By Jamie Lancaster, Kingsbury Journal
Free food, games, music and a later curfew: sounds like the ideal night for a teenager. This happened on Sat., Jan. 28 for the youth of De Smet and the surrounding area. The De Smet Wellness Coalition sponsored the event, generously hosted by Klinkel’s III.
The dance hall was filled with laughter, dancing and all kinds of raucous behavior. With plenty of activities including pool, ping pong, various arcade games and a table full of board games, the place never quieted down through the entire four-hour event.
This safe and well-supervised kickoff had a variety of activities, with the most popular being karaoke put on by Shelley Rae of Shell Ya Entertainment, Sioux Falls. The microphones never fell silent while the music pumped and the crowd clapped, cheered and sang along.
Hot dogs, chips and fountain drinks topped off the night, which included about 40 middle and high school youth.
Planned as the 2023 launch for a series of similar events, the Coalition offers these gatherings to all students grades 6-12. Organized by a group of local residents including several teens, the goal is to offer a fun, yet safe, place where memories can be made, relationships can be forged and parents can rest easy knowing their children are supervised and engaged in healthy activities.
One of the surprising wellness benefits of the night was found when one looked around the room to find cell phones left in pockets and on tables. Instead of faces in a screen, heads were up and engaged with those around them.
The De Smet Wellness Coalition is part of the Well-Connected Communities Effort to help cultivate wellness across the country. South Dakota State University, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, partners with the local community to focus on promoting health and wellness where they live with the resources they have.
Yet, what makes events like the New Year Kickoff possible is you. If a few parents are willing to volunteer just one night over the next few months, there would be adequate supervision to host more of these events.
Interested in getting involved? Please contact Kristy Hubbard at the De Smet Event & Wellness Center.
