Donate Now and your GIFT will make a difference
We believe that relationships, not programs, change the trajectory of at-risk students’ lives. Relationships with people like you. We are IN schools to help kids stay IN school.
Meet Keira. Keira is a 7th-grade student who lives with her grandparents and brother, as both her parents are struggling with addiction and unable to provide for her. Keira was often depressed, anxious and at risk of academic failure. Her grandparents recognized that Keira was deeply impacted by her parent’s struggles and immediately decided to take a proactive approach to help Keira during this unsettling time in her life. Through her school counselor, Keira was introduced to the Success Coach at her school. The CIS Success Coach immediately jumped into action and began making connections for Keira. Keira began participating in multiple interventions offered through the Action for Success program including the Lunch Buddies mentoring program, academic tutoring, and social-emotional learning groups. Overtime, Keira gradually began to open up to her Success Coach, sharing her fears and emotional pain. She meets with her Success Coach on a regular basis and they have established a trusting relationship where Keira knows she can talk openly about her fears and concerns in confidence. The bond with her Success Coach has made Keira feel less lonely and more confident. In addition, Keira’s Success Coach recognized the unique challenges grandparents have when they become responsible for raising their grandchildren and referred them to CIS’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group.
Across Brunswick County, students just like Keira experience almost insurmountable challenges every single day: poverty, trauma, heartbreak, family instability, bullying and so much more. Without a supportive community of loving, caring adults like you, students often struggle to do the things necessary to succeed in school – like completing assignments, concentrating in class or studying. Instead, they are far more likely to misbehave, make poor choices that eventually lead them to drop out of school, changing their life’s path.
I believe you are the type of person who wants to see every student in your community succeed – to stay in school and find their path to a bright future. CIS Success Coaches are in schools every day, right down the hall from students. The Success Coaches and many other caring adults build relationships with kids, helping them overcome obstacles in their path so they can succeed in school and life. And it works. Last year, 99% of the students we served were promoted to the next grade, 84% of our case managed students improved their skills in core subjects and demonstrated improvement in their behavior.
But every day, more students need help overcoming barriers. And we need you. Your gift today will provide tools and resources to even more students, helping them succeed. You’ll enable us to build meaningful relationships with more kids, so they feel safe, know they are supported and thrive in school.
The middle grades are the “make it or break it” years, when some students begin to disengage from school, increasing the likelihood of dropping out of high school.
Research indicates that students at risk of dropping out can be identified as early as sixth grade. In fact, sixth graders who display just one of the following off-track indicators have only a 15% – 25% chance of graduating on time:
- A failing grade in Mathematics or English/Language Arts; or
- An attendance rate of less than 85%, or
- One unsatisfactory behavior mark in a core course.
By giving to CIS, you’ll put skilled, knowledgeable, caring adults inside schools to build relationships with students and their families. But even more, you will help eliminate the barriers that lead students to drop out, so kids can stay focused instead on the important task of learning.
Keira is a great example of a youth who is fostering self-resiliency. After becoming connected with her success coach, Keira continues to work hard to earn good grades. She can better navigate her world knowing she has a strong support system in her Success Coach. Her grandparents have learned and are practicing positive parenting techniques learned in the CIS Parenting Education Program. Through the support she has received from her grandparents, her Success Coach and her school counselor, Keira is happier and healthier as a result of her connection with Communities In Schools
Will you join us and be #ALLINFORKIDS?
The need is urgent. Please help Keira and students like her in Brunswick County realize they are worth it and deserve to reach their greatest potential.
To make your donation today but no later than Dec. 31, 2019, click here to visit our online donation form or mail your check to Communities In Schools, PO Box 10087, Southport, NC 28461.
Together, we are #ALLINFORKIDS
