RAPID CITY - The Rapid City School District and the Delta Dental Philanthropic Fund top a list of eight grant awards totaling about $1.2 million recently announced by the John T. Vucurevich Foundation.

Topping the list is $406,800 for the Rapid City School District's Partnership Rapid City program. Distributed over three years, the award will assist with new internship-apprentice programs at Central High School, support a pilot program to reduce drop-out rates and provide a stipend for Partnership Rapid City coordinators in each school to implement civic education programs.

The grant allows Partnership Rapid City to begin high school programs designed to connect students with opportunities in the community, according to coordinator Julie Ward.

"We're grateful the Vucurevich Foundation saw the merit in bringing the business community into education and giving students opportunities to venture out into the community to learn," Ward said.

The Delta Dental Philanthropic Fund receives $319,000, which will be used to establish a second mobile care unit providing services to underserved children. Funds will also provide follow up dental care for some children served by the mobile units. A portion of the grant will also be used for an oral health education program.

A two-year grant to the Suanne Big Crow Memorial foundation will provide $130,000 annually for the Suanne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club in Pine Ridge.

Additional grants included:

* HELP!line Center Inc. - $53,290 to increase awareness of the Black Hills 211 program.

* American Red Cross-Black Hills Chapter - $50,000 for western South Dakota Disaster Response Program.

* Church Response - $41,250 in food, personal items and gasoline vouchers for low income families in Rapid City.

* South Dakota Lions Eye Bank - $25,000 for "To Share, To Hope, To Dream … Life" campaign assists with recovering donor eyes and tissues.

* Pennington County Juvenile Diversion Program - $3,000 for truancy reduction in the Rapid City School District.