FashionABLE is Back!
On Saturday, February 15, 2020, Jolly Lane
Greenhouse in partnership with the Academy of
Dance Arts, will host the 3rd annual All-Ability
Threads, FashionABLE show. The theme this year
will have designers incorporate paint on 75% of
their designs.
Volunteers from the community that will partner
with the talented designers who are supported by
Black Hills Works. The volunteer and designer
applications were due on November 27th. The
selections be announced the first week of
December.
People supported are asked to include a colored
illustration of their design, and the volunteers will
assist the designers in bringing their visions to
reality!
A brief meeting between designers and volunteers
will take place in the first week of December to plan
an approach to the project. The projects between
volunteers and designers will officially begin the
first week in January and will conclude Saturday,
February 8.
If you have any questions please contact Heather
Pickering at (605)718-8338 or email Flutter
Productions at [email protected].
The Woman Behind the Curtain
Cec Richart is our AS400 computer super
programmer who works remotely from Omaha, NE.
Working for Black Hills Works for over 22 years, it
is hard to put into words just how awesome and
amazing Cec is! She does everything to keep the
payroll & accounting systems running! Any time
something doesn't work, Cec will have it fixed in
record time. She knows how the whole payroll,
benefit, accounting
systems work
independently, as well
as how they all tie
together. She always
has a solution to a
problem. She never
says you are out of luck
when you put in a
request or report an
issue; she works until a
solution is found. She
is, for lack of a better word, amazing!
Payroll:
Building queries or making programs that we can
use to make our job way less time consuming-- no
matter what she is dealing with, Cec is always calm
and in a good mood. She has AS400 programmed to
handle the many rules and regulations required by
the Department of Labor, Federal Contracts and the
state. Cec has made many programs to handle
specific requirements such as rounding hours and
wages properly, programs that handle the
complicated calculations of piece rate, shelf stocker
rate, all the differentials, and the special exceptions
that we have. She has programs setup that make
paying back wages much easier with less manual
labor to the accounting department. She has
programs made that pull the required federal
contract hours to calculate fringe benefits, reports
December 2019
that are used to report wages, as well as reports used
for unemployment reporting. She is essential at
year-end with getting the W-2's printed and sent in,
and makes sure all of our tax reports balance. In
July of 2019 when Black Hills Works went into
what we refer to as "the Dark Ages" on the
computer system, Cec would be up before 5 AM
and worked late into the night 7 days a week to
ensure that accounting and payroll could still
proceed with the very important role they play for
people that we support – giving them access to
spending money for groceries, rent, trust checks and
for all employee paychecks.
New System Implementation:
We would not be able to do any new system
implementation without Cec. Without her thorough
knowledge of AS400, and her ability to pull and
extract the data as needed for the new systems, we
would be at a loss. When setting everything up in
NovaTime and Netsuite, she knows all the answers
and can compile the information and get it to the
required person for setup. Did you know that
anything employees can do on the AS400 program,
she has either created or updated? Now that we are
moving towards NetSuite and all of its "plugin"
programs, she is 100% involved, and she is still
working on the "old side" to make sure everyone is
still functioning with their job duties. Cec is always
about the greater good for Black Hills Works and
BH Services, and is a great sounding board for
everyone's ideas.
Accounting and Payroll Mentor:
The Accounting and Payroll and accounting
departments would be at a loss if Cec wasn't a part
of our team. Her knowledge and skills are
irreplaceable. She has been a mentor for the
Accounting and Payroll departments for over 20
years. Cec is the primary IT "go to" person; having
written more of lines of code that we wish to count,
working for everyone she is a visionary. The agency
is utilizing programs that she wrote 30 years ago,
which are just as efficient today as when she
originally wrote them. She was the original IT
Manager and created the IT department as we know
it today.
Cec isn't about recognition or rewards, she is always
about the person supported and our agency goals
and needs. For all of her countless hours working,
she has made many people's lives smoother, easier,
and friendlier. You may not know her name, but
you benefit from Cec on a day to day basis with all
of her hard work and high work ethic.
Dec. 1: Douglas Sorensen, Karen Drost, Ruby Kay
Fenenga, Kianna Menon
Dec. 2: Lea Haisch, Sara Renton
Dec. 3: Tara Gary, Carol Page, Roy Stricklan
Dec. 4: Todd Wicks, Erica Yellow, Rebecca Baker
Dec. 10: Ryan Shultz
Dec. 11: Melissa Alexander, Lanna Backen
Dec. 13: Tianna Hurt
Dec. 14: Brookley Garman
Dec. 15: Elizabeth Walker, Carl Dixon
Dec. 18: Marissa Golas, Sara Kautz
Dec. 19: Mary Wheeler, Robert Graham
Dec. 20: Jason Smith, Terry Wilson, Shelly
Eaglehorse
Dec. 21: Robin Madsen, Bronson Odle
Dec. 22: Billie Strand, Trena Garlick, Rachel
Hopperdietzel, Sierra Austro
Dec. 24: Sara Pekny, Natalie Dekay, Dina Montero
Dec. 25: Teri Alford
Dec. 27: Paul Warren
Dec. 28: Victoria Hopperdietzel, Lisa Richmond,
Lindsay Lyons, Alison Stoeckmann
Dec. 30: Zachary Venable
Dec. 31: Kayla Wagner, Sarah Spears
The Big 73!
Many people know Ordean Stevenson from our
BHW Family and his involvement in different
activities. From volunteering in the community to
his roles in Flutter Productions, Ordean is always a
joy to everyone he is around.
Ordean recently celebrated
his 73rd birthday with his
friends at the Plant Street
retirement center, with
everyone singing Happy
Birthday to him!
His favorite part of the
day was having lunch at
his favorite restaurant, The
Millstone, with his friend
Robin. His waitress made sure to commemorate his
special day with a piece of cake and a song.
Ordean always has a smile on his face and is a joy
to be around. Happy Birthday, Ordean!
Storm Forecast
On November 7th, 40 Rapid City Storm athletes
and eight coaches and chaperones departed Rapid
City for Aberdeen, SD
for the 2019 Special
Olympics State Bowling
Tournament. Thirty
other Special Olympic
delegations from all over
the state were also in
attendance. After three
days of singles, doubles
and team competitions,
your Rapid City Storm
finished the weekend
with a total of 37 medals; 16 bronze, 10 silver and
an amazing 11 gold medals.
During the weekend we were fortunate enough to be
involved in the opening ceremonies, in which the
Olympic flame lit a large cauldron to symbolize the
beginning of the competition. We also had a great
time participating in karaoke and a dance. Although
the trip home was a bit challenging, because of icy
roads, we all made it home safely. Congratulations
to the 2019 Rapid City Storm state bowling team!
Bob Lew: A Friendly Face to Many
Suzie Cappa artist, Robert
(Bob) Lew, sits waiting for
his Rapid Ride while
simultaneously doing his
hand exercises, by waving
to everyone every morning,
no matter the weather! He
is a bit of a neighborhood
celebrity around his community home.
He often gets honks and waves back at him as he
waits for his bus to take him to work. A few weeks
back he was at an appointment
and not sitting in front of his
home, and people noticed.
The garbage truck driver
asked the staff at his home
where "the guy who always
waves is.”
Recently, a neighbor brought
Bob a doughnut, telling staff
that Bob makes her day. She said she could go a
different way to work, but always drives past Bob's
home for good morning waves. Cars full of people
going to work, parents taking their children to
school, and many others take joy in Bob's infectious
smile!
Gala Success
This year's annual Recognition Gala, “Home,
Where Our Story Begins…” went off without a
hitch! All of our attendees celebrated our four
amazing award winners.
Along with celebrating our award winners, Dorthy,
Ed, Rebecca, and David, we awarded Dr. Roger
Wilson and Ted Huffman, with legacy awards for
their dedicated work and commitment to BHW. To
begin our
celebrations,
Mayor Steve
Allender presented
Bob Syers, Mayor
of Plant Street,
with a
commemorative
name badge for his dedicated governing of our
retirement center.
Part of this year's gala involved showcasing
different rooms and furniture needed in several
homes that Black Hills Works currently has and is
in the process of building.
Our new Director of Engagement, Carrie Moser was
able to plan a majority of this huge event within her
first month of working for the agency! We applaud
and thank her, along with the BHW gala committee
for all of their hard work leading up to, and on the
night of the gala!
Welcome New Employees!
Jessica Wangen West Chicago
Tiara Cochran Indiana
Sierra Austro Plant Street
Matthew Flett RSC
Jon Scott Stucker West Chicago
Erika Coonrod Allen
Amy Juso RSC
Aspen Pease BHW
Paul Lindstrom BHW
Latasha Rogers TBIRC
Carolyn McIntyre Edwards-D
Sameria Black Crow Minnesota
Crystal Thurmes Behavioral Health
Alexis Berry Choices
Jullian Montgomery ITS
Bret Wilson West Chicago
Jennifer Henriksen Behavioral Health
Seth Wentz Horizon Point
Lavaughn Moore Edwards-D
Megan Cutler Allen
Staff Anniversaries
Gayle Steiger 39 years
Laura Smith 39 years
Vincent Horne 25 years
Janis Frank 15 years
Leah Drummond 10 years
Douglas Neisz 9 years
Teresa Kjos 9 years
Angela Chant 7 years
Desiree Dubs 4 years
Julia Davis 4 years
Olaf Solvie 4 years
Samantha Heenan 4 years
Andrea Kenrick 3 years
Brian Cho 2 years
Demi Reasor 2 years
Isabella Hagg 2 years
Jessilyn Thompson 2 years
Malinda Larson 2 years
Shana Siers 2 years
Alexa Bakken 1 year
Ashley Gerlach 1 year
Dena Colhoff 1 year
Hanah Parr-Paul 1 year
Jeanette Nelson 1 year
Lorrie Martin 1 year
Tanya Fritz 1 year
Tisha Gilson 1 year
BH Services
Annette Rivett, food service worker, was awarded
with the Employee of the Month achievement at the
Raider Café in October. Annette works as a cashier
and contingency prep cook.
Annette is fantastic as a cashier
with her customer service skills,
providing a great dining
experience to all patrons. She is
also responsible for sanitation
and cleaning, in which she takes
the necessary quality steps for
each task, on top of what is
expected of her. She is an
independent worker, and shows her abilities through
her work ethic in her daily assignments. She has
wonderful relationships with everyone in her work
environment, is pleasant and polite, and a pleasure
to have on the food service crew. Congrats Annette!
Black Hills Works 2020 Holiday Calendar
Time to plan for Flexible Spending 2020
It is that time of year when you have to decide if
you would like to participate in flexible spending.
To be eligible you have to be a full-time (32 or
more hours) per week employee and have to be
employed with the agency for at least 6 months.
Flexible Spending is a program that allows you to
use payroll deduction to pay for out-of-pocket
medical, dental, and vision expenses and you can
use it for day care also.
You will be receiving an e-mail soon with an
election form attached to it. This form is mandatory
to the agency and IRS and must be filled out. When
you fill it out and save it, it will be sent to Judy
Condon. If you do not want to participate, fill your
name in at the top and go to the bottom #5 Refusal
and click on it, it should fill your name in.
If you want to participate when you fill in the top
information and get to #3, annual election is the
amount you want to put into your flex account up to
a max amount of $2750.00 for the year, number of
pay periods is 24, amount per pay period is the year
total divided by 24, this is the approximate payroll
deduction per pay period, date of first payroll is
January 15th, effective date is January 1, 2020,
payroll is biweekly. Judy Condon will be having an
informational meeting on December 3rd in room
217 from 10-12 at RSC for all the new things
happening with the plan and talk about your
accounts and the debit card you can have issued.
Question’s please call Judy at 718-6248 or stop in
and see me at RSC room 205.
Special Olympic Volunteer Recognized!
The Helpline Center and Black Hills Urgent care
announced Sandie Enger as the November 2019
Volunteer of the Month!
Sandie was nominated by the agency and the Rapid
City Storm for her time and selflessness
volunteering with the Storm atheletes.
Sandie has been a part of the BHW family for 4
years. She has been an advocate for our agency and
the people we support by supporting out of town
events, coordinating fundraisers, helping to promote
events, recruited volunteers, and so much more!
Sandie is an amazing volunteer and ally.
Sandie will be recognized at the Spirit of
Volunteerism Awards in May of 2020. Thank you,
Sandie, for all that you do! We are so lucky to have
you in our family!
Campaign Completion
Four years ago, Black Hills Works embarked on our
first-ever Capital Campaign. “With Purpose: The
Campaign for Black Hills Works” maintained the to
raise $10 million.
As many of us know, a house does not always feel
like a home. This campaign put our "Home Life"
area of impact on a pedestal, making it a goal to
upgrade the current homes that are owned and
maintained by Black Hills Works, and to purchase
and build more homes to help fulfill the needs of the
people who are on our waitlist.
New Year’s Day Wednesday, January 1
Presidents Day Monday, February 17
Memorial Day Monday, May 25
Independence Day Saturday, July 4
Observed: Friday, July 3
for Mon-Fri Operations
Labor Day Monday, September 7
Thanksgiving Thursday, November 26-
Friday November 27
Christmas Thursday, December 24-
Friday, December 25
BHW staff receive time and a half for working
the actual holiday. See agency personnel policies
for who is eligible for the holiday benefit. BH
Services observe the federal holidays.
At this year's Recognition Gala, we were able to
toast to the success of the capital campaign.
Including grants, our community was able to raise
$11.7 million towards our goal.
Because of the generosity of our community, we
can continue improving the lives of the people we
support, and ensure that they live a life with purpose
every day!
2020 Payroll Schedule
2020 Payroll Schedule
PAID ON WK WEEKS WORKED
15-Jan 1 Dec 15 thru Jan 4*
31-Jan 2 Jan 5 thru Jan 18
14-Feb 3 Jan 19 thru Feb 1
28-Feb 4 Feb 2 thru Feb 15
13-Mar 5 Feb 16 thru Feb 29
31-Mar 6 Mar 1 thru Mar 14
15-Apr 7 Mar 15 thru Mar 28
30-Apr 8 Mar 29 thru Apr 11
15-May 9 Apr 12 thru May 2*
29-May 10 May 3 thru May 16
15-Jun 11 May 17 thru May 30
30-Jun 12 May 31 thru June 13
15-Jul 13 June 14 thru Jun 27
31-Jul 14 June 28 thru July 18*
14-Aug 15 Jul 19 thru Aug 1
31-Aug 16 Aug 2 thru Aug 15
15-Sep 17 Aug 16 thru Aug 29
30-Sep 18 Aug 30 thru Sept 12
15-Oct 19 Sept 13 thru Sept 26
30-Oct 20 Sept 27 thru Oct 17*
13-Nov 21 Oct 18 thru Oct 31
30-Nov 22 Nov 1 thru Nov 14
15-Dec 23 Nov 15 thru Nov 28
31-Dec 24 Nov 29 thru Dec 12
15-Jan 1 Dec 13 thru Jan 2*
The Wonders of WoW!
Our Without Walls volunteers continue to WOW us
with their commitment to the community and their
willingness to volunteer at different businesses and
organizations.
Food insecurity is a
challenge facing many
families in our
community and around
the country. There are
37.2 million people
who live in food-
insecure households
(FeedingSD.org).
There are many
different organizations
in Rapid City help with
this problem, including Feeding South Dakota, the
Cornerstone Rescue Mission, and Fork Real Café.
Some of our volunteers take time to help at these
organizations to ensure that more of the Rapid City
community have access to healthy and sustainable
food for themselves and their families.
Different
churches in the
Rapid City area
have a program
specifically for
Mothers of Pre-
Schoolers
(MOPS). This
program allows
new moms to gather, share and support other
mothers in their parenting journeys. The MOPS
program provides childcare options for working
mothers as well. Chloe Baldwin loves volunteering
with the mom’s group and helps out in the nursery
multiple times a month. Chloe is wonderful with
babies, and loves to help feed, change, and play
with the infants. Way to go Chloe!
Suzie Cappa Showcases BHW Artists
Every Art
Night hosted
by the Suzie
Cappa Art
Center is
unique. For
November,
different
artists from
both Plant Street and the Learning Center
showcased their art for attendees and patrons of the
gallery to purchase!
This event was a great way to promote the gallery
and all of the talented artists we have in the agency.
Patrons of Suzie Cappa enjoy all different types of
art; having featured artists allows supporters to
purchase art from many varied artists.
Guest artists included;
Austin Ahmed, Shawn
Stratton, Hoksila Long,
Tracy Hairy Shirt, John
Clark, Eugene Leroy Jr.,
Kristina Wilder, Amy
Fugate, Jessica Stoakes,
Lee Firecloud, Paul
Two Crow, Anna
McDowell, Brian
Bertsch, Steven Colby, Manika Boheman-Gehl,
Nikki Laird, Brandon McCune, John Summers,
Kathy Reed, Alvin Weber, Tonia Lipp, Carrie
Meffley, Cindy Mosset, Kary Moffitt, Dan Raba,
Michelle White Whirlwind, Tom Emley, Derek
Nieland, among other Black Hills Works artists!
2019 W-2 Information
All STAFF--2019 W-2s will be mailed via the US
Post Office to the most current address payroll has
on file. Please make sure that Payroll has your
correct mailing address as of December 15, 2019.
(Your most current address shows on your paystub
view). If your address is not current, it could delay
when you receive your W-2.
Rapid City – People Supported W-2s go to Donna
Tatum
Omaha – People Supported W-2s go to Bob
Matthews
IRS regulations require employers to distribute
(mail) W-2s to their employees on or before January
31, 2020. Every attempt will be made to have the
W-2s distributed (mailed) before the January 31,
2020 deadline. There will be no early distribution,
please be respectful of the time it takes to complete
this for all staff. Please do not call/email for status
inquiry or exception.
The procedure for obtaining a replacement W-2
copy after February 15th is to submit your request
in writing to Marie Greenfield-Sahli or Michele
Benda in payroll or send an e-mail to Marie or
Michele. In your request, please include a phone
number where you can be reached. Written
requests will be processed once a week. Payroll
will contact you via phone or email when your
replacement W-2 is complete.
Walk Like a Penguin!
• Bend slightly and walk
flat-footed
• Point your feet out slightly
like a penguin
• Keep you center of gravity
over your feet as much as possible
• Watch where you are stepping
• Take shorter, shuffle-like steps
• Keep your arms at your sides (not in your
pockets)
• Have shoes with good ankle support & slip-
resistant soles
• Go S-L-O-W-L-Y
Foundation Focus
As we have shared, there is a gap in the government
funding we receive and what we provide to the
people we support. The gap now totals $1.62
million and affects each of our service Impact
Zones:
• Community Life
• Arts Expression
• Specialty Services
• Transportation
• Workforce Development
• Home Life
Now that we have successfully completed the “With
Purpose” capital campaign, the Foundation is
moving our focus to look internally at the Impact
Zones and what our needs are. To better guide our
conversations, we are looking to you for your
knowledge and input. During the first 6 months of
the 2020, Carrie Moser will be hosting meetings to
focus on each of these Impact Zones to explore
what is working, what is not working, what we need
in each area, and to brainstorm solutions. The
schedule will be as follows:
• January: Community Life
• February: Arts Expression
• March: Specialty Services
• April: Transportation
• May: Workforce Development
• July: Home Life.
More details will be coming as these meetings get
closer. Please keep an eye out for further
information and ways you can be part of the
conversation.
Power of B Winners--- November Congratulations to this month’s Power of B
recipients: Kelli Schmidt, Heidi Clark, Ben
Watson, Brittany Trainer & Kennedy Wright.
Thank you all for living out the principles of the
Power of B in your work.
Kelli Schmidt & Heidi Clark have been nominated
for working closely with the DSP’s and folks who
live at the John’s Apartments. In October, John’s
held a spooky haunted house. Kelly and Heidi spent
time with everyone making sure that the costume
and decorative preparations were ready for patrons
on the day of the annual haunted house. These
ladies helped make sure everyone participated! The
person centered-community events are amazing to
experience, not only for the people we support, but
for the community.
Ben Watson helped out at the Sitka home during
the month of October. He did this even though his
normal work station, Fir, is short staffed as well.
Ben is an amazing frontline leader for always
putting the people we support first, and for
supporting his colleagues where necessary!
Brittany Trainer has been with the agency for just
two months, and is already going above and beyond
for her home! She has picked up and covered
multiple shifts at the last minute, ensuring her full-
care home has the staff needed to provide excellent
service and support to everyone who lives there.
Kennedy Wright has been helping to cover shifts
at the Sitka home 3-4 nights a week, after working
full time as a Medical Assistant. Though these are
not Kennedy’s typical job duties, she has been an
amazing help with the short staffing that some of
our homes have been experiencing. Thank you,
Kennedy, for having a heart for your work and for
the people we support!
Congrats to all of our Power of B winners! Your
exemplary heart for Black Hills Works, and the
people we provide support to, is what makes our
organization so great! Without the actions that you
all take on a day to day basis, we would not be able
to provide the services and supports that we do.
Thank you for your outstanding work ethic, we are
glad to have you as part of our BHW Family!
To nominate someone for a Power of B award, fill
out the nomination form elsewhere in this
newsletter or on Lotus Notes. Click on Agency
Main; click on Staff (left-hand green buttons); then
click on Staff Forms which is located in the center
panel on the right side. Choose Rapid City, then
page down to Power of B Recognition Award,
launch the document and print. Send your
nominations to Alexi Kieffer at RSC by the 25th of
each month. Winners receive $50 and a Power of B
t-shirt. Their story appears in The Workplace.
Please give specific examples about how your
nominee demonstrates the POWER of B.
Power of B
Nomination Form
Name of the staff person you’d like to recognize:
Title of the person you are recognizing:
Department of area they work in:
Check the “B” that applies with the example of the “B” they demonstrated.
For Being Respectful of Others
For Being Accountable
For Being Your Best (Their Best)
For Being Supportive Reason for the nomination: Please provide a detailed explanation with specific information on what you would
like to recognize this person for.
Your name and title: _____________________________
Your department or area: ___ __
Please send this form to Alexi Kieffer at RSC before the 25th of each month. Your nominee could be selected to
receive the $50 prize and be featured in The Workplace.
Feel free to make copies of this form for additional people you’d like to recognize. There will be up to 5 winners
selected each month to receive the Power of B prize and recognition.
9-6-16 Rev 5-30-18