The Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, is pleased to welcome a new member to its full-time staff. This month, April Bachman joined the nearly 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization as its finance manager.
Bachman will be responsible for planning and directing all accounting activities, and she will play a critical role in departmental and organizational management tasks. These include managing the Cokata Wiconi Teen Center, The Main youth center and CRYP’s Family Services program, which includes home improvement assistance, heat assistance and all distributions.
A 2009 graduate of Black Hills State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in both professional accounting and business administration, with a specialty in management, Bachman has more than three years of professional accounting experience. She interned with First Western Insurance as an accountant, and she worked at Unisys in Bismarck, North Dakota, as an accounting analyst.
Most recently, Bachman held a position with the North Dakota Department of Commerce as a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program administrator. There, she successfully ran four federal grant programs, from the grant-writing process, to monitoring requests for funds, to the final reports.
“We were extremely impressed with April’s education, particularly her double major, and her work experience, as she’s spent time with a small company, an international corporation and state government,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “We feel she’s the right person to help take CRYP to the next level, particularly as we work to define our next 25 years on Cheyenne River.”
For Bachman, the new position with CRYP is more than a next step in her career. It’s a homecoming, as she was born and raised in Eagle Butte.
“I’m so excited to accept this position as CRYP’s finance manager,” Bachman said. “It’s giving me the opportunity to bring my degrees back to my hometown, where I can make a contribution to my community. I’ve had the chance to watch CRYP grow over the years, and I’ve seen how it benefits children and families in our community. Being a part of that is very exciting and fulfilling.”
According to Garreau, Bachman’s enthusiasm and positive energy immediately brought her to the top of the list of potential candidates.
“Not only is she very motivated and a skilled multitasker, April is a team player who sees the importance of developing close working relationships with coworkers and with the people she serves,” Garreau observed. “We noticed a strong work ethic, and we recognized April’s innate ability to be a leader within our organization. She was the perfect choice.”
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project® and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, visit the youth project’s Facebook “Cause” page. All Cause members will receive regular updates through Facebook.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project®, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.