UIF Sioux Falls Storm

Storm Join "Big Give" Fundraising Efforts

Published on March 31, 2008 under United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Sioux Falls Storm News Release


The Sioux Falls Storm has joined countless Sioux Empire businesses in ?The Big Give Dakota? project. The effort is a takeoff of the hit ABC Show ?Oprah?s Big Give?. In the Sioux Falls version, three businesses were given $2,500 each through a grant won by local ABC affiliate, KSFY. These businesses were charged with the goal of using the seed money to help raise more for a local charity.

KSFY was one of 100 ABC affiliates chosen to take part in the program. In addition to the seed money from the network, businesses also will receive advertising support from Argus Leader Media to help raise money. The businesses chosen to receive the grant money were Avera McKennan Hospital, Target, and Citibank.

The Storm has donated 500 tickets to the April 19 game at the Sioux Falls Arena to representatives from Target and Avera McKennan. The businesses will be selling the tickets to employees, family and friends with 100% of the sales going to their charities.

Target is planning to donate their money to the Monica and Paul Konakowipz family. The Konakowipz?s son Ayden, 3, has cancer. The cancer went into remission in December, but four weeks later it came back and Ayden will now be undergoing chemotherapy again.

Avera McKennan is on a mission to increase the amount of money the hospital has to give to kids helping other kids, like the project 15-year-old Taylor Jepson of Terril, Iowa, has spearheaded. Jepson, who uses a wheelchair after a car accident last year, spent a lot of time in Avera's pediatric unit during recovery. While there, she kind of felt like there wasn't a lot for kids her age to do. She vowed that she'd find a way to help future kids in that same category. The hospital is working with a few other kids who have ideas to make an illness more manageable for kids.

The Storm will also be participating in an event Citibank is putting on to benefit Laura B. Johnson Elementary. Citibank will be putting on a Health Fair to raise funds in order to purchase everything from playground improvements to a wireless computer lab. The company will also give the school a hall of fame wall, provide student spirit wear, provide a copy machine and start a school store.

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