The conference room was filling up fast. Seasonal employees trickling in, stories from last summer already making the rounds, energy already building before orientation even started. And somewhere in the middle of it all, one of our team members spotted a familiar face across the room and lit up with excitement.
For those who don’t know, Black Hills Works partners with Crazy Horse Memorial to create real employment opportunities for the people we support. With summer right around the corner, employee orientation was in full swing. First-day energy, new name tags, the whole nine yards. And there I was, right in the middle of it. Pretty standard stuff, right? But it didn’t take long to see what made this place different.
Four presenters in, I noticed something I wasn’t expecting. Every single Crazy Horse staff member who walked into that room knew our crew. Not “hi, welcome back, great to see you” knew them. Actually, knew them. By name, by story, by the specific inside jokes that only survive a full season of working with someone. When staff walked in, our team members didn’t politely wave. They lit up. Arms shooting up across the room, people calling out names, the kind of excitement you get when you see an old friend walk through the door. It felt less like corporate onboarding and more like a family reunion. Loud, warm, a little chaotic, and completely full of life.
A couple of hours in, the presentations wrapped up, and the room shifted to lunch. That’s where I had the opportunity to sit with Jay. Returning team member, big smile, and ready to talk. He couldn’t wait to tell me the two things he loves most about his job. First, the people. People from all over the world. The different countries, different languages, and different ways of moving through the world. He showed me how he bridges the gap when words don’t work, hands doing the talking, expressions filling in the rest. He told me about the time he helped someone from another country find and use the water fountain. He walked him there. Showed him how it worked. A simple moment, but a moment with huge meaning. He beamed with pride at the fact that he taught someone something.
The second thing he loves? His managers. One of them always asks Jay when he’s coming up the mountain to help move rocks. Jay laughed every single time he mentioned it. It wasn’t just a funny exchange Jay was describing. I heard someone who felt seen, included, and like they were truly a part of the team.
If these past two days taught me anything, it’s that what this partnership with Crazy Horse offers goes far beyond a job. People come from all over the world to visit, and the staff who work there get a front row seat to all of it. Culture. Different languages, different ways of dressing, eating, communicating, and living. For most, that kind of exposure takes a passport. Here, it’s just another day in the office. And that shared experience of discovering the world together, side by side, is exactly what builds the kind of relationships I witnessed in that room. Relationships that were built across seasons, through shared work and shared jokes, and the kind of small daily moments that add up to something that matters. What I saw in that room was joy. Belonging. Community.
If you find yourself at Crazy Horse this summer and you happen to cross paths with Jay, stop and say hi. Ask him about the people he’s met from around the world. Ask him about the connections he’s made without ever sharing a language. And if you’re really lucky, he’ll teach you something. He’s good at that.
Reese Niu
Vice President of Vocational Services
Black Hills Works
