Impact - EmBe - Page 3

The CEO Column: June 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-06-20T11:10:38-05:00

Finding Hope Here We remember how much a human can bear in the wake of unthinkable tragedy. Every parent who celebrated the start of summer held the joy of their child’s achievement in tandem with the shared grief of parents in Texas. Every parent who dropped their child off for daycare bore the weight of uncertainty as each child who’s completed an active shooter drill may understand the uncertainty each day may hold. Couple the weight of our shared reality with the prolonged sense of uncertainty we’ve experienced over the last two years and the burden of these experiences may [...]

The CEO Column: June 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-06-20T11:10:38-05:00

EmBe Celebrates Renovated Boutique and Professional Development Center

Mikena VanLiere2022-05-24T12:56:01-05:00

EmBe Celebrates Renovated Boutique and Professional Development Center The renovation and relocation project is now complete, giving new life and purpose to 27,000 square feet in downtown Sioux Falls, S.D. Sioux Falls, SD (May 19, 2022) –EmBe will celebrate the completion of a large-scale renovation and relocation project, marking a new era of women’s programming for the century-old nonprofit. Commencing in February, the project included the transformation of 27,000 square feet in EmBe’s downtown facility and relocation of the Dress for Success Sioux Falls Boutique. The renovation was completed earlier this month with Fiegen Construction at the helm. With credit [...]

EmBe Celebrates Renovated Boutique and Professional Development CenterMikena VanLiere2022-05-24T12:56:01-05:00

The CEO Column: May 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-05-04T15:16:37-05:00

Securing the Next Century of EmBe’s Impact Over the last 100 years, EmBe has been on a mission to empower women, children, and families to enrich lives. In 1922, our founders were the first to recognize the power of women gathering. They established an organization focused on women’s voices, work, and ability to solve community issues together. We weren’t just the first to offer women a dedicated place in the community. We are also the first to shelter battered women, the first to pay tribute to their impact, and the first to advance their children’s care by piloting preschool in [...]

The CEO Column: May 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-05-04T15:16:37-05:00

EmBe Announces the 49th Annual Tribute to Women Award Winners

Mikena VanLiere2022-04-26T11:29:20-05:00

Micki Lundin (Avera Health) and Mark Blackburn (Augustana University and Establishing Sustainable Connections) were the 49th Annual Tribute to Women emcees. EmBe Announces the 49th Annual Tribute to Women Award Winners Sioux Falls, SD (April 26, 2022) –Nine honorees were selected out of 63 nominations for the 49th Annual Tribute to Women Awards at the Sioux Falls Convention Center on April 21. As the longest-standing award ceremony honoring women in our region, the historic event honored the impact of women, men, and businesses in the Sioux Empire, and raised funds to sustain the mission of the century-old organization. [...]

EmBe Announces the 49th Annual Tribute to Women Award WinnersMikena VanLiere2022-04-26T11:29:20-05:00

EmBe Announces 49th Annual Tribute to Women Awards

Mikena VanLiere2022-02-10T14:19:39-06:00

EmBe Announces the 49th Annual Tribute to Women Awards Sioux Falls, SD (February 10, 2022) –The longest-standing award ceremony honoring women in our region is back, and this time, it’s happening in person. Now in its 49th year, Tribute to Women has shined a light on those doing right by EmBe’s mission since 1973. The 2022 Tribute to Women event will convene around 700 community members on April 21 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. All community members are not only welcome to the event but urged to submit nominations now, said Tietgen. “While history tends to be marked by [...]

EmBe Announces 49th Annual Tribute to Women AwardsMikena VanLiere2022-02-10T14:19:39-06:00

Walking in Our Power

Mikena VanLiere2022-03-01T17:29:38-06:00

The CEO Column: Walking in Our Power The Revolution Continues with You by Kerri Tietgen In Korean, “black lives matter” translates to “흑인의 생명은 소중하다,” or in other words, black lives are precious. It’s a simple but significant difference that rocked me to my core. Black lives… and all lives are precious, a sentiment that we strive to communicate and live in our culture at EmBe. As an Asian American woman in our community, this one-word difference is powerful. And based on the response I received when I shared this on my social media this week, this pure recognition of [...]

Walking in Our PowerMikena VanLiere2022-03-01T17:29:38-06:00

Volunteer Highlight: Sam Ryckman

Mikena VanLiere2021-03-09T09:33:05-06:00

FIRST LEGO League Alum and Volunteer: Sam Ryckman My interest in engineering and science started the same way it likely did for many: playing with Lego. From age eleven to eighteen, I participated in FIRST Lego League (FLL) and later FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). These programs sparked my interest in science and engineering through exciting challenges and fun competitions. I learned how to design, program, and build robots. But more importantly, I learned the importance of teamwork, communication, and hard work. I am now attending college at South Dakota Mines pursuing degrees in mechanical engineering and computer science. After graduating, [...]

Volunteer Highlight: Sam RyckmanMikena VanLiere2021-03-09T09:33:05-06:00

Help as Needed: Dress for Success Sioux Falls Mentorship

Mikena VanLiere2021-03-05T16:32:27-06:00

Janet sat across the table from me, a warm cup of coffee in each of our hands as I welcomed her to share a little more about herself. This was the beginning of a six-week mentorship in which I, a thirty-something, came to learn more about a fifty-something who found herself unemployed following decades of hard work. Janet, a mother, widow and college graduate with a host of experience, was already working with an employment specialist at the Department of Labor. Her resume was impeccable. Her letters of reference provided insight into her exceptional work ethic. We met weekly, in-person [...]

Help as Needed: Dress for Success Sioux Falls MentorshipMikena VanLiere2021-03-05T16:32:27-06:00

EmBe awarded Bush Foundation Community Innovation grant for collaborative project

Mikena VanLiere2020-12-22T09:33:29-06:00

EmBe has been awarded a Bush Foundation Community Innovation grant. The $200,000 award provides funding for a two-year collaborative project to develop a framework for a shared child and school age care substitute staffing pool. This pool of trained staff will meet day-to-day needs across multiple organizations. The project grew out of the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative, convened and facilitated by Sioux Falls Thrive. The group has been meeting for several years with a focus on advancing sustainable child and school age care. COVID has propelled the group into the spotlight as the essential work of childcare providers has affected [...]

EmBe awarded Bush Foundation Community Innovation grant for collaborative projectMikena VanLiere2020-12-22T09:33:29-06:00

Donor Spotlight: Dr. Drew Alton

Mikena VanLiere2021-09-01T09:44:38-05:00

The world is watching as NASA’s Perseverance Rover makes its way to Jerezro Crater on planet Mars to hunt for prehistoric fossils in the next six months. For local professor and FIRST LEGO League (FLL) volunteer Dr. Drew Alton, the mission fuels his passion to bring science, technology, engineering and math to kids across South Dakota as a volunteer and as a program collaborator. “I want them to say, ‘I could be part of that mission,’” Dr. Alton said. “It’s exactly what FLL is all about.” Dr. Alton, a professor of physics at Augustana University, has been volunteering for the [...]

Donor Spotlight: Dr. Drew AltonMikena VanLiere2021-09-01T09:44:38-05:00