Steph Bagaus, community service worker for Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership (ICAP) in Grant County, has resigned from her position and will be relocating to Sioux Falls to take on new opportunities.
Steph was honored with an open house Wednesday. Her last day at the Grant County Courthouse will be Friday, October 23. She will continue employment with ICAP in its Sioux Falls office as a Family Case Manager with a case load of 12 families. She will work with the Bright Futures program and will spend half of her time as the community service worker in Moody County.
Steph has been at ICAP for 12 years and has called Milbank home for 35 years. “I am really going to miss this community,” Steph expressed. “It’s going to be very hard and different. I wish I could take everyone with me.”
While in Grant County, Steph assisted countless people with the wide variety of services she helped provide. ICAP is a community based non-profit organization which serves primarily low-income families and senior citizens in a 14-county area of East Central South Dakota.
ICAP programs include:
Head Start and Early Head Start
Self-Help Housing Rehab
Weatherization
Homeless Rent/Deposit Assistance
VITA – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
60’s Plus Dining and Meals On Wheels
Emergency Food & Shelter
Garden Program
School Supplies Program
Case Management & Protective Payee
Information Referral
Grant County also has a contract with ICAP for additional programs that are available only in this area. Those programs include the Christian Service Council, Community Garden Program, Angel Tree project, Grant County Food Pantry, Coats for Community in cooperation with Golden Living Center and other services for the elderly. Steph also worked closely with Edna England, who has been an ICAP board member for over 20 years and worked everyday in the Food Pantry.
One thing Steph will miss is the willingness of the community to help out with needs that arise. “If I even mentioned something that was needed I was overwhelmed with support. I have learned a lot in my job and met a lot of wonderful people. I will miss everyone dearly.”
Steph is also the contact person for the Grant County Heart, Diabetes and Cancer Funds, the Grant County Housing Board, Grant County Child Protection Team and the Senior Companion Program.
Working in the courthouse has been a wonderful experience she said. She worked closely with the other agencies on first floor and will miss those friends. “We have become one big happy family.”
A replacement has not yet been hired, but she is happy that she will help train the new CSW. For the time being, she will live with her younger sister, Jen, in Sioux Falls.
Steph has three sons who are all graduates from Milbank High School. Dylan is a graduate of South Dakota State University and is employed in Brookings with Daktronics. Devin is a Lake Area Technical Institute graduate and is working in Watertown for United Games. Trey recently graduated from MHS and is living and working in Milbank.
Staff Writer
