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Groton Daily Independent
Saturday, July 29, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 029 ~ 12 of 67
He takes pride in the fact that the tribe has been taken off high-risk status by the federal government, which previously meant the tribe received its federal funding in small chunks to ensure it wasn’t misman- aged. He sees hope in younger people, many of whom he’s hired into administrative positions.
“The number of people that just want that chance, that just want to try and feel like they’re helping, that’s what I’ve been doing here,” Brown Bull said.
For now, Brown Bull still drives the hour from Kyle to Pine Ridge every morning to his of ce, but he holds higher aspirations, including to one day become a U.S. senator.
“At the end of the day,” Brown Bull says, “our people need to understand that what happens in this tribal government, what happens with assistance, what happens with economic development, with everything here, it all rests on the shoulders of our people, because they make that vote.”
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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
South Dakota senior living facility celebrates new addition By PATRICK ANDERSON, Argus Leader
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Touchmark at All Saints is inviting the neighbors to celebrate its new addition.
The new space includes a tness center, independent living opportunities for Sioux Falls’ aging population and two memory care communities that will help address South Dakota’s growing Alzheimer’s problem.
But it didn’t come without causing a spark of controversy two years ago when nearby homeowners wor- ried about the threat to a grove of trees at the heart of their neighborhood.
Touchmark leadership overcame a rocky start by forging a relationship with the local neighborhood group through time, effort and investment. The block party this past week is representative of that bond. “We’re part of a neighborhood,” Touchmark’s executive director Amanda Snoozy told the Argus Leader
(http://argusne.ws/2vXD4FU ). “We thought, well, how do we celebrate that?”
Touchmark’s approach to the concerns of its neighbors can be a lesson for businesses looking to expand
or grow in Sioux Falls’ historic core. Engaging nearby homeowners in the planning process was pivotal to forging today’s relationship with All Saints residents, and it is a technique that mirrors outreach Sanford Health has done as it grows its own campus just a few blocks away.
But for Touchmark, it was only the beginning.
It’s one thing to talk about future construction. Seeing the trees come down in the neighborhood was shocking, said Rachael Meyerink, who serves on the All Saints neighborhood group and the city’s historic preservation board.
“There was a really heavy feeling in the neighborhood,” Meyerink said. “People enjoyed these trees for decades and decades, and now they’re all gone at once.”
When Meyerink came up with an idea to replace them, Touchmark helped fund the project. The company helped pay for the 100 saplings that went up throughout the neighborhood last summer.
Meyerink and her husband found a source for the trees, using Touchmark’s gift and a grant from the city to cut away at the cost. All Saints residents who wanted to plant a tree only paid about $30 per sapling. “It just seems like they do really want to have a good relationship with us,” Meyerink said. “We just have
a positive atmosphere in the All Saints neighborhood. We want to do good.”
The company sends a staff representative to neighborhood meetings and a Touchmark resident serves
on the board.
Touchmark belongs to the All Saint’s active Facebook group, and Snoozy is well-versed in All Saints’
ongoing initiatives, including an effort to make the neighborhood more walkable. The relationship goes both ways, Snoozy said.
“How can we include the association in our events?” Snoozy said. “We’re in pretty constant contact with them.”
All Saints is one of the strongest, fastest-growing neighborhood associations in the city. Homeowners have transformed the once troubled area into a haven for young families, retirees and others who relish