A day of endless activities to benefit kids

Yahoo

19-02-2025

HARRISBURG, S.D. (KELO) — Instead of staying cooped up at home, a number of families wrapped up the long Presidents Day weekend by braving the cold for a cause.
Caysen Ringling is spending his day away from school bouncing and jousting at Air Madness.
'I like the beam a lot because it's like kind of hard to balance and you have to hit them off, so yeah that's probably my favorite,' 13-year-old Caysen Ringling said.
Sioux Falls man faces emotional challenges waiting for new heart
The 13-year-old also found time to do some gaming. It's a day of endless activities to support a worthy cause.
'One, it's fun and you get a lot of energy blown off and also because it's a little better knowing that this money is going to kids that definitely need it,' Caysen Ringling said.
'It's a great program. Operation Hope & Caring helps children, and it's perfect, it's perfect' Caysen's mom Megan Ringling said.
It's the biggest fundraiser of the year for Operation Hope & Caring, which is a fund available to the 12 schools in the Sioux Falls School District most affected by poverty.
'The principals of those schools can use those funds to help kids who may not be able to afford things like winter gear, underwear, socks, we even helped them buy washers and dryers one year so they could do laundry for kids who don't have facilities at home,' Levo Credit Union's Jen McKeown said.
McKeown started Operation Hope & Caring alongside the Sioux Falls Storm in 2017. The Storm won't play in 2025, but the owners still donated the use of Air Madness.
'They really believe in the cause of helping kids who sometimes have to go without, so when we talked about it we still were able to hold this fundraiser at Air Madness and they are still trying to figure out some other ways that we could potentially raise money,' McKeown said.
Making this day of fun all the more important.
'I think it's pretty great that we're able to do that and give kids that need it, the money that they need,' Caysen Ringling said.
Levo Credit Union, Air Madness, and KELOLAND Media Group are sponsoring the fundraiser, which continues until 7:00 Tuesday night The cost is $25 and includes an arcade gift card to the Union Social next door. If you're unable to attend the event but would like to donate to Operation Hope & Caring, click HERE.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.