This event is free for high school students made possible by Day of Excellence, Inc. Parent’s permission is required to attend Excellence in Education. Please have your parent(s) excuse you from school for appropriate day to attend Excellence in Education.

Day of Excellence, Inc. (DOE, Inc.) is pleased to announce the organizations that have been awarded funds from proceeds from the fourth annual event:

The groups receiving 2013 awards are as follows:
• Boys and Girls Clubs of the Black Hills
• South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Hardrock Club
• Love INC of the Black Hills
• Make-A-Wish South Dakota
• Seventh Circuit CASA Program
• South Dakota Youth Hunting Adventures
• Starting Strong Rapid City

DOE, Inc. would like to thank all organizations and individuals who submitted grant applications. The amount allocated to for the 2013 DOE Giving Back Program is $14,000. The recipients will be awarded the funds at the July 8th Movies Under the Stars event held at the Main Street Square, being sponsored by DOE, Inc.

Black Hills area non-profit organizations have received donations in excess of $115,000 since the first annual Day of Excellence event held in 2010. Organizers of DOE, Inc. are very excited to be able to ‘give back’ to the community through the charitable giving program. The generosity and commitment from individuals attending the Annual Day of Excellence, along with the compassionate support of local businesses, have made the DOE, Inc. charitable giving program possible.

Qualified organizations interested in applying for funds from DOE, Inc. can apply by submitting the requested information at www.DayofExcellence.com/giving-back/. The next application process will open January 14, 2014 and commence March 30, 2014.

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The annual ‘Day’ will kick off at 8:30am on a new date, Wednesday, April 3 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Fine Arts Theatre.

This year’s theme, the “ABC’s of Excellence” will again feature four great speakers. Andy Core will begin the ‘Day’ presenting “Life Balance-Redefining Humanly Possible,” including strategies on how to better fit work-life balance, health, connection and sustained motivation in your daily life. Bryan Dodge, a radio show personality based in Dallas, Texas will follow and open your mind and heart with “How to Build a Better You.” Dodge will help you focus on reaching your full potential with your family and your career. The afternoon will kick off with Christine Cashen delivering “Stop Global Whining!” This intensely humor-filled presentation will show you how to get what you want and how to start making a difference in your world today. The ‘Day’ will end with keynote speaker Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger and his message of perseverance, resilience and achieving your dreams. It took years of fierce determination to overcome obstacles and criticisms, yet Rudy achieved his first dream – to attend Notre Dame and play football for the Fighting Irish.

“It is with great excitement that we announce the speaker line-up for the Fourth Annual Day of Excellence. The 2013 speakers were carefully selected and we are confident this line up will leave attendees refreshed, enthused and anxious to strive for a greater level of excellence in both their personal and professional lives,” said Michael Oster, President of DOE, Inc.

DOE offers participants an opportunity to hear from and interact with nationally renowned speakers, covering a number of personal improvement related topics. Tickets are on sale at the Civic Center box office, GotMine.com or 800-GOT-MINE and range from $45 to $75. Speaker sponsorships for Day of Excellence are still available.

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Day of Excellence was developed by the Leadership Rapid City Class of 2009 and provides an opportunity for people in the Black Hills region to gather with local and nationally recognized speakers for personal and professional development. Day of Excellence, Inc. is a registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. All donations are fully tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. More information can be found at www.DayOfExcellence.com.

CONTACT:
Mike Oster, (605) 484-6002, Mike@DayofExcellence.com
Ericka Heiser, (605) 716-8997, Ericka@DayofExcellence.com

Black Hills area non-profit organizations have received donations in excess of $100,000 since the first annual event held in 2010. Day of Excellence also uses a portion of event proceeds for an annual tree planting program symbolizing growth and commitment to the community.

Visit our Giving Back page for more information.

2012’s featured speaker was Tim Sanders! Tim is a former Yahoo! executive and showed us based on hundreds of thousands of pages of research how “One person, regardless of role or rank, can change the world.” Thank you to Black Hills Corp and Black Hills Power for sponsoring Tim Sanders.

Today’s Featured Speaker Spotlight is Tim Gard! Tim will share his comic vision with us at the 3rd Annual Day of Excellence. Tim offers his humorous and powerfully effective approach to stress-diffusion and frustration-eradication, something everyone can use! Thank you to BankWest Insurance for sponsoring Tim Gard!

Today’s Featured Speaker is Steve Gilliland! Fasten your seat belt and hold on as Steve outlines a road map for success and shows you how to Enjoy the Ride™. Thank You Ketel Thorstenson LLP for sponsoring Steve Gilliland!

Today’s Featured Speaker Spotlight is Elaine Doll-Dunn. Mentor~Motivational Speaker~Marathon Runner. There’s some up-hill down-hill, sudden curves and sneaky speed bumps, all calculated to bring out the best or worst in us. Elaine will show us how to meet the challenges in life, both personally and professionally! Thank you to Day of Excellence, Inc for sponsoring Elaine Doll-Dunn.