South Dakota Cares Kicks off This Month With Jennifer Kirby

April 21 marked the start of South Dakota CARES, a statewide day of giving held in support of vital LSS services. The event highlights stories of positive change through program tours, panel discussions and agency updates, and online giving matches and challenges. Last year, more than 300 unique donors came together to raise more than $323,000 during the event.

A handful of LSS donors have set up matches and challenges to double the impact of donations made during South Dakota CARES. This includes Jennifer Kirby, who has been connected to the LSS mission all her life.

“I don’t recall ever not knowing about LSS,” Kirby said.

For more than 40 years, her grandparents served as Lutheran missionaries in Papua New Guinea, an island country in the Pacific Ocean. The experience profoundly shaped her family and spurred their involvement in organizations like LSS.

Thinking back to her own story, Kirby encourages people to consider the life-changing impact their gift could have on others.

“None of us choose the circumstances we’re born into or find ourselves in at certain points in life,” Kirby explains. “Any one of us could be in the position of needing significant help from LSS. For those of us who have the opportunity to help, it’s really important we do. This is our community and our neighbors.”

Visit SouthDakotaCARES.org and double your impact with a gift to one of four matches: Building Successful Families Match, Enhancing Access to Mental Healthcare Match, Helping Children in Foster Care Challenge and Offering Cutting-Edge Care Challenge.