Boys and Girls Clubs in some of the most vulnerable communities across South Dakota are finding ways to innovate in the midst of budget cuts.
“The level of disruption that we're seeing as an organization is, in some ways, trivial compared to the everyday life of most of the kids we serve,” said Rachel Kocak, program director of the Rosebud Boys and Girls Club, which operates in Parmelee, Rosebud and Mission on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
She told News Watch that while around 40% of its annual operating budget comes from now-unavailable federal funding, the club is focused on coming up with creative solutions to make up funding gaps.
One of the methods, which also builds life skills, is the social enterprise program Steep Up Entrepreneurs Club. Boys and Girls Club members hand make, package and sell herbal teas throughout the community. Students are involved in the entire process from beginning to end, which helps to build resilience and friendship among club members, Kocak said.
“We've come up with three really beautiful teas that the kids have created a label for. They've gone through the process of calculating product cost and doing some market research, and have been going to farmers markets,” she said. “It’s just been a hoot. We've gotten to know the kids in a different capacity and who is good at what. And they've grown in teamwork and confidence.”
The club is also in the midst of an online charity auction, with items from local businesses like handmade earrings and a Lakota Times subscription available. The club recently received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to School grant, which helped to build two high tunnels, extending the growing seasons in its vegetable garden.
Other programs, such as the teen workforce development program, allow club members to get job experience helping out the club and spend time in a productive environment with their peers.
“We had two teenagers who were paid to be here and were working. All of a sudden, we had four more teenagers just hanging out because they were part of that friend group. They were just going to stay late and help, even if they weren't being paid," Kocak said.
"So then we hired those kids, and all of a sudden we've got six, and it's like, for every team we hire there's another couple that come along with it because they're part of that group."
Major federal funding source now unavailable
One major funding source for the Rosebud Boys and Girls Club was the 21st Century Community Learning Center funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Those dollars serve organizations that provide “academic enrichment” activities to students at high-poverty schools and are administered via the state’s Department of Education.
That funding for this fiscal year was initially withheld by the federal government and placed under review, which meant it was not dispersed to states on the usual date of July 1. It was later released on July 18, but it is unclear whether that funding will be provided next fiscal year.
The Rosebud Boys and Girls Club’s grant funding expired this year, and Kocak told News Watch that it was unable to apply for renewed funding through the Department of Education.
“The department will not be releasing a new grant application cycle this year because of funding considerations. Future grant application availability will be made based upon availability of federal funds for the program,” the South Dakota Department of Education told News Watch in a statement.
Programs that are currently in the midst of grant cycles – of which there are 25 in South Dakota – will still receive funding for this year.
Multiple clubs looking to innovation for solutions
Three other reservations in the state – Pine Ridge, Standing Rock and Lower Brule – also operate Boys and Girls Clubs.
The SuAnn Big Crow Boys and Girls Club in Pine Ridge reopened in March after several years of closure due to restrictions from the pandemic and funding struggles. It was rechartered with the Boys and Girls Club of America and has restarted serving children attending school in Oglala Lakota County.
“The principles of the club are to have the members be proud of who they are and develop themselves to be self-sufficient, have an education and be able to support themselves,” said Richard Abdoo, chairman of the club’s board.
Abdoo estimates that it costs more than $500,000 to operate the club annually. While startup funding from the national chapter of the Boys and Girls Club has buoyed the club for the next year, Abdoo and the board have started to have conversations about what to do next.
"We're going to be putting our plans and our budget together to identify what are we going to do to make up the anticipated shortfall and find out what Boys and Girls Clubs National can contribute," Abdoo said. "But right now, you know, we're looking at a several hundred-thousand (dollar) shortfall for next year. And we don't know where it's going to come from."
Molly Wetsch
The club, which opened in 2002 after a visit from former President Bill Clinton, hopes to use its unique position to help with raising funds as they dry up next year.
Part of the building was used by the Oglala Lakota tribe as a child care facility while a new one was being built. That helped pay for utilities and other costs for the building, Abdoo said. Now, they're looking to forge similar partnerships in the years ahead.
“We're looking at doing a collaboration with the Civil Air Patrol, for them to use our facilities to conduct their biweekly or monthly meetings," Abdoo said. "The huge majority of our funding comes from outside the community. But even if we take an optimistic look at what we can do with a direct mail campaign, I don't see enough to run the club coming next year. So we're gonna have to do something else."
Reservation clubs reach vulnerable youth
Kocak told News Watch that federal funding cuts are the least of the club's worries.
"Everyone's going to be going through a pinch right now, and our mission is to help kids do hard things. Right now, as an organization, we're hitting a point where we're going to have to do some hard things," Kocak said.
Beyond day-to-day benefits like free meals and child care, long-term impacts stretch far and wide for Boys and Girls Clubs on reservations, where children and teens face some of the most difficult conditions in the United States.
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The South Dakota DOE’s Report Card shows that 51% of students in Todd County and 29% of students in Oglala Lakota County graduated on time in 2024. Nearly 100% of Rosebud Boys and Girls Club attendees graduate from high school and generally attend school 20% more than their peers, Kocak said.
“If you want to come to the club afterwards, you have to go to school during the day,” she said.
Questions about budget abound, but Kocak said the focus on innovation and program benefits has allowed the club to be optimistic about the future.
"Yes, the funding has been cut, but so what? These kids are getting it done anyway, and the Boys and Girls Club isn't going anywhere," Kocak said. "We're going to do what it takes because these kids matter so much."
This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email for statewide stories. Investigative reporter Molly Wetsch is a Report for America corps member covering rural and Indigenous issues. Contact her at molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org.
