Barb Rostad worked at Black Hills Children’s Home (BHCH) for more than 15 years and was a Team Coordinator for Tully House for many of those years. Sadly, she passed away in the fall of 2018. 

This summer, in memory of Barb, and mindful of her love for children and for water, her family provided funds for a slip ‘n slide for the kids at BHCH to enjoy. This was such a kind and thoughtful gesture given in memory of a truly special lady. A resting bench and granite marker has been placed near the area where the waterslide is set up.

Two co-workers have provided some insight for those of us who didn’t know Barb or have the privilege to work with her.

From Theresa Schreiner (Black Hills Development & Events Manager):

“Barb had a tremendous gift in that she was able to connect with so many kids. Through her humor and strict, but fair, personality, Barb could connect with many of the teens and children who were apprehensive about trusting and establishing relationships with staff.”

From Rachel Walton (Assistant Unit Therapist at BHCH):

“Barb was an amazing woman who had a passion for helping the children we serve. Some things I will always remember about Barb…

She expected respect from the children and received it because she was respectful towards them. She was honest with the children and had consistent but fair expectations for both the children and her team. She was able to connect with others and form trusting relationships.

Barb had a great sense of humor and wasn’t afraid to show it. She would often start water fights, whether that was dumping a cup of water on someone at supper, using a spray bottle, flicking water, using the garden hose, or with water balloons. Barb loved water fights!

Barb understood that the children in our care need to feel loved, so she would do things to foster that. For younger kids, that meant lap time and getting tucked into bed. For the older kids, that meant getting a special nickname, playful teasing, special chores, and a lot of praise and encouragement.

Barb would make sure the kids had “normal” kid experiences. Some examples would include helping them learn to ride a bike, decorating the unit for holidays, celebrating birthdays, cooking meals at Tully House, and off campus outings. After Halloween, Barb would have the kids clean out the seeds from the pumpkins they painted and she would bake the seeds for all to enjoy.

Barb would organize things like “Taco Night.” Kids helped cook and prepare the food for the unit to eat at Tully House instead of the main dining room. Kids were permitted eat as many tacos as they wanted (or so the kids said). The kids were allowed to eat picnic-style in the living room and watch TV, and the kids helped clean up.

Barb took an interest in her team’s personal lives and was genuine when celebrating successes or expressing her concerns. She would sometimes cook food to share with her team. Common items were chicken wings and her buffalo chicken dip!

Barb would show up to work with a 12-pack of Diet Coke for her shift, and, in the summer, a gallon Ziplock bag of sunflower seeds. She would share the seeds, but everyone knew the Diet Coke was hers!