[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 1, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S408]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             45TH ANNIVERSARY OF YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES

 Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, today I wish to 
recognize the 45th anniversary of Youth and Family Services, YFS, a 
wonderful nonprofit organization based in Rapid City, SD, that provides 
support services for children and families. YFS has steadily grown in 
the last 45 years to become a thriving center of support to more than 
11,000 children and their families every year.
  Beginning in 1965, the organization was known as Girls Club and was 
one of many organizations offering programs and services to children 
and families. With hard work and a devotion to serving others, Girls 
Club evolved into Youth and Family Services, growing dramatically to 
incorporate several programs that offered similar services. YFS is one 
of the most comprehensive youth development organizations in western 
South Dakota.
  The available programs have been consistently expanded to encompass 
more of the community. Working closely with other organizations, YFS 
remains focused on fulfilling its mission statement to help children 
and their families be capable, caring, and contributing members of 
their communities. YFS is working to serve an additional 3,000 to 5,000 
children and families by expanding programs within child obesity 
prevention, healthy eating, and fatherhood programming, along with many 
others. In these hard economic times, the programs offered are even 
more critical, and YFS is building a strong endowment to ensure that 
they can continue to serve.
  I am proud to recognize Youth and Family Services and all the people 
who have made reaching its 45th anniversary a success. The goals of 
Youth and Family Services are praiseworthy. This organization plays a 
vitally important role in western South Dakota, and I am thankful for 
all the devoted citizens who make the programs possible.

                          ____________________