Stephanie Miller Davis – Donor Advised Fund

Stephanie Miller Davis was a beloved mother, wife, friend, and community volunteer. In her lifetime, she touched countless lives with her kindness, loyalty and courage. She was an exceptional mother who raised her daughters to be strong, educated, and responsible women.

Stephanie loved books and created her legacy by donating children's books and bookcases to the school library in her hometown of Murdo. She wanted to provide the children in the community the books she longed to read as a child growing up on the South Dakota prairie. She also donated the financial resources to start the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Jones County. Through this program, every child under 5 in the county receives a free book each month.

When her family wanted to memorialize her life, they knew it needed to be through books. A donor advised fund at the South Dakota Community Foundation was just the vehicle for the Davis family to carry on Stephanie's passion for early childhood literacy. "We chose the South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) in large part because of the focus on the state of South Dakota, especially in rural communities," said daughter Anne Franz. "SDCF stood out with their personalized approach and local connections that no other foundation offered."

Since the establishment of the Stephanie Miller Davis Memorial Fund, more than 8,400 books have been distributed to children across South Dakota. The family believes strongly in the importance of early childhood reading. According to the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, "reading proficiency by third grade is the most important predictor of high school graduation and career success. Yet every year, more than 80 percent of low-income children miss this crucial milestone". The Davis family wants to help all children achieve this milestone by focusing efforts on early childhood literacy programs for children under five years old.

Pleased with the success of their investments through the Imagination Library program, the Davis family started looking for more opportunities. By utilizing the SDCF's network of nonprofit relationships, the family was introduced to "Baby's First Book Bag", a collaborative project of the United Way of the Black Hills and Black Hills Reads where families living in poverty receive early literacy materials for their children. Bright Start Nursing Program and Parenting Program, Youth and Family Services, Rural America Initiatives, and the YMCA incorporate the Book Bag into their work with parents, empowering the parents in the early literacy development of their children. The grant from the Davis family has allowed over 340 families to benefit from this gift and ensures the continuation of the program for at least three years.

As they say, giving is contagious. Grant distributions from the Stephanie Miller Davis Memorial Fund have done much for fostering early childhood literacy across the state. However, the family has bigger goals. Starting immediately, the Davis family plans to offer grants to the network of public libraries in South Dakota with service areas of less than 5,000 residents. These are libraries with limited resources and lack the manpower to apply for larger and more traditional grant programs. The family hopes to provide funding to as many libraries as possible.

Stephanie's legacy will go on through the investment at the SDCF. Ms. Franz says it best: "If my mom was here today, I think she would be proud that we are continuing to support the heroic work of parents, teachers, librarians and other community members to provide every child the chance to read. She loved South Dakota and was deeply invested in its future."