Beacon Center Celebrates Supporter's 102nd Birthday, Reflects on Decades of Service
- Steve Jurrens
- Sep 25
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - The Beacon Center's Executive Director, Donna Marchand, and Development Coordinator, Kellee Dragt, recently met with Helen Kranz, a long-time supporter of the organization. The visit was in recognition of Kranz's 102nd birthday. The Beacon Center representatives presented Kranz with a bouquet of flowers to express gratitude for her past support.
The Beacon Center, a non-profit organization founded in 1977, has a history rooted in providing support to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The organization's services and name have evolved over nearly five decades to meet the changing needs of the community.
Initially, a group of citizens founded the Women’s Resource Center, which operated with a phone and answering machine from the basement of a law office. Victims were sheltered in private homes until 1983, when the organization purchased its first permanent shelter at 504 2nd Avenue SE. This location served as a shelter until 2014. In 1995, an estate gift from Attiemay Barbour enabled the expansion of the 2nd Street property to include a Family Visitation Center and an office building. The gift also helped facilitate a future move to a new location.
The organization's name changed in 2008 to Watertown Resource Center to reflect the inclusion of services for both men and women. The center moved to a new, larger, and ADA-compliant facility at 801 Jenson Avenue in April 2014. With this move, the organization was rebranded as the Beacon Center to reflect its mission of assisting those affected by violence.
Today, the Beacon Center provides a variety of services, including a 24-hour crisis line, emergency shelter, legal and medical advocacy, family visitation services, and a food pantry. The organization's support is available to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including men, women, and their children, across Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, and Hamlin counties.
While its name and locations have changed over the years, the organization’s goal of providing support and healing
