Got rocks? Ready to help haul? Children’s Inn needs your help

This is what we call “rocking” the Inn.

The Children’s Inn has started construction on its new building at 113 N. St. Paul Ave. — but there are some missing pieces.

Rocks, to be specific.

The design for the new building, which will support victims of domestic violence and children who have been neglected or abused, calls for fieldstone on the facade.

Now, the Children’s Inn needs to find the rocks and haul them to the site.

So if you have a rock no smaller than a grapefruit and no larger than a basketball, it can be included.

“We’re also looking for volunteers to load and haul stone, so we can make it easier for those who just want to donate the fieldstones,” said Amy Carter, Children’s Inn program director. “It would make a great public service project for colleges, churches, athletic teams and other groups.”

The rocks can be delivered Sept. 18 and 19 to the building site, which is on the former South Dakota School for the Deaf campus.

“Rock the Inn offers a way for folks to become involved with Children’s Inn and the important work we do,” Carter said. “They can help us truly build our community’s future.”

The fieldstone will be used on the front exterior wall of the new, 48,000-square-foot facility, which will increase Children’s Inn capacity from 40 beds in 24 bedrooms to 96 beds in 38 bedrooms.

Partners in the project include Koch Hazard Architects and Lloyd Cos. Any unused stone will become part of the facility’s landscaping down the road.

Children’s Inn was founded in 1977 and serves Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook, Turner and Union counties. In addition to providing emergency shelter, meals and transportation, Children’s Inn offers a 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling services, parenting education, support groups, community referrals and more.

To learn more about the Rock the Inn effort, click here.