Tag Archive: engage


Hearts Full of Kindness

Filed Under: Programs, Volunteers by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
November 1, 2012

Today’s blog post is by Ashley Keyes, Public Relations and Events Coordinator for Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area, South Carolina.

North Charleston High School students volunteering at the heart walk.

Students from North Charleston High School volunteering at the Heart Walk. Photo courtesy Communities In Schools of Charleston.

What makes Communities In Schools so special is not only that site coordinators, volunteers, and businesses come together to help students graduate, but that the students also learn about the value of giving back. Edelena Smith is a site coordinator at North Charleston High School in North Charleston, S.C. Smith and the 38 other site coordinators in the Charleston area find community engagement opportunities for students throughout the year.

Smith and nine North Charleston High School Cougars signed on to be volunteers for the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Heart Walk this past September 29. The students raised the bar and took volunteerism to another level. The momentum started building even before the event when the students decided to do some fundraising. Keep in mind that we don’t encourage students to raise money. But the students felt strongly about the need to spread the word about heart disease. They sold wristbands while recruiting other students to help on the actual day of the Heart Walk. After a few short weeks of selling, the students raised $86 and were ready for the big event on Sept. 29.

The morning began at 6:30 a.m. when the students reported to Liberty Square in our Historic Downtown Charleston area. The young men and women worked hard hanging “Start” and “Finish” banners, blowing up balloons and hanging hearts all over the square. Then they assisted the staff of AHA by directing vendors to their proper location, and informing participants and the surrounding community of the timeline of events. You would think that after all of that, the students wouldn’t have energy left to do anything else. But they were so determined to finish their role as volunteers that they hiked three miles to help with traffic, and then cheered on the walkers!

Smith said that the Cougars worked diligently to support those fighting heart disease. This experience inspired the students to contribute to the cause during the school year. Instead of using elevators or cars when they don’t have to, they will “Walk to Save Hearts.”

What an impact we are making on our students, and what an even BIGGER impact our students are making on us.

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Site Coordinator Snapshots: a Lifetime Commitment

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots, Site Coordinators by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
July 26, 2012

The city of Waco recognized Nola Tatum's work with students by declaring July 15, 2012 as "Nola Tatum Day."

Today’s Site Coordinator Snapshot is by Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas’ Executive Director Doug McDurham.

In July of 1992, Nola Tatum began her work as the new Communities In Schools site coordinator at Sul Ross Elementary in Waco, Texas. Walking into a complex system that required interacting with lots of different people was initially scary, she said, but she quickly learned the ropes and the importance of building relationships within the school. As the faculty and staff began to understand Ms. Tatum’s role and the unique contributions that she and Communities In Schools brought to their students, a sense of trust and collaboration was firmly established. Helping the children was extremely gratifying, and Ms. Tatum saw her new job as a lifelong dream.

Fast-forward two decades, and Ms.Tatum still believes that being a Communities In Schools site coordinator is her dream. Sul Ross Elementary is a neighborhood school and Ms. Tatum often hits the surrounding streets to track down parents. Whether helping parents locate needed resources, talking to them about their child’s progress or providing information about how to best support their kids, Ms. Tatum is often the connection between parents and the school. In the last few years, many of these parents have come to her, and she recognizes the faces of students she once served. She says that it is an amazing feeling to meet an adult who she knew as a child and to hear the stories of how she helped students become who they are today. She loves seeing the former students as actively engaged parents and watching the chains of generational poverty begin to break.

Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas recently commemorated Nola Tatum’s 20th anniversary of service at Sul Ross Elementary. Three of the principals who have worked with her over the years showered her with symbolic gifts (super hero T-shirts, flashlights and more) and praise. Proclamations and letters from the Mayor of Waco, the Communities In Schools national and Texas state offices, and the Deputy Commissioner of Education (also a former Sul Ross principal who had worked with Ms. Tatum) rounded out the celebration and left everyone – not just Ms. Tatum – feeling respected and appreciated.

In response to massive education budget cuts in Texas, the Waco Independent School District board of trustees recently voted to merge Sul Ross Elementary with another school. Soon after the official vote, the principal of the “receiving” school contacted me to request that Ms. Tatum join her team. I quickly agreed, assuring her that this was our hope as well. Ms. Tatum simply sees this as the next step in her amazing journey and is ready to embrace the new challenges ahead.

From my office window, I can see the shuttered Sul Ross building and the tree-lined streets that surround it. The kids playing in that neighborhood will soon load up on busses to go to their new school. And I know that they will be all right, because Ms. Tatum will be there by their side.

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