Tag Archive: donate


Why I Give: In the Words of a Donor

Filed Under: General by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
December 4, 2012

Today’s blog post is from Communities In Schools’ Director of Individual Giving, Tim Plant.

One of the most inspiring parts of my job is to learn what motivates our donors to give to Communities In Schools. From a small gift that was made online with the note “I was a CIS kid, it changed my life,” to a national partnership with a major company like Procter & Gamble, every investment makes a difference in the life of a child determined to stay in school.

Recently, I spoke with a long-time Communities In Schools’ donor, Dr. Quentin R. Regestein, from Boston, Mass. He explained to me why he has been a steadfast supporter for years. For him, it’s part of his world view: “We all belong to one human family and feel better when we help others feel better. So when we give, we get.”

Rooted in his medical background, Dr. Regestein also noted the change of basic human needs, dating all the way back to early humankind. It was a time when “food was so scarce that they had to conserve every possible calorie.” Today, ensuring proper nutrition and exercise are still just as critical, but managed in entirely different ways. A focus on these fundamentals is similar to the holistic approach taken by many Communities In Schools’ site coordinators, who ensure that students’ basic needs are met so they are prepared to learn.

Also, Dr. Regestein highlights a topic that has received particular notice in 2012 – charitable giving during the final weeks of the year. “Advertisers constantly say we’ll feel good if we buy more goodies for ourselves, but they rarely remind us how great we feel when we help someone else.” Echoing this sentiment, a national effort was made to change the conversation this year. For the first time, Black Friday and Cyber Monday were followed by Giving Tuesday in an effort to encourage giving to charities during the holiday season. It was a reminder to take a moment and give to the organizations close to our hearts.

Which is why, here at Communities In Schools, we are grateful for everyone who remembers our organization this holiday season. As Dr. Regestein said, “I feel good that Communities In Schools helps young people overcome threats they face. I help them because that way they win and I win.”

On behalf of Communities In Schools and the students we serve, our deepest, heartfelt thanks to Dr. Regestein and the thousands of others who believe in our work.

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32 Schools Making 1 Big Difference

Filed Under: Volunteers by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
November 15, 2012
students serving food

Communities In Schools of Puyallup students serving food as a part of March Gladness events.

Today’s blog post is by Communities In Schools of Puyallup, Wash., AmeriCorps VISTA member Nicole Green.

Each year at Communities In Schools of Puyallup, we coordinate an annual district-wide community service campaign called March Gladness. Students and staff throughout the school district come together, volunteering countless hours of service to various causes and organizations.

Last year, during the March Gladness “Be the Change in 2012” campaign, 10,000 participating students collected more than 40,000 pounds of clothing for the local Goodwill, gathered more than 10,000 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls and raised almost $40,000 for various charities – $31,663 of which went towards cancer research.

These are just the big numbers. They do not include the hours students spent helping clean up their schools, sorting clothing at the local thrift store, feeding the homeless, picking weeds at the local nursing home garden and reading to children.

March Gladness started over seven years ago, with students completing service projects throughout the month of March. Now March Gladness projects start in January and run  through the end of March. This year, a 30-member Student Leadership Team will meet monthly, throughout the school year, to work on service projects and promote this year’s campaign, which they have named “32 Schools Making 1 Big Difference.”

I can’t wait to see the positive difference they make in our community in 2013!

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What We’re Reading

Filed Under: Research, What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
August 24, 2012

A new survey revealed that many teachers use their own money to buy students' school supplies. Photo courtesy Wirawat Lian-udom via Flickr.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: This week, The Chronicle of Philanthropy unveiled a new, comprehensive study on how people in the United States donate to charities. Among its numerous resources, the study includes interactive maps, an examination of the roles of religion and tax breaks in giving, and a ranking of the 50 states by how much their citizens donate. According to The Chronicle, Utah is the most generous state in both dollars contributed and time volunteered. Where does your state rank on the list? Visit the study to find out.

Education Week: Numerous studies have shown that the more students miss school, the more likely they are to eventually drop out. Missing school prevents students from learning new information and often leaves them struggling to keep up in their classes. Even when a student is pulled out of the classroom for disciplinary reasons, it can have a negative effect on his or her overall education.

This week, 50 national groups reached out to school districts across America to ask them to stop issuing out-of-school suspensions to students, and instead find more “constructive” courses of discipline. The groups included several educational and race equity powerhouses, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative.

For many students, making it to school on time isn’t as simple as getting on the bus. Barriers such as poverty, community violence and a lack of positive role models keep thousands of students from making it to school on a daily basis. And when a school pulls a student out of class, he or she is missing even more valuable learning time. Communities In Schools site coordinators help students learn positive behaviors so that they are not taken out of class for disciplinary reasons. During the 2010-2011 school year, 82 percent of students receiving Communities In Schools services met their suspension reduction goals.

Huffington Post: When you were a student, did you ever wonder where your classroom snacks came from? Or your construction paper, calculator or scissors? According to a survey by Adopt-A-Classroom, necessity items for students are routinely coming out of teachers’ wallets. The survey asked questions about the work spending habits of 1,188 K-12 teachers from public, private and charter schools across the country. In tabulating the results, Adopt-A-Classroom discovered that 91 percent of the survey participants routinely purchased items for their students. Most of the supplies the teachers mentioned were for the classroom, like crafts and snacks. But just as often, the teachers mentioned products to help children survive outside school, like toothbrushes, soap and alarm clocks.

Communities In Schools makes sure that the students we serve get everything they need to succeed in school and in life. Like these amazing teachers, we provide children with food and clothing. During the back-to-school season, many of our affiliates work with the community to make sure students the first day of school with all the supplies they need to effectively learn in the classroom.

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What We’re Reading

Filed Under: What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
June 15, 2012

Heydi Mejia has lived in the United States since she was four-years-old. But after she graduates from high school, she will be deported to Guatemala. Photo courtesy Katherine Frey / The Washington Post.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: Earlier this month, a study by Net Impact revealed that the majority of this year’s crop of college graduates would take a pay cut in order to work for an organization that makes a positive societal or environmental difference. Now, another study shows that young people are willing to give even more. A new survey of more than 6,500 people ages 20 to 35 showed they are inclined to make a donation—and are more than willing to ask their friends and relatives to do the same—when they feel passionately about a cause. About 75 percent of survey participants said they gave money to a nonprofit in 2011.

Communities In Schools Founder and Vice Chairman Bill Milliken once said at a Congressional hearing, “The children I have seen succeed are the children we allowed to succeed. We allowed them to give something to us. We need to listen to them, and get them involved in feeding people, tutoring other children—that’s how they feel like part of a community.” Our dedicated staff and volunteers instill in a passion for giving back to the community, encouraging students to contribute in countless ways, including participating in walk-a-thons, planting community gardens and serving senior citizens holiday meals.

Education Week: While huge milestones have been made in promoting STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) in schools, progress still needs to be made in the outreach of these subjects to young women in the classroom. In Education Week’s “Curriculum Matters” blog, Erik Robelen wrote about the STEM achievement gap between males and females in the United States. Citing data from the Advanced Placement program, he said the average scores of females lag behind males in every single STEM subject and more must be done to encourage young women to pursue these subjects. While the American job market seems to be stalled, companies are still looking to fill positions with workers who have competencies in these areas.

Washington Post: Heydi Mejia is graduating from high school in Virginia with honors. She wants to attend a small college and study to become a nurse. But instead of buying stuff for her dorm and meeting fellow college freshmen on Facebook, a few days after graduation Heydi is to be deported from the United States to Guatemala. She left Guatemala when she was four years old and has no memories of the nation. Now, she has no choice but to forge a new life there.

What should the United States do about undocumented immigrants who come to the country as children, grow up and attend school here, break no laws and want to remain? While lawmakers debate the issue and propose various solutions, Communities In Schools continues to work with public school children regardless of their citizen status. Communities In Schools ensures students receive the resources they need, including food, health care and clothing. Many of our affiliates also offer courses in English as a Second Language so that parents are better able to communicate and help their children in school.

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It’s Just What We Do

Filed Under: Families, Site Coordinators by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
May 10, 2012

Today’s blog post is written by a group of site coordinators from Communities In Schools of Wichita/Sedgwick County, Kan. Last month, Kansas was hit hard by a series of tornadoes. Staff and volunteers from Communities In Schools of Wichita/Sedgwick County have been working to help families recover from this natural disaster.

On Tuesday, Communities In Schools of Wichita site coordinators organized a “store” of donated items, such as food and gift cards. Their hard work served approximately 100 families currently recovering from the tornadoes.

On Saturday April 14th, 2012, approximately 100 tornadoes were reported in the state of Kansas. One community that was severely affected was the Oaklawn area, located outside of Wichita. Communities In Schools of Wichita/Sedgwick County is present in five of the schools there. The entire community was without gas and electricity for a week. Communities In Schools  reached out through home visits and phone calls to see what students and their families needed to make it through the difficult days following the severe weather. Communities In Schools also partnered with multiple community agencies, churches, and school districts to assist in fulfilling the needs of the families.

These families have been displaced, suffered loss of belongings or have had structural damage to their homes. Communities In Schools of Wichita/Sedgwick County has set up a fund for tornado disaster relief that consists of money and donated goods such as non-perishable items, hygiene items, water and gift cards. The fund will assist with long-term and immediate needs for affected families. We have assisted in feeding families and volunteers in the disaster area, helped to provide district-wide communication and established long-term collaborations with partners. We will remain active in the efforts to provide support…it is just what we do!

Site Coordinators:

Elainne Fulenwider, Cooper Elementary
Bev Zuba, Oaklawn Elementary
Katie Savute, Derby Sixth Grade Center
Elise Matz, Derby Middle School
Gary Meitler, Derby High School

You can help Communities In Schools of Wichita/Sedgwick County support families affected by the tornadoes by making a donation.

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