New home for hope: Children’s Home Society updates Rapid City campus

This piece is sponsored by Children’s Home Society.

Spirits are high and hope is growing at the Rapid City campus of Children’s Home Society as progress is now visible.

At Elevate Rapid City’s Spring Mixer in April, CHS welcomed 210 professionals, leaders and community members to the new Rapid City campus.

Guests took guided tours of the location, made flower bouquets at the “Hope in Bloom” bar and folded origami swans for the CHS community art project, Join the Fold.

“This event brought recognition to the community of the many services that CHS offers in Rapid City,” said Heather Hoeye, director of development.

Halfway through the event, everyone was called into the new Janet Kahler Conference Room, which overlooks the Black Hills. President and CEO Michelle Lavallee thanked everyone for attending and shared information about CHS’ history in the Hills and the impact the new campus will have on the community.

President and CEO Michelle Lavallee with Jeff Partridge of Partridge Financial and Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun.

Elevate Rapid City also presented CHS with 10 blankets to donate to children served at the Child Advocacy Center.

“By late fall 2026, our new Rapid City campus will be complete,” Lavallee said. “The concentration of trauma-informed experts and services in a single location ushers in a new era of care for children and families in the Black Hills.”

Renovation of the former 106,000-square-foot National American University site on Mount Rushmore Road began in 2025.

Earlier this year, renovations on the Children’s Home Child Advocacy Center offices and Outpatient Mental Health Services clinic were finished. Staff moved into their renovated and newly furnished offices in late January.

Child Advocacy Center staff members gather in a waiting area in their new office space.

“We’re thankful to have moved into our permanent offices,” chief medical officer Dr. Brian Wilson said. “Our OMHS clinic, as well as the entire facility, has been designed to provide an environment that feels safe and comfortable for children and their families who are dealing with trauma while also supporting the CHS staff who are caring for those individuals.”

Chief medical officer Dr. Brian Wilson provides psychiatry services in his office within the Outpatient Mental Health Services area.

CAC offices are specially designed and equipped for the functionality required for legally admissible forensic interviewing. Space also is provided for multidisciplinary partners of CAC, who represent law enforcement, criminal justice, medical providers, child protection and more.

Project of significance 

The CHS board of directors voted to purchase the National American University site for renovation and development in 2024. It was clear that the project was significant in terms of the budget needed. But the significance of the new facility for the children and families in the Black Hills, and the community, was even greater.

“We are proud to report that the Rapid City campus project is on track and under budget,” chief administrative officer Mark Niemeyer said.

“The final building product is a result of input from staff, clients, programs, departments, partner agencies, community leaders, contractor partners and donors. The facility will serve the CHS mission now and well into the future.”

Here’s a look by the numbers:

• Overall budget: $51 million
• Renovation/construction: $33 million
• Cost of NAU site: $8.6 million
• Additional land: $2.8 million
• Rockerville sale: $6.2 million
• Messengers sale: $1.3 million

Second phase begins

Construction is now underway on the areas that will house Residential Treatment and Owen School, as well as the Foundation offices.

The completed area will include 32 psychiatric residential treatment beds for children age 4 to 14. Residential treatment staff provide 24-hour care for children who have experienced abuse, trauma or emotional and behavioral challenges. This includes individualized treatment planning; on-site education; individual, family and group therapy; psychiatric care; and support to help children build skills for life beyond treatment.

Owen School will serve the children in residential care along with 64 spots for day-school students from communities across the Black Hills. CHS Department of Education-approved schools offer early intervention and least-restrictive placements to support students whose behavioral challenges significantly impact classroom safety and learning environments.

The Residential Care and Owen School area will include a library, art and music rooms, sensory rooms, gym and recreational facilities, a full commercial kitchen and dining hall, offices, meeting rooms and more.

When renovations are complete in late fall, all CHS programs and services in Rapid City will operate under one roof, creating a more accessible environment for families, staff and visiting care providers and resulting in a stronger continuum of care.

Janet Kahler Conference Room

Naming a spacious conference room overlooking the Black Hills was not on CHS board member Janet Kahler’s 2025 bingo card.

But when Kahler decided to make a significant donation to the Rapid City campus building project, she was drawn toward the main conference room with state-of-the-art technology, an outdoor patio and a majestic view of the Black Hills.

“I support Children’s Home Society because they have such a long history of caring for children,” Kahler said. “And with the new campus, all the services are going to be together.”

Generous donations 

CHS is grateful for receiving several major gifts designated for the Rapid City campus.

The Seed for Success Foundation has pledged $5 million to support and name the OMHS clinics at the Rapid City and Sioux Falls campuses.

“Seed for Success is helping us turn hope into action,” CHS chief philanthropy officer Jon Mammenga said. “Their support allows us to reach more children and families who have experienced trauma and provide the care they need to heal.”

Marianne Von Seggern, vice president at Seed for Success Foundation, said she hopes the gift will lead to lasting, positive outcomes for children and families throughout the state.

“At Seed for Success, our goal is to build connections, support families, strengthen communities and provide opportunities for the next generation to thrive,” she said.

At the Elevate event: Amy Koenig, CHS board chair and Dakota Gold Corp. senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary; Laura Armstrong, executive director of the Minneluzahan Senior Center; and Heather Hoeye, CHS director of development

Sanford Health provided a $2 million gift in support of CHS’ Residential Treatment program in Rapid City.

“Support like this makes it possible to provide services to kids who need hope and healing,” Mammenga said. “We are deeply grateful for Sanford Health and their belief in our mission of preventing, treating and healing trauma.”

Sanford Health president and CEO Bill Gassen said the gift builds on the long-standing history of support for CHS and strengthens services for children in the years ahead.

“Children’s Home Society of South Dakota holds a special place in our hearts at Sanford Health,” Gassen said.

“Our benefactor, Denny Sanford, has given graciously to CHS for decades, and his gifts have inspired Sanford Health to follow his lead. We see the impact philanthropy has made on the children and adults who need the valuable resources CHS provides, and we want to help ensure family members in the Black Hills region continue to receive this support for decades to come.”

The CHS Residential Treatment facility is currently near Rockerville, southwest of Rapid City. In 2025, it was sold but will not be vacated until construction at the Mount Rushmore Road building is complete in November. Dr. Cleveland Trimble, who purchased the site, is generously returning CHS lease payments as donations.

“We couldn’t be more delighted with not just the progress at the Rapid City campus, but the community’s reception and our staff and clients’ reaction,” Lavallee said. “Everyone at CHS looks forward to helping children and families through hope and healing.”

To learn more about the Rapid City campus and philanthropic opportunities, please contact Jon Mammenga at [email protected] or 605.334.6004, ext. 3136.