ever Loving School Art Show. Students selected up to four favorite pieces they created over the last six months to showcase for everyone on the Sioux Falls Children’s Home (SFCH) campus.
Art teacher Rylee Lehmkuhl first envisioned the event last summer. After she shared the idea with Loving School Principal Ericka Bohle, the two quickly agreed it deserved to become a reality. Their first challenge involved finding a space large enough to hold the collection and transforming a room into a vibrant gallery.
With help from Director of Events Jennifer Sigette, volunteers brought that transformation to life. Last Wednesday, a group of Sanford Health employees visited SFCH to decorate the Admin hallway leading into the conference room. They hung streamers, cut out colorful paint splashes and built a balloon arch over the doorway.
Sanford Marketing team member Terry Vandreovec shared that 150 Sanford employees spent the day volunteering across Sioux Falls in honor of former coworker Jesse Goebel, who died from brain cancer in 2021. Since then, Sanford employees have continued serving the community in his memory. This year, volunteers helped organizations around the Sioux Empire, including 10 volunteers who came to CHS to help prepare for the art show.
“Our goal with this day of service is to bring smiles to others in celebration of Jesse and other members of our Sanford Marketing team who have passed away and their inspiring drive to do good for others,” said Terry.
The hallway transformation set the tone for Friday’s event. Students entered the Admin building with wide eyes and smiles. When they stepped into the conference room turned art gallery, their faces lit up as they spotted their colorful creations proudly displayed for family, friends and staff to enjoy.
The art show celebrated each student's creativity and gave them a chance to share their talents with the campus community. Thank you to our volunteers for helping make the first Loving School Art Show a memorable success. Your time, creativity and generosity helped create an experience our students won't forget. We couldn't accomplish our mission of serving children and families without your support.
