Congratulations to the CHS Rising Star and Employee of the Year!

The coveted Employee of the Year and Rising Star and awards were announced at the 2024 Employee Appreciation Event held Thursday, February 15, in Sioux Falls. The winner of Employee of the Year, which comes with a $2,000 check, is Noah Brown, Youth Care Provider at Children’s Home Shelter for Family Safety. His supervisor, Darlene Hillmer, shared this excerpt from his nomination:

“No matter how chaotic a day it is, Noah comes into work with a positive attitude that can so easily change the energy of a room for the better. There is no doubt that both staff and clients are treated with respect and an honest heart when he is there.”

Residential Youth Care Counselor Molly Howard was selected as the Rising Star of the Year and received a $500 award. Molly’s supervisor, Nici Petrich, read her nomination, in part: 

“Tenacity is one of the most representative words to describe Molly. She is tenacious with children, in problem-solving with her team, and in showing up on the hard days. Molly is self-reflective, always looking to improve so she can be the best version of herself. She returns after a tough day and will try again, learning new strategies, working through difficult moments, and finding humor in the most stressful times.”

All nominations are judged by a group of CHS Board members who choose winners based upon how they have demonstrated the CHS mission, vision and core values that exemplify the best attributes of a CHS employee.

Click here to read the nominations, see a full list of Service Award Winners, and view photos from both events in the Black Hills and Sioux Falls.

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ASK US:You Asked. We Answer.

Why were the Children’s Home contributions to retirement accounts substantially less than contributions made in previous years and why was this not communicated?

An Apology and An Explanation 

The answer to this week’s ASK US serves to update you on certain changes to the CHS retirement plan and a subsequent depositing delay. We also want to express our apologies
for not communicating this sooner. 

First, we want to reassure you that CHS’s commitment to contributing 8% towards your  retirement account remains unchanged. Click here to read more.

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SAVE THE DATE: Conference Room Trainings

IT has exciting news to share this week— all but one of the new conference room solutions have been installed. To ensure that all staff are comfortable with and understand how the technology works, IT has created printed documentation and put a copy in each room that has the new technology. These documents can also be referenced using this SharePoint link.

IT will host training in the rooms for staff who wish to learn more. Please choose one of these sessions to learn how to operate our new conferencing technology.

SFCH: Led by Jade
Tuesday, Feb. 20 @ 11 am–12 pm CST
Tuesday, Feb. 20 @ 1–2 pm CST
Tuesday Feb. 20 @ 2–3 pm CST
Wednesday, Feb. 21 @ 2:30–3:30 pm CST

Shelter Conference Room: Led by Blake
Monday, Feb. 19 @ 2–4 pm CST
Friday, Feb. 23 @ 2–4 pm CST

BH Messengers: Led by Trent
Thursday, Feb. 22 @ 8:30–9:30 am MST

BHCH: Led by Trent
Wednesday, Feb. 21 @ 10–11 am MST
Friday, Feb. 23 @ 11 am–12 pm MST

Click here for training locations at each campus.