Tyndall, SD

We are almost there…..working with Noel Hamiel and Bob Sutton of the South Dakota Community Foundation, Tyndall is one more meeting away from turning in some funds to start our Community Foundation. This is a real big deal, although I don’t think most Tyndallites are aware that it is. We have some work to do! Currently we have seven Board of Directors and are considering adding a couple more to help with the initial three to five years. We want to post $100,000 in five years ( hopefully before that) so it will take all of us to work towards that goal. It is a big task. We would never have had the courage or the contacts to do this without the knowledge attained through Horizons. Thanks SDSU and Northwest Area Foundation!

Thank you SDSU and Northwest Area Foundation for the new community Horizons signs given to us !   We have one hanging in our youth center, which has gigantic windows and it looks great.  We are looking for a spot on the highway to put the other one so that we don’t generate additional sign rental from the state….also, the Horizons tabloid about all the communities in the program has been great. We are trying to get them into waiting rooms and offices were they will be read by more people. After two years there are still people who have been living under a rock (apparently) this whole time and they don’t know much about what we have just accomplished as a community……still work to do.

A committee of mostly new volunteers, but spearheaded by Horizons leader and school teacher Chad Jodozi, is working on a new daycare facility for the town. We have had a couple of daycares discontinue, so this committee is making a gigantic effort to provide additional daycare to the already great daycare providers we have left. We all know that if we want our towns to stabilize and maybe grow, we have to have daycare for the families with both parents working full-time out of the home. This is essential. There are some worried individuals that think that this new facility will take business away from the other daycares but we have to provide adequate spaces. The city has been working with the group and is offering their full support. This facility will provide one more full-time job and some part-time jobs to the community.

TCF - the Tyndall Community Foundation!  This is actually becoming a reality with the interim board of directors working on bylaws and meeting weekly ….We have seven board members from the community, some who participated in Horizons.  We are working with the South Dakota Community Foundation with Noel Hamel serving as our contact.  This is exciting and nerve-wracking.  We have to raise 100,000 dollars in five years….let’s see, how many bake sales is that?   Ever forward….

Tyndall’s Cavalier Corner is offering a GED program this fall!  They are teaming up with Joblink out of Yankton and to date there are seven individuals that have signed up for the program.  We know how important a high school education is and this program will hopefully help these people get a leg up so they can move forward with their education and work possibilities.  We all learned through Horizons the importance of education in the fight to reduce poverty and it is clear as crystal how true that is. Anyone needing info on setting up GED in your area, go to your school district and get started there.

Yay! We can say that we have accomplished so much because of the Horizons program and on Tuesday, June 24 we will have a “graduation” party of sorts where we will unveil the plans for one of our goals, the Tyndall Community Foundation ( working with the South Dakota Community Foundation), and also where we will receive $8500 plus a new laptop computer and printer for public use. (Ours will be housed at the Cavalier Corner on Main Street. It will not be allowed to be checked out but will be available to adults and children in the community).  We will also recognize the successes of other goals and also talk a little more about two new goals which have recently been brought forward and adopted….a daycare and re-installation of Frisbee Golf in our park. ( One of our youth participants is spearheading this project and we are very proud of him!) We hope City of Tyndall will be supportive of this venture.  Thanks to Northwest Area Foundation for providing Tyndall with this great opportunity to explore our assets and work on improving the lives of our residents.   Now all we need is for the economy to perk up and for outrageous gas prices to disappear…….

The Horizon planning meeting for Tyndall was held on May 13. We enjoyed a light lunch of pizza and then the committees reported on progress of the last several weeks. 

Chad reported for the newest project we have adopted-the daycare. He has been working with state officials and District III. The Governor’s Daycare program is what they are working towards.  The committee has also set up a board, elected officers and opened a bank account. A name has been selected - Little Cavs Corner.   Right now they are working on submitting the grant applications.

The Bargain  Shoppe was able to give $850 to seven different community functions, including four youth activity programs.  They still are welcoming volunteers to help staff during business hours and looking at advertising better.

The website committee is working to get businesses on line now, setting a goal for the end of May.  They are tweaking other sections on the website. The committee meets monthly which has kept the project on track.   One more  thing they added was the Tyndall Business & Service Directory.  Check it out at www.tyndallsd.com and click on Community Directory.

Mark reported that the policy forum held in April was a success with about 50 people attending.  There were good questions and lots of information was extended to the participants.  They will continue to relay new information to the public.

Janet reported that the Cavalier Corner is going about the same. They could use more kids to come in, but the center is being used a lot more for meetings and parties.  One can rent the Cav Corner for a small fee-call 589-3097 to reserve your party.

The Tyndall Business & Service Directory is finally ready to go out to the public.  It is a 3-fold brochure prepared by volunteers and printed/copied  locally by donating businesses in small amounts to start off. This will allow for inevitable changes down the road.   The brochure was initially set up by a Chamber business several years ago and has been scooped up by Horizons and Chamber ( partnering), improved with additions of better listings of social services available, organizations, apartment contacts ( none are listed in the phone book except for Northpoint Apt. !), tourism information and shopping opportunities.

At this time, it is free to be listed in the brochure and it includes any business, service, or organization in Tyndall ( that we are aware of ). It is great to have by the phone and it will eventually be available for the public to pick up at participating businesses. It is already included in our “Welcome Basket” and will also be available at the city offices and at the Social  Services offices.  We have over  100  listings of  companies, businesses, services,  individuals, and  government  offices-not to mention  contact info for doing fun stuff in town!  If you didn’t see it in print, you would not believe it!    If other towns want to see it, call 605-589-4050.

Work is being done at this time to set up a Community Foundation, much like many of the other Horizon communities have done and are doing.  This will ultimately be the “system” in which contact is kept with those partnering organizations and with the Delivery Organization. Right now, we know who to get in contact with. New information is regularly sent to the local paper and key people are notified of workshops that are scheduled in particular interest areas.   The community foundation will  work to procure new resources to assist in the work of the community. It will take time and diligence.

We have a pretty strong core of volunteers that stayed with Horizons the whole time through and if there are any future ideas or plans, they would be the people to contact and get the ball rolling-certainly to contact the right people to help with the idea. Our Tyndall Business & Service Directory produced through the Chamber and Horizons, will be a source of contact information.