Mitchell's Safe Place nets nearly $50K at Night at the Races to aid new facility build

Apr. 20—MITCHELL — Raising nearly $50,000 recently at their annual Night at the Races event, the Safe Place of Eastern South Dakota continues to march toward a bright new future in Mitchell.

To help with the on-going campaign to build a new facility in Mitchell, Safe Place held their annual fundraiser on April 5, 2024. And the stakes were high as supporters placed their bets on their favorite horses in a series of 9 pre-recorded horse races with horses named Yellow Paint, Pied Piper, Skid Row, among others.

People were encouraged to cheer their horses on to victory, with a bonus round sponsored by Modern Woodmen, which proceeds from that race being matched up to $2,500. Other events during the course of the evening were best dressed competitions which included categories for perfect pair, best dressed gent, best dressed lady, best hat and best in show (best table). There was also a bourbon pull, and of course, the traditional mint juleps, raising approximately $49,600.

"It's just a fun event." said Teresa Berndt, Safe Place of Eastern of South Dakota's Development director. "You don't have to dress up, but pretty much everybody does to get into the whole feel of it."

The event also honored former state senator Mike Vehle, who was honored with the Pamela Nielsen Boline memorial award, honoring one of the organization's founding leaders. Vehle, previously served on the board for six years and led state efforts on grant availability and oversight for the Safe Place while serving in Pierre.

"His experience with numerous local and state-wide organizations brought an overall wealth of knowledge to the Safe Place during his time on the foundation board," Berndt said. "He is no stranger to hard work and he really made a difference in our community."

Celebrating its 40th year in operation, the Safe Place of Eastern South Dakota, previously known as the Mitchell Area Safe House, is an organization and facility that provides a safe and empowering environment to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault through advocacy, education, shelter and family support services. It now serves nine counties: Davison, Aurora, Hanson, Sanborn, Douglas, Jerauld, Hutchinson, Miner, and recently added McCook.

In addition to being a facility that provides emergency shelter for victims of domestic abuse, part of the building is used as a family visitation center. This space serves as a comfortable and neutral location for the transfer of children for traditional visitation and as a location for monitored on-site visitation. The Safe Place also offers services for families, such as help with protection orders, referrals for medical counseling, social and legal services or employment and education referrals. They also have a 24-hour crisis hotline.

In 2023, the Safe Place served 173 women and children in shelter, assisted with 15 sexual assaults, human trafficking and stalking cases, helped in achieving 23 protection orders, and provided over 52 families with visitation and monitored exchanges.

To meet the growing demand for their services, the Safe Place of Eastern South Dakota started a "Build a Safe Future" campaign back in 2020, with an effort to build a new facility in Mitchell.

They were able to secure a $2.02 million Community Block Grant in 2021 through the South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development.

However, since the campaign began, both the organization's board and foundation board has changed members and leadership, and some of the federal grant funds for the project have been put on hold.

"It all had to do with wording and how funds for the grant could be used," Berndt said. "And it's the government. Nothing is done quickly. There's guidelines, regulations, things that all need to get checked off."

Originally, the fundraising goal was $5.5 million. Berndt said the cost to build the new facility might not be as high as it was when it was being priced during the pandemic with high building costs.

"Despite the challenges and setbacks, we haven't lost focus on the building project," Berndt said. "The campaign never went away. Our goal has always been to be just what our name says: truly a safe place."

Site work is taking place at the building lot at the intersection of North Kimball Street and East Green Drive. The location is convenient and near important services that clients need, Berndt said. A formal groundbreaking is expected this spring, with the building to be completed for summer 2025.

"The new building is just one piece of the puzzle in the quest for us to be the best," Berndt said.