Levo Recognizes 6 Area Students for Community Service

Levo awarded $1,000 each to 6 area students for their contributions to their community. They were honored on June 9th, 2026, at a recognition ceremony at Levo's 69th and Cliff Branch in Sioux Falls.

Levo started the Community Service Scholarship Program in 2010. Since then, Levo has awarded more than $52,000 in scholarships to area students. This year’s 6 winners were selected based on community service and academic excellence.

“Since we were founded in 1934, Levo has believed in giving back to our community,” says Jen McKeown with the Levo Cares Foundation. “What better way to do that than to reward these amazing students who have learned the value of community service at such a young age?”

Students submitted essays or videos sharing how they have served their community, as well as recommendation letters. The applicants were also judged on academic excellence. The 6 winners who will each be presented with a $1,000 scholarship include:

• Ellie Johnson: A recent Sioux Falls Lincoln High School graduate, Ellie teaches Sunday School and volunteers for Lunch is Served, the Foster Network, Feeding South Dakota, St. Francis House, Bishop Dudley House, the Banquet, and various veterans causes. She also founded the school’s pickleball club. She will attend Dakota State University.
• Mollie Kruse: Mollie graduated from Sioux Falls Washington High School this year. She volunteers on Emily’s Hope Youth Coalition, which fights substance abuse. She’s president of the Student Council, where she’s been responsible for organizing a variety of volunteer efforts including a canned food drive and an orphanage fundraiser. Mollie also volunteers at the Banquet and Best Buddies.
• Elliott Morehead: Elliott is from Sioux Falls and is currently majoring in Social Work and Spanish at the University of South Dakota. He volunteers for the Helpline Center’s Suicide Prevention Task Force, for Solace as a Rape/Sexual Assault Crisis Victim Advocate, and is active in USD’s Sociology Club.
• Sarah Prohl: Sarah recently graduated from Hills-Beaver Creek in Minnesota, where she has served as a Peer Tutor for the band program. Sarah also volunteers for Church on the Street, which provides church and meals to the homeless. Other volunteer efforts include serving at the Banquet and St. Francis House, as well as organizing clothing and blanket drives for shelters. She plans to attend University of Wisconsin.
• Maverik Ragon: Maverik recently graduated from Harrisburg High School. He is very active in his church, where he has taken multiple mission trips to clean up tornado debris, serve the homeless, and remodel a worship center. He leads the youth group at his church and volunteers on his worship production team. Maverik plans to attend the University of South Dakota.
• Matthew Steensma: Matthew is a recent graduate of Sioux Falls Christian High School. He’s been heavily involved in the school’s Mission in Action program, where he has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, the Banquet, Union Gospel Mission, and the Alpha Center. Matthew also teaches Vacation Bible School at his church and coaches a local youth football camp. He plans to attend Dakota State University.

“These young adults are incredible examples of the impact one person can have on improving the lives of others,” says McKeown. “They have all made a positive difference in the lives of many people and deserve to be recognized!”

For more information about how Levo gives back to the community or to donate to the Levo Cares Foundation, go to: https://www.levo.org/about/levo-cares-foundation

Transcription:

(0.08) Good morning, everyone. My name is Jen McKeown. I'm the Vice President of Marketing for Levo Credit Union and (0:04) Executive Director of the Levo Cares Foundation. We are so excited to welcome our amazing (0:10) students who are community service scholarship winners here today. Now, Levo started (0:15) the scholarship program in 2010, and since then, we have given more than $52,000 (0:20) to deserving young students who serve their communities. We are so proud that you guys are our members, (0:25) and that you guys have taken the initiative to serve your communities. Levo, as you guys know, (0:31) is dedicated to our community. We do many, many projects in the community to benefit, um, (0:36) all the people that we serve every day, and we're excited that these young members have, (0:42) um, also done that in their lives. Since we were founded in 1934, we have (0:47) believed in giving back to our community, and the community makes us what we are today, so that's why we (0:51) believe in giving back.

Now, each recipient will introduce themselves, state (0:56) their future plans, and then tell us just a little, um, little bit about their favorite community service (1:02) experience. So we start with Mollie.

Hi, I'm Mollie Kruse. I'll be attending SDSU (1:07) in the fall, um, for human biology on the pre-optometry path. My favorite part about serving my community has been (1:12) working as a peer-to-peer mentor at A Place for Women's Hope and helping teens find pathways to recovery.

(1:21) Hi, I'm Sarah Prohl. I will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall to major in atmospheric (1:26) and oceanic sciences. My favorite part of volunteering is I was a teacher's assistant at my elementary (1:32) school this year for the band teacher. It has been really great to give back to the program that's given (1:36) so much to me and helped me thrive as a person.

Hi, (1:41) I'm Maverik Ragon. I'll be attending USD in the fall for medical biology on the pre-med track, and (1:46) my favorite community service experience was buying food for families every year around Thanksgiving time, (1:52) uh, to help them have a great Thanksgiving meal.

Hello, my name is Matthew (1:57) Steensma. I'll be going to DSU in the fall, and my favorite, (2:03) uh, memory would probably be helping serve food at the banquet. It's great to (2:08) help others and just serve the community.

Hi, I'm Fran Sommerfeld, (2:13) the President and CEO of Levo Credit Union. This is just one of my favorite things to, to be part (2:18) of. Thank you, guys, for applying for the scholarship. Thank you guys for giving back to your community. It's amazing (2:24) what you guys do, and it's so refreshing to see young people still want to be part of their community (2:28) and still make a difference. And the, and the things that you're gonna do in college to make a difference, (2:32) I can already tell is gonna be amazing. You guys are gonna do great things. So congratulations and good luck (2:37) on your journey. Um, it's gonna be fun, and it's gonna be rewarding for you. I just know it. Congratulations.