Dart boards, hot tubs and supporting Sioux Falls kids
This story is presented by Legends For Kids
The health and wellbeing of children is at the forefront of many peoples’ minds, but it takes a special kind of person to actually take action. Every year, two Sioux Falls organizations come together to do just that: make the health of children a priority.
Since the early 2000’s, Combined Pool and Spa has been supporting Legends for Kids, an event put together by Hy-Vee and Sanford Health that provides grant money to organizations that promote kids to be physically active.
When Combined Pool and Spa started donating to Legends for Kids, it was a small company. Its budget set aside for philanthropy could only support a small donation: a dartboard and a couple of pictures. The annual Legends for Kids banquet auctioned off these items to raise money in support of kids.
“We put all of our eggs in one basket,” said Jeff Carlson, co-owner of Combined Pool and Spa. “The only donation we made was with Legends. We spent every dollar of our [philanthropy] budget supporting Legends.”
As Combined Pool and Spa grew, so did its support of Legends for Kids—the donations of dartboards and pictures evolved into hot tubs, saunas and patio sets. The contribution to Legends for Kids is by far the largest donation that Combined Pool and Spa gives and it all goes to support kid’s futures.
As a father himself, Carlson realizes the need to support organizations that help get children active.
“Kids these days need adults and mentors. Times have changed with social media and the [internet]. It’s important for us as adults to help get these kids to the next level. I think that having these kids be part of a Legends team, having a coach, having some guidance, getting them off the [electronics] and whatnot and getting them active is important,” Carlson said.
Some families in the Sioux Falls community would not be able to send their kids to camp, were it not for Legends for Kids.
“Some of these kids would normally not be able to afford a football or a basketball camp. I think it’s great to get them out there— even if it’s only once or twice a year,” Carlson said. “It really makes us proud to say that we help that organization out and make a difference in a kid’s life.”
Both Legends for Kids and Combined Pool and Spa have grown tremendously since their partnership began. Carlson looks forward to the future of Legends for Kids and the futures of the kids Combined Pool and Spa’s donations support.
“I look forward to watching [Legends] grow and so many new things are going to come about,” Carlson said. “Legends has been around, but there are still a lot of things to grow in the organization. Scholarships and more advanced camps have now come on board. There’s going to be a lot of good stuff yet to come out of Legends. I can’t see it not growing. I don’t know where it could ever stop.”
No donation is too small. Carlson urges those in the Sioux Falls community to “start with that dartboard” and make whatever small contribution they can.
“Look at how big of an organization Sanford Health is and look at how big of an organization Hy-Vee is,” Carlson said. “The people who put this on and the majority of the volunteers for the Legends banquet are executives of these big companies. It is just awesome to watch them really donate their time. They help make this work. The teamwork those two companies use when they come together is pretty amazing to watch.”