Central South Dakota News

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota has put forward The Gathering Well as a nominee for the 2024 Angels in Adoption award. This accolade is presented by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCAI).

“It is an honor to nominate The Gathering Well for this year’s Angels in Adoption award,” said Rounds. “This nonprofit organization has helped connect foster and adopted children with families in the Sioux Falls area. The Gathering Well not only cares for families’ immediate needs but also provides children and parents with tools to navigate the changes that come with fostering and adoptions. They are doing the important pro-life work that has a proven ability to change lives.”

The Gathering Well is dedicated to supporting, educating, and inspiring adoptive and foster families through community events and resources. Executive Director Cara DeHaan highlighted their mission: “When a family is able to learn, practice, and implement trauma-informed care, they are beginning generational change. These courageous families are cycle-breakers. If we desire for our state to care well for the children God has given us, it is our duty to empower families to be as healthy and resourced as possible.”

The organization hosts monthly gatherings offering meals and training sessions focused on caregiver health, trauma-informed parenting, and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). They collaborate with the University of South Dakota to provide practical training for Occupational Therapy students.

Michelle Arens, an OT student at USD who volunteers with The Gathering Well, shared her experience: “The Gathering Well is such a great organization to work with. I have been volunteering with them for about 4 years now and am so glad I've had this opportunity! It has greatly affected me and everything I have learned here will help me be a better OT in the future. This program is such a blessing to so many families and has so many great people involved with it!”

Brook Wilson, another OT student volunteer at USD added: “Volunteering with The Gathering Well has been nothing short of an amazing experience. Each month I look forward to building a greater connection with the children, hearing about their lives, and empowering them through TBRI principles.”

Founders Cara DeHaan and Shannon Ehli bring personal experience from their own adoption journeys into their work at The Gathering Well. Their mission aims to support other caregivers who may feel isolated after adoption.

Rounds continues his involvement as a member of CCAI by inviting nominations annually for outstanding adoption-related organizations or families within his state.

For more information on nominations or about The Gathering Well's activities, interested parties can visit respective websites.