Leadership To Keep Children Alcohol Free

SOUTH DAKOTA'S FIRST LADY
JEAN ROUNDS

"Alcohol is in our schools at a younger and younger age. We need to educate kids about what it does to their bodies and how to say no to alcohol."
—Jean Rounds

Introducing Jean Rounds, First Lady of South Dakota

First Lady Jean Rounds’ interest in the health and education of children and families is an asset to the Leadership. She has been active in local events and media interviews to educate South Dakota youth about the dangers of substance abuse. She joined Leadership in 2003. As First Lady, Mrs. Rounds supports the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Reach Out Now National Teach-In by visiting fifth-grade classes to speak about the dangers and health risks of underage drinking. In 2004, Governor Mike Rounds also visited a middle school and discussed the government’s role in preventing underage drinking.

The First Lady supports “Reach Out and Read ^®,” an intervention by doctors that strengthens the link between literacy and a healthy childhood. She also has participated in the National Education Association’s Read Across America program, and in Scholastic 2004, a program for first spouses from across the country to urge individuals, especially children, to read.

In 2004, Mrs. Rounds hosted a fundraiser for the foundation of the Missouri Shores Domestic Violence Center. She also encouraged South Dakota women to join others from across the country in supporting Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association’s campaign to raise awareness of heart disease.

Mrs. Rounds holds an associate degree in secretarial science. She worked as secretary to the head of the South Dakota Transportation Department for 27 years. She and her husband have four children.