Building Our Families: Strengthening South Dakota from Within

For Terri Mielitz, the work of supporting families is deeply personal.

“I’ve always worked alongside families involved in child welfare. For most of my life, really. I was in foster care myself as a child,” shared Terri. 

That lived experience helped shape Building Our Families, a Milbank-based nonprofit Terri co-founded in 2018 alongside Carol Weber. What began with a simple phone call and $1,500 to support foster children has grown into a community hub focused on prevention, partnership and practical support for families across Grant County and beyond. 

Today, Building Our Families functions as a connector, strengthening existing services and helping families access the support they need without falling through the cracks. Terri sat down with Ginger Niemann, Senior Program Officer of South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF), to discuss the organization’s work. 

From Suitcases to Systems of Support

In its early days, Building Our Families focused on meeting immediate needs for children entering foster care. “We made sure all of our foster children got suitcases with clothes in them,” Terri said. “We did weighted blankets. And we just kind of expanded from there.”

But through her professional and personal experiences, Terri recognized a deeper need.

“Every job I’ve had along the way, I saw gaps,” she said. “No one was helping the parents with some of the basics.”

That realization led to a broader vision centered on prevention. Instead of waiting for a crisis to occur, Building Our Families began asking how earlier support could reduce trauma for children and create stability for parents. In 2025, that vision was strengthened through a grant from SDCF’s South Dakota Fund. That funding now supports the organization’s critical BOOST program.

Building Opportunities 

BOOST stands for Building Opportunities with Optimal Supports and Teaching.

“I truly believe that knowledge is a powerful tool,” Terri said. “When we understand how our brains work, and how we react to things emotionally, it helps drive us to be better people.”

BOOST is a wraparound program that meets families where they are. Each family sits down with staff to assess what challenges they are facing. For some, it is financial instability. For others, it may be housing, transportation or navigating paperwork related to disability benefits or the court system.

In a rural community like Milbank, access can also be a barrier. “Some of our families don’t even have transportation,” Terri explained. “We really need that kind of basic support in our community.”

Rather than duplicating services, Building Our Families partners with local organizations to strengthen what already exists. “We do not replace any program that’s already in our area,” Terri said. “We work with and partner with them to say, okay, you’re doing this, what can we do with you to make it better?”

Expanding Services and Credibility

The South Dakota Fund grant allowed Building Our Families to expand services rather than create waitlists. It helped cover staffing, program materials and direct family support. It also enabled the organization to open a local office, offering families a stable and welcoming space.

“Without it, some families probably wouldn’t have received the help that they needed the most in that moment,” Terri said.

Equally important, the grant strengthened the organization’s credibility. “Having the community foundation stand behind that just really gave us a lot of credibility,” she said.

That credibility is helping Building Our Families grow responsibly. Families from neighboring counties, including Codington, Roberts and Big Stone, have begun reaching out. The organization is exploring expanded housing options, supervised visitation services and new partnerships with schools, churches and health providers.

“We really want to keep expanding BOOST to reach more families before crisis hits,” Terri said.

Prevention Over Reaction

Looking ahead, Terri’s focus remains clear.

“We really want to keep our focus on prevention,” she said. “And not reaction.”

Through community partnerships, local donor support and continued collaboration with SDCF, Building Our Families is working to reduce strain on emergency, health care and child welfare systems by strengthening families at the front end.

As SDCF continues its mission of connecting generosity with need across South Dakota, partnerships like this demonstrate how strategic philanthropy can empower communities to create lasting change.

For Terri and her team, the encouragement from Grant County residents has been a powerful affirmation.

“It feels really good as a team, as a board, to know that our community is going, yes, keep going, keep going, we got you,” she said.

In Milbank and the surrounding region, that shared commitment is helping ensure families receive the right support at the right time, building stronger futures for children and communities alike.

To learn more about Building Our Families, visit their website at: https://www.buildingourfamilies.org/ 

To learn more about supporting organizations like this and more, visit our website at www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/