Loving Lillian

It was November 1, the first day of National Adoption Month 2024. Eleven-year-old Lillian Jean Hansen officially joined her forever family at the Minnehaha County Courthouse.

With a big smile on her face, Lillian held a sign that read, “After 1,530 days in foster care, today I am adopted.”

Family, friends and a crowd of Lillian’s fans from Children’s Home Society (CHS) came to the courthouse. More staff wanted to attend—as Lillian was friends with everyone—but they were needed back on campus.

Lillian’s story begins

Lillian first came into Child Protection Services’ custody at the age of six with her two brothers. After a few weeks in foster care, she returned home. She was removed again a year later with temporary emergency placement at the Children’s Home Society Shelter for Family Safety.

Lillian lived with three different foster families before being admitted to Residential Treatment at CHS. Born with a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that results in some developmental delays with speech, Lillian found the right fit in the intensive unit.

“A lot of times kids transition to my unit for the smaller ratio,” says Residential Therapist Brittny Mueller. Continue Reading

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Employee Engagement Survey

Don’t miss out on the next employee engagement survey! It launches next Monday, January 6, 2025, and will go through January 20, 2025. CHS is partnering with Culture Amp again to conduct the survey. Culture Amp is an employee engagement platform that helps organizations measure and improve their culture.

For this survey we will not be asking for demographic information as data will be pulled directly from Paylocity. Rest assured, your responses will remain 100% confidential while allowing for easy sharing of results across the organization. 

After the engagement survey closes, management will share results with staff and compare and measure results from the last
survey so that we can build on our action plans as a team.

If you have more questions, click here to read CHRO Allison Sanderson’s message and view a Q&A.

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CHS SCRAPBOOK

Christmas came early for Shelter for Family Safety Crisis Advocate Britney Kennedy and her fiancé, Brandon. They closed on their new home on December 20. Happy moving, Britney! Check out photos here!

ON THE RISE

We know CHS is filled with GOOD employees, so let’s take a moment to celebrate some amazing achievements.

• Christi Keffeler started a new position earlier this month. She is now the new Director of Clinic Operations for the Rapid City campus. Way to go, Christi!
• Scott Duke accepted a new role as the interim Vice President of Rapid City Campus Operations. He will support developing the outpatient clinic and residential strategies, along with child advocacy and program growth. Welcome, Scott!

GET YOUR CHS SWAG

Did Santa bring you everything you wanted for Christmas? If not, you can order it at the CHS Apparel store. You can order your
swag starting Wednesday, January 1!

NEW YEAR, NEW CALENDAR

Happy New Year, CHS! A new year means a new payroll and holiday calendar. Print yours out here!

APPLY NOW! REFER A FRIEND.

Qualified staff can be the first to apply for any open position at CHS. This week’s featured posts include:

• Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse - Outpatient Therapy, Rapid City
• Residential Youth Counselor - Sioux Falls, Vandemark

• Human Resource Representative - Sioux Falls, Administration

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