Quarterly Update: January 2025

Over the last three months, Beacon Center has continued to work actively to provide hope, safety, and resources for survivors of violence in our community. See below for a few of the things we have been up to:

Emergency Shelter Update

Dear Beacon Center Community,

Another three busy months have passed by for our Direct Service Staff. We have provided case management and resources for our clients to become more self-sufficient. Currently, our requests for protection orders and housing assistance have been on the rise. As of March 28, seven of our eight apartment units are occupied with survivors fleeing abuse. We continue to provide safety and hope as our clients build their lives after violence. We want to thank you for all your donations as it would not be possible without your continued support.

Best,

Ashley Vander Leest

Intensive Case Manager

2024 Statistics

In 2024, Beacon Center provided 5,707 services to 328 individuals and shelter to 115 victims for a total of 5,524 days. This averages to 8 persons a day in emergency shelter.

Ongoing Training and Accreditation

This quarter, Beacon Center staff participated in several trainings to stay current with best practices. These included a workshop with the South Dakota Housing Development Authority in Chamberlain, SD, as well as the Transition to Success training through the Helpline Center. Additionally, Direct Services Coordinator Oriel Ching successfully renewed her Credentialed Advocate certification, maintaining her status as the only advanced credentialed victim advocate in South Dakota.

Paint The Barn Purple

On February 20th, community members Jenny Ovall and Morgan Hoff hosted Paint The Barn Purple, a Beacon Center benefit. This event included a supply drive for Beacon Center’s Pantry, a silent auction, and a bake sale, and raised over $8,960 for Beacon Center’s services! We are incredibly grateful to everyone who made this possible, and we’re excited to hear that plans are already underway for next year’s event!

Family Visitation Center

Beacon Center’s Family Visitation Center (FVC) has seen a busy three months! Due to staffing adjustments, supervised visitation hours were modified, with services provided three nights per week and no weekend availability. Despite these changes in hours, the FVC remains busy, supporting 20 families and serving a total of 41 children over the past quarter.

Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)

This quarter, Beacon Center's Rural Outreach Coordinator, Shona Marshall, reestablished a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) in the Watertown area. This multidisciplinary team brings together various local agencies and organizations to collaborate on how to better serve victims of sexual assault. Their inaugural meeting took place on Thursday, February 27th, and future meetings will include training sessions, case study reviews, and other opportunities to enhance how we support survivors. We are deeply passionate about this initiative and look forward to working with everyone involved to provide stronger support and services for survivors of sexual assault.

Singing Valentines

This year, we had the pleasure of partnering with the Glacial Lakes Harmonizers for a special Valentine’s Day event that was a huge success! For a donation, the Barbershop Quartet serenaded loved ones with a heartfelt song. It was a unique and memorable way to celebrate the day of love.

The best part? The event was not only a wonderful experience for those involved, but it also supported Beacon Center. Funds raised from the Singing Valentines event directly benefited Beacon Center, helping us continue to provide support to those affected by violence. The Harmonizers were busy all day, spreading joy and making this Valentine’s Day unforgettable for many!

We are grateful for the incredible support from the Glacial Lakes Harmonizers and everyone who participated!

Slice Out Hunger

On National Pizza Day, Dempsey’s Brewery Pub and Restaurant delivered free pizzas to the Beacon Center as part of Slice Out Hunger's Pizza Across America initiative. The delicious pizzas were shared with our clients, bringing joy and a warm meal to those who needed them most.

We are incredibly grateful to Dempsey’s and Slice Out Hunger for their generosity and support. Thank you to everyone involved for making this National Pizza Day extra special for our clients!

Beacon Center Sweatshirts

This year, we offered unique Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day sweatshirt orders, with 100% of the proceeds directly supporting Beacon Center’s vital programs. Each purchase helped make a difference in the lives of those affected by violence.

But the giving doesn’t stop there – we’re excited to announce our upcoming Spring Domestic Violence Awareness sweatshirt collection. Stay tuned for more details and join us in raising awareness and supporting those in need!