RAPID CITY, S.D. — A prominent member of the Rapid City and Black Hills community has been appointed to the national board of directors for Friends of the Children, a professional mentoring organization. Walt Swan Jr., the executive director for Friends of the Children – He Sapa, will join the 17-person board in October.
Swan, a Mnicoujou Lakota and member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, has a long history of advocacy for children, particularly Indigenous youth. His career includes co-founding HeSapa Enterprises, a nationally recognized textile company. He also serves on the Rapid City Area School District board and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights Committee.
Friends of the Children operates in 43 locations nationwide. The organization pairs youth who have faced adversity with a professional mentor, or “Friend,” from kindergarten through high school, providing more than 12 years of consistent support. According to the organization, its program has shown significant results, with 85% of graduates earning a high school diploma or GED, 97% avoiding the juvenile justice system, and 98% avoiding early parenting.