News & Events

 

2012 Shout Outs

2011 Excellence in Service Nominees


 
 

ADVANCE Recognition Committee
This committee meets once a month to review all the Excellence nominations and determines the winners.  Each staff person and person supported nominated is recognized with a certificate and a copy of the nomination.  The Excellence winners are given a certificate as well as a water bottle or coffee mug.  The winners are announced at our all agency staff meetings and then their names are added to the recognitions plaques hanging in the front hall of our main building.

 
  Previous Winners:    
  Deb Garvin - January 2010 Brittany Zwanziger - Februaury 2010  
  Amanda Hemmestad - March 2010 Kelly Wiehr - April 2010  
  Suzanne Klocker - May 2010 Carolyn Wallace - June 2010  
  Jacob Lammers - July 2010 Michael Quinlivan - August 2010  
  Andrew Laycock - September 2010 Leah Whittenburg - October 2010  
  Molly Maas - November 2010 The Larsons Crew - December 2010  
     
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  Employee Appreciation Shout Outs 2011  
     
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Miss South Dakota
Suzie Heffernan was at ADVANCE to talk about some of her experiences in the Miss USA pageant on April 16th, 2007 from 1 – 2 pm.  She used to work at one of the houses, SLA, at ADVANCE.  She said that she enjoyed getting to see some of her old friends and meet some new ones.  She let people put on her crown and take pictures with her afterwards.  Everyone had a good time and thought it was very interesting.

 
       
 

Rep. Herseth Visits With ADVANCE
On Feb. 23rd, 2007 Rep. Stephanie Herseth visited with people supported by ADVANCE and ADVANCE staff members at the Old Sanctuary hall.

During her talk with the group, Rep. Herseth stressed the importance of citizens’ right and duty  to vote, described her various Congressional committee appointments and activities and expressed her commitment for parity in society for people with disabilities.

During the question and answer portion of the visit, Rep. Herseth responded to questions regarding the upcoming presidential election, the war in Iraq and funding issues for Medicare and Medicaid programs.  She also responded to a question about how Sen. Tim Johnson is doing.  Rep. Herseth reported that his recovery is moving along more quickly than anticipated and she wouldn’t be surprised to see him back working to some degree by late spring or early summer.

The visit closed with Rep. Herseth visiting individually with members of the audience and photos were taken  with Rep. Herseth.

 
       
 

Sleigh Rides
In December, keeping in tune with the Christmas Spirit we went on Sleigh Rides.  Loren Smith, (Cindy’s Father) from Elkton, brought a team and wagon to give rides. We enjoyed the rides around Brookings, and even sang songs to share our spirit. We hope to do this again in the spring.

 
       
  The SDSU Hobo Day Parade
Oh what a blast it was! It actually began the night before with the crowning of the ADVANCE Harvest Royalty at our Harvest Dance. The King and Queen were Mike C. and Gennell B. Our Duke and Duchess were Arley L. and Karina F. Then our Prince and Princess were Brian A. and Deanna V. This group of Royalty were all set to ride on our float in the parade. With the theme of Hobo Days being “Hobos on the Prairie” we thought it would be so fun to have our float be a horse and carriage carrying our royalty. The next day bright and early, we all threw on our special ADVANCE shirts made just for the parade, and got lined up to walk! Besides the royalty, we had the candy throwers ( about 13 staff and people supported)! Our candy was adorned with our mission statement! We threw so much out that we ran out of candy half way through (it was a good lesson for next year). It was a wonderful time and we felt that we were able to show the community one of the things that we are all about at ADVANCE... Having Fun!!!   

 
       
  STARS ( Special Training and Riding Skills) is a recreational, therapeutic horsemanship program for persons with disAbilities in the Brookings community and surrounding area. This program teaches the participants horsemanship skills. The horse’s movement very closely mimics the movement of the human body. While riding the horse, the rider can increase range of motion, flexibility, posture and muscle strength as the horse walk’s on. Besides the therapeutic benefit, the STARS volunteers strive to make our program fun and enjoyable for all involved.  
       
 

People First of Southeastern South Dakota is a self-advocacy group geared towards adults with disabilities, including members from Brookings, Sioux Falls, Madison, and other communities in the area.  This group meets monthly to discuss a variety of topics including:  rights, abuse, neglect, exploitation, guardianship, making friends, elections and voting, as well as many other topics.

Some of the events that People First of Southeastern South Dakota has done include:  People First Festival, People First Day at the Canaries, and People First Regional Education Workshop. 

ADVANCE’s representation in People First of Southeastern South Dakota currently includes one officer, one board member, two advisors, as well a many members. 

 
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