2026 Dorothy Day Davenport Grant Awarded
MCDAR Foundation has granted $50,000 to the Helpline Center of Sioux Falls.
6/30/20261 min read
A ceremony to officially recognize awarding the 2026 Dorothy Day Davenport Grant to The Helpline Center of Sioux Falls was held at the Mary Chilton Chapter meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Foundation President Kathy Tarrell presented a symbolic check for the $50,000 grant to the Helpline Center. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1974. Today it refers individuals to 6000 programs and services in its resource network through 211 and 988 phone lines. The grant will be used to establish the “Helpline Center University” which will provide in-person and online training opportunities for volunteers on how to find the resources offered through the Helpline. They will be educating members of our community on their mission: "Making lives better by giving support, offering hope and creating connections all day, every day."
Photo (left to right): Foundation Grants Committee Chair Norma Barnes; Helpline Center CEO Janet Kittams; Helpline Center Development Director Lisa Ottmar; Foundation President Kathy Tarrell; Mary Chilton Chapter Regent Debra Van Briesen.
This project fulfills the intent of Dorothy Day Davenport to make Sioux Falls a “better and happier place in which to live.”