Words and photos courtesy of Youth & Family Services
“My home environment wasn’t good. My mom suffered from alcoholism. Going to Girls Club meant that I was safe for a short period of time. I loved being there with adults who taught me to cook, played games with me and listened to what I had to say. That wasn’t something my mom did,” recalled Pam May, one of the original members of Girls Club She’s pictured above holding a photo of the original Girls Club cohort that she was a part of.
After starting a family of her own, Pam joined the staff of this life-changing nonprofit and spent 26 years working directly with young children. She retired in 2021.
In 1965, when this organization was founded, (it started as the Girls Club and would eventually become Youth & Family Services, but more on that in a moment) it did not own a fleet of vehicles or state-of-the-art facilities. Back then, when Pam was a girl, it had a bank balance that averaged less than $665, some craft supplies, a few sparse pieces of furniture and a fierce determination to meet the needs of girls in the Rapid City community.
Sixty years later, that same dedication has transformed the organization from a small agency serving 39 girls a day in a small house on West Boulevard, into a comprehensive human services anchor serving more than 14,000 children and their families annually in 31 western South Dakota counties.
What’s in a Name?
Wait. Girls Club? Girls Inc? YFS?
Are these different organizations? Let’s sort that out before we go on. As the community’s needs changed, the organization that once served Pam and other girls chose to adapt and grow. The leadership of the original Girls Club — passionate individuals with diverse skills and interests — made the bold decision to expand its mission to meet broader community needs. In 1969, the organization started a pilot food program and later expanded it, adding additional services such as child care, counseling, Head Start, prevention services and a crisis hotline. In 1991, the organization’s name was changed from Girls Club of Rapid City to Youth & Family Services (YFS) to better reflect the organization’s broad range of services, and the original Girls Club of Rapid City became YFS’ Girls Inc. of Rapid City.
Bold Leadership
“Our board consistently challenged our staff to provide high-quality programs and to be fiscally responsible. They guided us in developing relationships within the community and to diversify our funding streams,” said Susan Fedell, retired Youth & Family Services CEO. She continued, “Although each of YFS’ nine programs could stand alone as a nonprofit, our Board of Directors recognized that having them all under one umbrella eliminated duplication and reduced administrative and management costs. This strategic planning made it possible to direct more dollars directly to services for children and families.” Today, program costs typically comprise 88% of the annual budget.
In its most recent expansion, YFS added 67,525 square feet to its existing building to provide programming designed to meet the unique needs of middle-school-age youth and to increase services for parents and young adults focused on communication and relationship-building. This expansion also allowed several programs to move under one roof so families could more easily navigate between YFS’ nine distinct programs under the YFS umbrella.
Recent Achievements
Today, Youth & Family Services looks a lot different from how it did 60 years ago. The organization continues to work to assess and monitor the needs of children and families while looking optimistically toward the future.
In late 2025, Youth & Family Services was awarded the Bush Prize – South Dakota for their track record of providing creative solutions, innovation, and transformational impact in solving community problems. John Julius, YFS CEO, shared, “We were thrilled to be recognized for the impact our programs have had in the community over the past six decades. This is a testament to the quality leadership, vision, and hard work of YFS’ talented and skilled board members and staff throughout the past 60 years. We remain committed to providing essential services like counseling, child development, family advocacy, food and poverty reduction programs, while also staying alert to possibilities that we can participate in to ensure a stronger, self-sufficient community tomorrow.”
Sante Burnette, YFS 2022 Alumni of the Year, shared that the skills she learned at Girls Inc. would help her later in life as a detective. “At YFS’ Girls Inc. I learned to take initiative and how to be kind and be there for somebody. Those things shaped me to really be able to do this job in a great way.”
The Future
“It is impossible to know how many children have walked through the doors of one of our facilities, but we know it is hundreds of thousands. Our staff meet the children and their families where they are and respond to their needs with an open and accepting heart,” shared Connie Olson, YFS Chief Development Officer. “We remain true to our mission of supporting children and their families in being capable, caring and contributing members of the community.”
As the Board and staff look ahead toward the next 60 years, the organization’s message is clear: the work of building a stronger community is never finished. They work tirelessly toward their vision that children in western South Dakota will develop healthy bodies, inquiring minds, wholesome relationships, compassionate hearts, creative spirits, the conviction to stand up for themselves and others, and the courage to build a better society.