Monument Health Has Talent
Debuting in October 2023, Monument Health Has Talent (MHHT) is a Foundation event consisting of three local talent shows throughout the system and a finale were the top 3 winners are chosen for cash prizes of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,500.The talent shows feature Monument Health caregivers – singers, dancers, fire breathers, magicians, comedians, and other performers. The local shows were attended by the community and raised funds to support the Monument Health Foundation. The Finale served as entertainment for the Monument Health All Board Holiday Dinner. During the MHHT Finale, winners from the local talent shows (9 in total) all competed for the top prize and board members placed their vote to crown the MHHT Champion!
Join the fun for a great cause! The 2024 dates and locations have been announced!
Rapid City
Oct. 15, 2024 | 6 – 8 p.m.
Performing Arts Center, 601 Columbus St., Rapid City
Northern Hills
Oct. 17, 2024 | 6 – 8 p.m.
The Matthews Opera House, 612 N. Main St., Spearfish
Southern Hills – CANCELED
Oct. 18, 2024 | 6 – 8 p.m.
The Custer Beacon, 351 Washington St., Custer
Buy a $10 admission ticket that gets you a vote towards the People’s Choice Award.
All funds collected will be donated to the Monument Health Foundation Fund chosen by the overall Monument Health Has Talent Champion.
MEET OUR 2023 MONUMENT HEALTH HAS TALENT WINNERS
2023 Monument Health Has Talent Champion – Anna Simons, RN Sturgis Urgent Care Services
Anna was the Northern Hills Judge’s Choice winner. She has worked at Monument Health for 4 years and is also a 15-year veteran of the South Dakota Army National Guard. She is currently stationed at Camp Rapid as part of the South Dakota Joint Force Headquarters Unit.
She had this to say about her performance, “When I joined the military in 2008, I got to serve alongside my older brother, Michael, in the same unit. He deployed three times to Iraq during his career and was a huge inspiration to me. Sadly, military service took a toll on my brother, mentally and physically, and shortly after midnight of Veteran’s Day 2015, I witnessed him take his last breath in a hospital bed in Sioux Falls. My brother, Sergeant Michael Simons, died from heart failure after years of suffering from PTSD, alcoholism and disordered eating. I have always wanted to honor him with my music, and this talent show has provided me with that opportunity. The song ‘Hallelujah’ by Jeff Buckley reminds us that, sometimes, the cost of great love is great suffering.” Anna rewrote the lyrics to ‘Hallelujah’ and dedicated it to her brother.
Because Anna was our MHHT Champion she was able to choose where our ticket sale donations were dedicated. She chose the Sturgis Hospital Greatest Need Fund.
2023 2nd Place Winner – Pial Hope, M.D. Rapid City General Surgery
Dr. Hope was the Rapid City People’s Choice winner. He joined the Monument Health Bariatric Surgery team in October of 2023. Dr. Hope was born and raised in Los Angeles and his family heritage is Bangladeshi. For the show, he provided a musical experience using a tabla, the main percussion instrument of North India. It is a two piece drum set played with one’s hands to create distinct syllables and composition. There is a rich history of tabla repertoire that is traditionally passed on from master to student in an oral tradition.
Dr. Hope’s tabla training began at a young age under his guru. He has had the honor of performing with many of the leading musicians of the Indian subcontinent. His performing artist days took a back seat while he pursued his other passion of medicine and surgery, but he still enjoys sharing his music with others and raise awareness of this wondrous instrument when the opportunity arises.
2023 3rd Place Winner – Sandra Walby, Dir. of Environmental Services Northern Hills Hospitals and Clinics
Sandra was the Northern Hills Leadership Secret Save. She is a true coal miner’s daughter through and through from the Eastern Mountains of Appalachia Kentucky. With the crowd clapping along, she performed in her purple headband with enthusiasm and heart the Janis Joplin hit, ‘Me & Bobby McGee’.