Volunteers of America, Dakotas Receives Acts of Excellence Award
On June 24, 2025, Volunteers of America, Dakotas officially received their Acts of Excellence award in a ceremony in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The South Dakota Hall of Fame first announced the list of 2025 Acts of Excellence recipients in April 2025, and has been honoring individuals and organizations throughout South Dakota with award ceremonies in each act’s hometown.
Volunteers of America, Dakotas has been honored with a 2025 Acts of Excellence Award in recognition of their efforts to bring the Sioux Falls community together by uplifting local youth.
About Volunteers of America, Dakotas’ Act of Excellence
Volunteers of America (VOA), Dakotas has spent over a century serving South Dakota, but its recent innovation, Camp POSTCARD, is transforming the very fabric of youth and community relationships in Sioux Falls. Launched in 2022 in partnership with the Sioux Falls Police Department and Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Camp POSTCARD (Peace Officers Striving To Create and Reinforce Dreams) is a free, weeklong summer camp designed to build trust between law enforcement and middle school students facing adversity.
Unlike any other youth program in the region, Camp POSTCARD places officers directly into the role of camp counselors, forging personal, empathetic relationships with the youth they serve. Through outdoor adventures, leadership-building activities, and shared meals, campers discover law enforcement officers not as authority figures, but as mentors, cheerleaders, and protectors.
The impact is measurable and profound. In 2023, 88% of youth reported improved relationships with law enforcement–an effect that endured six months later. Equally impressive, 84% reported greater self-esteem and confidence in leadership, while 88% said they made better decisions because of the camp experience.
The success of Camp POSTCARD goes far beyond the week at Lake Enemy Swim. Quarterly reunions keep connections alive. Families grow to trust law enforcement. Officers return year after year, and the waitlist for campers and volunteers keeps growing. What started with 36 campers in 2022 has now expanded to 69 in 2024.
VOA Dakotas handles the heavy lifting, like funding, logistics, and evaluation, while police departments provide officers and referrals. The result is a community-backed, heart-led program that’s breaking cycles and creating lasting change.
Camp POSTCARD isn’t just a camp, it’s a movement. And VOA Dakotas is at the heart of it, proving that with the right support, compassion can be a powerful force for public safety, healing, and hope.
Learn more about Volunteers of America, Dakotas here.