RAPID CITY, S.D. — A new community campaign is encouraging Black Hills residents to consider the role public education plays not only in the lives of students, but in the long-term health and success of the community.

The John T. Vucurevich Foundation, in partnership with the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, has launched the “Education for Every Child” campaign. The public interest campaign focuses on investing in children and encouraging residents to become involved in supporting local schools. Jacqui Dietrich, president and CEO of the John T. Vucurevich Foundation, said the foundation views investing in children as an investment in the future of South Dakota. “Education for every child means to us an investment in children’s success, because their success is our success,” Dietrich said.

The campaign uses the image of water beginning as a single drop and eventually growing into a river and a force of nature. Dietrich said the idea represents the resources, opportunities and support that flow into children as they grow. “That drop becomes a river,” Dietrich said, adding that the force of nature represents what children can become when they have opportunities.

The campaign also asks residents to reflect on teachers, coaches, staff members or school experiences that changed their lives. Dietrich said those experiences do not have to involve major accomplishments to have a lasting impact. “There is not a single person I’ve talked to that can’t recall that one moment that sparked for them something that they learned to believe about themselves, to see the world differently, or to understand the world in a new way,” she said.

Dietrich recalled growing up in a single-parent household and finding an important outlet through her school’s music program, where she played alto saxophone. She also remembered a teacher encouraging her to participate in a leadership program she did not believe she was qualified for. Dietrich said the experience “totally changed my perspective of the opportunities that I had in front of me and what I might be able to pursue in the future.”

Stories collected through the campaign are expected to be shared on social media and through a website where residents can contribute their own experiences. Community events are also planned beginning in October to collect additional stories and build connections between residents and schools. Dietrich said the effort is intended to start conversations about why education matters and how that value can look different for every family and student.

Residents do not need to have children currently enrolled in school to participate. Dietrich said supporting literacy programs, donating school supplies, attending student events and volunteering are among the ways people can become involved. “Great schools don’t happen by accident,” she said. “A well-educated community, a well-educated workforce doesn’t happen by accident.”

Dietrich said the benefits of public education extend throughout Rapid City because many of the people residents depend on every day, including doctors, mechanics and small-business owners, are products of public schools. “Anyone who cares about living in a healthy, safe, vibrant community has to care about their neighborhood school,” she said.

The John T. Vucurevich Foundation is a Rapid City-based organization that works with dozens of nonprofits and focuses its grantmaking on economic mobility, workforce opportunities, basic needs, affordable housing, early learning and child care.

Dietrich said the campaign ultimately aims to strengthen the connection between Rapid City residents and local schools while reminding people that supporting education is a responsibility shared throughout the community. “It’s not an individual decision whether or not we have a great opportunity for every kid to be educated,” Dietrich said. “It is a community decision.”