Youth - EmBe

Donor Spotlight: Meet Janet Naessig

Mikena VanLiere2024-02-07T11:31:28-06:00

For Janet Naessig, her time with EmBe spans back to when we were still known as the YWCA. She started her time as YWCA Teen Age Program Director in 1957 and then went on to complete her term on the Board of Directors in 2003. Janet’s involvement dates to having chaired the Leader Luncheon, engaging in the Annual Fund Drive, the Santa House Project, the first ladies golf tournament, and much more! Janet has also been a longtime supporter and donor of EmBe. She was the Y’s representative to The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation during the drive to [...]

Donor Spotlight: Meet Janet NaessigMikena VanLiere2024-02-07T11:31:28-06:00

Youth Spotlight: Cambree Cook

Mikena VanLiere2024-02-07T11:32:32-06:00

EmBe works diligently to help our community’s youth thrive. For Cambree Cook, attending Camp Girl VIP this summer helped her have fun by getting involved, meet new people, and got her out of her comfort zone. Through her great camp experience, she says she’s learned that she can become whatever she wants. Camp Girl VIP is a unique camp experience that helps girls find their voice, recognize the impact they can make on their community and help them explore their power and purpose. "During my time at EmBe's camps, I have made a lot of new friends, and I [...]

Youth Spotlight: Cambree CookMikena VanLiere2024-02-07T11:32:32-06:00

FIRST® LEGO® League 2022-23 Championship Recap

Mikena VanLiere2023-03-20T15:16:24-05:00

All season, youth involved in FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) have worked together to create, code, and compete to advance to the final FLL Championship, which took place earlier this month at Augustana University’s campus in Sioux Falls, SD. Teams traveled across South Dakota, North Sioux City to Rapid City, and many cities and small towns in between, to compete and showcase their complex robots. Teams were judged based on their innovation project, presentation skills, robot design, and core values. Our 2022-23 Season Challenge was a SUPERPOWERED℠ theme and had teams creating an innovation project that included a real-world solution utilizing renewable energy. [...]

FIRST® LEGO® League 2022-23 Championship RecapMikena VanLiere2023-03-20T15:16:24-05:00

100-Year Sunday Story: 100 Years of EmBe

Mikena VanLiere2022-09-25T11:04:58-05:00

For the final Sunday Story, we’re bringing you 100 fun facts about EmBe from our last 100 years! The 1920s YWCA founder, Mabel Crossman, owned the state’s largest chicken hatchery with her husband, even though she was terrified of chickens. The YWCA was one of the first organizations to offer Kittenball leagues for women. Kittenball is the original name for softball. The first Camp Tepeetonka was on Lake Madison. One of the original classes of the YWCA was a cheese-tasting class. The YWCA offered a special one-on-one English class for immigrants attempting to learn the language. President Calvin Coolidge visited [...]

100-Year Sunday Story: 100 Years of EmBeMikena VanLiere2022-09-25T11:04:58-05:00

100-Year Sunday Story: The Name Change

Mikena VanLiere2022-09-16T10:52:55-05:00

On April 16, 2013, the Sioux Falls branch of the YWCA cut ties with the national organization and announced the new agency as EmBe. There were many reasons for the change, but ultimately, the organization wanted to be more connected and support and provide resources in the best possible way to the Sioux Falls community. When the name changed, it didn’t mean that the services had changed. After the switch, EmBe still provided all the services they did before, including childcare services, aquatics, Girls on the Run, Tribute to Women, and all other programs. By cutting ties with [...]

100-Year Sunday Story: The Name ChangeMikena VanLiere2022-09-16T10:52:55-05:00

EmBe CEO Column: July 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-07-15T12:54:03-05:00

Dare to Raise, Rise2Raise “They’re just like us.” That’s the recurring thought of this past month at EmBe. It was the first thought that came to my mind as I sat in a circle of past and present board members recently. The statement’s on repeat, in my mind and out loud, as we peruse the pages of our 100-year-old history. My heart races at any discovery that triggers it and my spirit dances with each jaw-dropping move made by our sisters and allies of the past. If you can’t tell, we’re uncovering our history from the pages of scrapbooks that [...]

EmBe CEO Column: July 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-07-15T12:54:03-05:00

EmBe Announces Plans for its 100 Year Celebration

Mikena VanLiere2022-06-28T21:06:07-05:00

Stephanie Land, the author of the New York Times Bestseller turned Netflix series Maid, will provide a keynote on September 28 to honor the organization’s 100-year-old mission of empowering women, children, and families of the Sioux Empire. Sioux Falls, SD (June 23, 2022) –EmBe, the oldest and largest women’s organization in the region, will celebrate its centennial through a series of events beginning with the organization’s first-ever girls’ summit, Rise2Raise, on August 10 and culminating with a keynote by New York Times Bestselling author Stephanie Land at its celebration event on September 28 at the Washington Pavilion. The nonprofit organization [...]

EmBe Announces Plans for its 100 Year CelebrationMikena VanLiere2022-06-28T21:06:07-05:00

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 Invites Girls and Coaches to ‘Run with Us’

Mikena VanLiere2022-01-14T09:55:29-06:00

Sioux Falls, SD (January 14, 2022) – At the start of its second century, EmBe continues its mission to empower women and families to enrich lives. As its signature program, Girls on the Run, gears up for another season, participants and volunteers are calling on their greater communities to join them this Spring. Registration for the 2022 Spring season opened on January 10 at embe.org. To support a growing cohort of 1500 girls in Grades 3 to 5 who elect to run each season, the program needs 200 coaches throughout the state to bring social-emotional learning opportunities to help girls [...]

EmBe Invites Girls and Coaches to ‘Run with Us’Mikena VanLiere2022-01-14T09:55:29-06:00

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