The Community Revitalization Collective (CRC) is an emerging cross-agency collaboration focused on the future wellness of the Whittier neighborhood in Sioux Falls SD.
The CRC will connect the dots for the neighbors and the city as a whole system. Understanding the Whittier neighborhood’s human and environmental ecology is essential to the program's success. Much of this year will focus on increasing collaboration and building a network between local agencies, nonprofits, and the City of Sioux Falls. This is to get an idea of the problems in the area and to generate potential projects to address the problems.
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2023
We:
Conducted monthly open forums for the neighborhood at various high pedestrian traffic locations.
Gathered door-to-door feedback from our neighborhood walks
Hosted quarterly potlucks or block parties to understand the neighbors further
Met weekly with CRC team to brainstorm, ideate, and prototype solutions.
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2024
We:
Built/Rebuilt the neighborhood association.
Built out some infrastructure projects that came from ideation and prototyping.
Continued work on Tool Library and Preservation Kitchen.
Built active listening and feedback sessions into the neighborhood governance system.
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2025
We hope to:
We will continue with all year-one activities
Start the process of turning over our roles to those in the neighborhood
Fundraise so that the neighborhood association can facilitate our roles
Document and publish our system so that other neighborhoods can replicate the CRC
Rudy Navarrete
“Partnering with BAM has been one of the craziest blessings. It was rewarding to see everyone’s gratitude, and it’s clear that the work we’re doing together is making a real difference. I’m not in this for the money—I just enjoy giving back and being part of something meaningful. What stood out most was the energy and momentum in the community; it feels like light finds light, and together we’re making some really cool things happen. I appreciate BAM’s drive to create something beautiful and their ability to make it approachable for everyone involved.”
2024 Impact
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Commissary Kitchen
We completed all of the leg work to upgrade the preservation kitchen prototype into a USDA commissary kitchen. This is in partnership with UGM.
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1000 People Came for Tacos
We continued to exchange tacos for stories and keep the pathways of dialogue open. This is in partnership with UGM.
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$50k to Neighborhood Organizations
Sammons Financial Group donated $50k total to various charities that are located in Whittier.
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350,000 lbs of Clothing Upcycled
Donated damaged clothing was upcycled by our partner Union Gospel Mission to make roofing shingles.
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New Family Shelter
Partner UGM added over 10,000 sq ft of family housing to keep moms and kids together.
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5 Quality of Life Forums
We co-hosted 5 more quality of life forums with our partner Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls
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Re-established the Neighborhood Association
In collaboration with the neighbors we helped them re-establish the prior association and funding streams.
One of Amber and Lim's biggest hopes for the future of the Whittier Neighborhood is that more young families move here and that it continues to be an affordable and welcoming place to live.
2023 Impact
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2000 People Came For Tacos
We served over 4000 tacos to anyone and everyone in the neighborhood wo attended our public input sessions.
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6 Potlucks
We hosted regular evening potlucks to listen to neighbors who couldn’t join us for tacos.
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2 Quality of Life Forums
We met with neighbors and industry experts on housing and transporation.
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8 Crosswalks & Bumpouts
We partnered with Strong Towns Sioux Falls to add missing pedestrian safety features in the busiest sections.
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15 Houses Painted
We partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls and neighborhood volunteers to refresh several homes.
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50 Trees and Shrubs Planted
We partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls, the City of Sioux Falls, and a local nursery to replace missing street trees.
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5 Raised Bed Gardens
We partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls, Laura B Anderson School and several neighbors to install gardens.
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6 Mobile Planters
In partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls, and the Union Gospel Mission to create seasonal gardens for the men’s shelter.
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3 Wheelchair Ramps
We partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls to install wheelchair ramps at private residences.
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20 Handicap Accessible Upgrades
We partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls to install handicap accessible upgrades in neighborhood homes.
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1 Tool Library - 1000 Tools
We created the Sioux Falls Tool Library and received over 1000 donated tools.
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1 Preservation Kitchen
We partnered with the Union Gospel Mission to create a large teaching kitchen in the women’s shelter.
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1 Community Workshop
We partnered with the Union Gospel Mission to create a community workshop in the women’s shelter.
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Nutrition Classes
We partnered with SDSU Extension to host the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education (SNAP-Ed).
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‘Rock the Block’ focuses on Whittier neighborhood
News Coverage
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Neighbors share Whittier Night Market
News Coverage
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Tool-sharing library coming to Whittier neighborhood
News Coverage
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$100K grant being used to study Whitter neighborhood
News coverage
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Second annual First Fruits Harvest Festival feeds nearly 1,000
News coverage
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Quality of Life Forums provide solutions to neighborhood problems
News coverage
2022 Impact
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1600 People Came for Dinner
We hosted over 1600 neighbors at our first two Rock the Blocks Events.
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1 Crosswalk Added
We added one crosswalk at a critical spot in the neighborhood.
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4 Public Input Sessions
We had roughly 100 neighbors attend our 4 public input sessions on the future of the neighborhood.
The mission of the Beverly Ann Miller Foundation and Institute of Civic Biodesign is to raise up emergent leaders who deploy whole-system, regenerative strategies through immersive learning in embedded community contexts.
The CRC team will build human and biocapacity in the neighborhood through the human-centered process of empathy, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing. They will partner with neighbors and surrounding agencies to alter the built environment using regenerative strategies to build wellness into the system. These builds could look like gardens, plazas, murals, community centers, and maker spaces.
Additionally, the CRC emergent leaders will identify and develop new neighborhood leaders so the area can lead from within.
This new batch of emergent leaders will be armed with a new whole-systems approach to solving hyper-local challenges. System change from within is critical for this region’s long-term success.
