Abbott House provides residential treatment, therapeutic foster care & independent living for youth.
07/30/2025
Every day, Abbott House is committed to enriching the lives of youth and families across South Dakota through therapeutic residential treatment, foster care, and independent living services.
Our top priority is to support those in need by creating opportunities for healing, growth, and long-term success. As the need for trauma-informed care continues to grow, so does our dedication to expanding services and programs that help young people gain stability and confidence in their futures.
Our mission to be champions for those we serve is ongoing and we’re just getting started. 💙
07/30/2025
It is with sad hearts we share the passing of one of Spirit of Dakota's biggest supporters. Mr. Paul Christen and his wife, Mrs. Donna (Muffy) Christen, were instrumental in establishing the Spirit of Dakota Award which will celebrate it's 40th Anniversary next year. Mrs. Christen was the founding Chair of Spirit of Dakota Award Society with Mr. Christen's full support, attending and celebrating SD Women each year. Mr. Christen passed away peacefully to join his wife on Sunday. We will share a Cheers of Gratitude to the Christens at our Spirit of Dakota Celebration on October 4. (Picture from 2024 Celebration)
07/29/2025
Some of our foster families hit the trails for a summer camping trip filled with campfires, s’mores, and lots of laughter! The kids had an incredible time exploring, playing, and just getting to be kids.
These moments of connection are more than just fun. They’re powerful steps in building trust, healing hearts, and creating lasting bonds. 💛
We’re so grateful our foster families make time for these adventures. This is what growing together looks like.
07/28/2025
Do you have a passion for working with youth and making a meaningful impact?
Abbott House is looking for a Youth Engagement Specialist in Mitchell, SD to join our dedicated team! In this role, you’ll help guide, support, and empower young people, many of whom are in residential programs, as they work toward brighter futures.
Help us empower youth, build connections, and create lasting impact in a supportive, mission-driven environment.
Some of our amazing Abbott House kids volunteered over the 4th of July celebration weekend, spreading smiles with face painting and fun temporary tattoos!
We’re so proud to be part of a team that gives back and brings joy to the community. ❤️💙
07/25/2025
At Abbott House, we welcome youth from across South Dakota and beyond, providing trauma-informed care that promotes healing, growth, and success.
For over 85 years, we've offered foster care and residential treatment with one belief at our core: every child deserves a second chance. 💙
07/25/2025
We have a winner! Congratulations Jonathan Reich, of Aberdeen, SD - he won half the jackpot for a total of $30,706!
Abbott House kids were the other big winners of this raffle. Money raised goes to providing therapeutic services like neurofeedback, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), behavior therapy, equine therapy, and more.
To everyone who played and made an impact - THANK YOU!
Today is the FINAL drawing for the Find Your Heart progressive raffle! We're blown away by how much the jackpot has grown - and someone is going to win HALF when their name is drawn this afternoon.
Get your chances before entries close and maybe YOU will be today's winner!
🔗https://www.abbotthouse.org/ways-to-support-abbott-house/find-your-heart/
07/23/2025
Becoming a foster parent means opening your heart and home to a child who may have no one else to truly count on.
It’s about being a steady presence for a young person who has experienced rejection, abuse, and deep hurt, while showing them what it means to be part of a real, loving family.
Marty and Gary Johnson, Retired Abbott House Foster Parents, understand the profound impact this role can have. “The most rewarding part is seeing the girls take steps forward,” they share. “Hearing from them after they’ve left and knowing that their time with us truly made a difference in their lives is what it’s all about.”
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Today we are faced with anxiety and uncertainty. We have questions about our future and the new reality each one of us will face. We feel like we are experiencing on ongoing earthquake that never stops shaking and changing things.
Ironically at Abbott House we are helping children who have lived with this feeling of vulnerability for much of their lives. Not a feeling of vulnerability about a virus, but a feeling of uncertainty about their lives. You see, children who have lived through abuse, neglect and other negative events understand the feeling of life being out of control.
In our programs we see the fallout from these life events. Even in this time of uncertainty, we continue to work hard to provide safety and stability for our young people and our staff. We know that during times of sickness and dramatic change, our own children need us more than ever. It is the same for the young people in our care. Our commitment to South Dakota children has never been stronger thanks to the dedicated Abbott House employees who are working tirelessly to maintain a sense of normalcy for our youth.
Our residential treatment program is operating as usual with girls attending school and living in our treatment facility like they always do. They miss seeing the many volunteers who come to tutor, entertain or educate them, but they understand limiting visitors will keep them safe.
In our Bridges therapeutic foster homes in Rapid City and Mitchell, we are above capacity. There are so many children who need a family and a safe home right now. Our foster parents are truly amazing. Every one of our homes is operating like a "home school," with scheduled class times and study times for each home so our young people can adequately access computers and other technology to complete classroom assignments. They are having virtual visits with social workers and coordinating telehealth with counselors.
Perhaps the students who are struggling the most are those who are no longer employed. Some of our foster children and our young adults in the independent living program lost their jobs due to the situation. Because of these hardships, we have waived rent for all of our independent living occupants and are helping to pay for their basic needs such as food, medicine, clothing, transportation, and other basic needs while also offering encouragement during this difficult time.
Yet, despite all of these challenges, our amazing and dedicated staff continues to encourage and support each other, while serving our youth and families with understanding and compassion. We know there are still challenging weeks ahead.
We cannot do this alone. The financial burden being felt by so many is also persistent at Abbott House. If you would like to help the youth and our staff with necessary masks, groceries, transportation and other medical needs, please use the following link to give online.
Donate
Thank you for helping during this challenging time. We will get through this TOGETHER and we will be stronger in the end.
