Hundreds of CHS supporters, volunteers, sponsors and employees attended the Caring For The Kids Celebration at the Sioux Falls Convention Center held on Sunday, August 4.

“I would like to personally thank the many staff members who worked so hard to make this event possible,” said President and CEO Michelle Lavallee. “Caring For The Kids is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and this year’s event was just fabulous.”

Caring For The Kids Celebration included a tribute to longtime supporter and board member emeritus Linda Mickelson Graham, a powerful speech by Shelter Crisis Advocate Linn Nelson, a live auction, silent auction and a drawing for the winner of the Charity Car Raffle.

Decorations at the event featured paper swans, designed to reflect our Join the Fold campaign and theme of Transformation. New this year was the live auction of a framed work of art created by Loving School middle school students under the direction of Art Teacher Rylee Lehmkuhl. The painting featured a swan along with other creatures in nature. The high bid on the painting was $15,000, which helps the people we serve and provides a beautiful and meaningful piece of art for a supporter. Also new this year was the Paddle Raise, which raised a total of $45,000. 

The Celebration was followed by the Caring For The Kids Classic Golf Tournament on Monday, August 5. Total dollars raised at the events will be calculated during the next several weeks.

Picture This: $15,000!

Loving School Art Teacher Rylee Lehmkuhl led this special art project that was auctioned at the event and raised $15,000. The 24 participating middle school students discussed the symbolic meaning of a swan, a representation of healing and hope. The artwork, which depicts a swan, a fish, a frog and a bee, symbolize aspects of each student’s personality, their transformative experiences through creativity and their journey
of using art to heal from trauma. Reflecting on the project, Rylee shared, “From the depths of struggle, beauty emerges.”