Sixty years on, many of the city’s assets were started by Community Action

RAPID CITY – Western South Dakota Community Action (WSDCA) hosted its 60th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday June 21, 2025, with food, family fun, games, a raffle plus a silent auction. The celebration was a reminder of the long-lasting positive impacts that can be made when government and community collaborate to solve problems. Since 1965, Western South Dakota Community Action has been a pivotal force in fighting poverty and creating opportunities for residents of 14 West River counties.

Born from President Lyndon Johnson’s Office of Economic Opportunity’s War on Poverty, Community Action Agencies (CAA) began to carry out the Community Action Program (CAP) and has since been a pioneering institution dedicated to breaking cycles of economic hardship through innovative, comprehensive support programs.

“When it started nationally in 1964,” said Executive Director Sean Burke, “we were chartered with a poverty study. That was the first western South Dakota community action. We were the first one in the state. The rest of them followed quickly along.” From those initial six months of research, the program quickly evolved into a multifaceted approach to community development and individual empowerment.

Much of what WSDCA does goes unnoticed, but the organization’s historical achievements for Rapid City and West River demonstrate its transformative impact. Over its sixty-year history, WSDCA has played a pivotal role in initiating essential services that have significantly impacted local communities. Its programs are widely recognized by the public. “It was the Office of Community Services that gave us VISTA (Volunteers in Service of America), Head Start, Community Action, legal aid and all these kinds of community-minded organizations to help people to move forward,” said Burke. “People aren’t going to move beyond poverty if they don’t have resources and if they don’t have access to education.” He said WSDCA is about action, about helping people take the next step to remove a barrier so they can move forward.

Burke said they started the first Head Start program in what was then-Sioux Addition, now Lakota Homes. WSDCA brought in the first building to serve as a community center in Sioux Addition. He said they moved out of the Head Start arena and that’s when Youth and Family Services began.

WSDCA has built senior centers around the area including the Canyon Lake Senior Center.

“We rebuilt homes and multi-family units,” said Burke. “After the ’72 flood, we had a program that was like the WPA from the 1930’s but it was the same basic format of putting people to work, who need jobs, in public programs.” The Works Progress Administration was an American New Deal agency created under then-President Franklin Roosevelt that employed millions of jobseekers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads.

Burke said they were the first food bank in the area. “We were the first food bank, the predecessor to the Black Hills Community Food Bank that then merged and became Feeding South Dakota .”

Burke said that WSDCA started the first senior meals in the area. “Then each of those, of course, were spun off and Meals on Wheels, specifically, was started through Community Action.”

Each of these initiatives addressed fundamental needs while providing pathways for individuals to improve their circumstances.

The organization’s approach goes beyond mere financial assistance. Burke emphasized that poverty is a complex, multidimensional challenge involving economic, generational, and transitional barriers. WSDCA programs are designed to provide resources, education, and support that help individuals to overcome these obstacles and achieve self-sufficiency.

In recent years, the organization has adapted to changing community needs. Their innovative garden education program teaches residents not just how to grow food, but how to prepare nutritious meals with limited resources. They have a kitchen to provide cooking classes and tools. Their thrift store offers affordable household items, complementing their mission of empowerment and self-sufficiency.

Key program areas have included employment services, educational support, youth recreation, and health care navigation. The Community Services Block Grant has been a critical funding source, allowing the agency to develop targeted interventions across the 14 counties it serves. “We might have it this year but what’s to come, we just don’t know,” said Burke. He said that funding for this year is secured but remains at last year’s level. “The Affordable Care Act navigator program faced significant cuts.” Burke said WSDCA might no longer be a sub-recipient due to these major reductions.

Despite facing significant funding challenges, WSDCA remains committed to its original mission. Federal funding cuts have forced the organization to become increasingly creative, seeking partnerships with local foundations, businesses, and national organizations to sustain their critical work. “We continue to try and address gaps in services,” said Burke, “and figure out the collaborations and partnerships.”

Current initiatives include new HUD grants focusing on home modifications for seniors, addressing fall hazards, and environmental health risks like radon and mold. They’re also expanding digital access points to serve rural communities more effectively, ensuring that geographic isolation doesn’t prevent individuals from accessing vital resources.

The story of WSDCA is fundamentally a story of hope. It’s about recognizing that with the right support, individuals can overcome significant challenges. By providing resources, education, and opportunities, to help community members write their own paths to success. For residents of western South Dakota, WSDCA represents more than just a nonprofit organization. It’s a beacon of support, a source of practical assistance, and a testament to the power of community driven solutions to complex social challenges.

The many community members who came to celebrate reflect that, as they gathered to share a meal, take tours, participate in the silent auction and generally enjoy themselves and show their support.

Louis R. Janice (Oglala), who won a tomato plant in the raffle, explained how helpful CAP assistance has been. Janice’s wife just recently passed. “She suffered with cancer the last 6 months. CAP is helping me with my deposit for a rental.”

Nine year old Rickie Cruz Brown (Standing Rock/ Sisseton Wahpeton /Cheyenne River/Oglala) was playing stick games with Jim Villa, instructor at the International Games Society booth, showing his skill as a hider.

Villa, who works for WDSCA, said the organization applied for and received a grant to present the traditional games. “So, we have put together a traditional games tour with that grant and are presenting them around western South Dakota.”

Looking ahead, the organization remains dedicated to its founding principles. In an era of increasing economic uncertainty, their work is more critical than ever. They continue to embody the original vision of the War on Poverty: that every individual deserves the opportunity to improve their circumstances and contribute meaningfully to their community.

Johnson’s War on Poverty was designed to improve the education, health, skills, jobs and access to economic resources of those struggling to make ends meet. By 2014, poverty was significantly reduced through decades of strengthening and reforming the many programs introduced by Johnson’s initiatives.

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmail.com)

The post Sixty years on, many of the city’s assets were started by Community Action first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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