Tag Archive: Texas


Expanding the Possibilities

Today’s blog post comes from National Network Executive Vice President Gary Chapman.

Communities In Schools of Central Texas students

After I graduated from college, my first job was as a mental health therapist working with juvenile delinquents. Mitchell, a seventh grader referred for truancy, was the first young man I worked with. I remember the shack he lived in with its dirt floor, and the depressing detention room where he spent his days at school. When I asked Mitchell what his dreams were for his future, he would simply say, “Just not to be in prison like my dad and brothers.”

Fourteen years later, I’ve been able to see first-hand what a difference the right kind of support can make in the lives of students. I recently had the honor of visiting Garcia Middle School in Austin, Texas, where I experienced the thoughtful and comprehensive work underway to empower students through Communities In Schools of Central Texas. I visited students, dynamic campus manager Crystal Pena, AmeriCorps members and school staff. After visiting the Communities In Schools room, where site coordinators keep their office and meet with students, I had the opportunity to speak with four impressive seventh and eighth graders. They’ve all been involved with our organization for at least two years, have significantly raised their grades and now attend school regularly. View full article »

Today’s Site Coordinator Snapshot is by Network Communications Specialist Erica Rafferty.

Nancy Essary

Communities In Schools Site Coordinator Nancy Essary can sum up the value of her work in a single moment.

It’s funny how a single moment can shape your point of view, your beliefs and sometimes your life. For Nancy Essary, a site coordinator with Communities In Schools of East Texas for the past five and a half years, that moment happened on the first day of school this year.

Originally, my post about Nancy Essary was about how she spends every summer with Communities In Schools delivering lunches across Diana, Texas to low-income students whose next meal is not always certain. An undeniably powerful story, you can watch a video of Nancy telling the story at the bottom of this post.

But when she told me about the first day of school this year, and of a single, simple moment that she will never forget, I knew that, too, was a story to be shared. View full article »

Today’s post, written by Network Communications Specialist Erica Rafferty, is the first in Beyond the Classroom’s “Site Coordinator Snapshots” series. Each week, we will be profiling an amazing site coordinator and his or her work to help kids stay in school and succeed in life.

Cruz Ramos doing construction

Cruz Ramos says she "wears a lot of hats." She never thought one of them would be "building contractor."

I spent more hours in airports this summer than I would care to count, zig-zagging across the nation during one of the hottest summers on record. And I loved every minute of it.

I love when I have the opportunity to travel to our affiliates’ hometowns and meet the network’s front-line staff – our site coordinators. They always have a story to tell – either about a student who beat overwhelming odds to achieve his or her dreams, parents struggling to provide the best life they can for their families, or about how their 24/7 jobs sustain and fulfill them.

While visiting Texas, I had the pleasure of meeting Cruz Ramos, who’s been a site coordinator with Communities In Schools of Cameron County for more than 15 years. I asked her if there was one story to tell from her tenure with Communities In Schools, what would it be?

What she proceeded to tell me was a tale of compassion, selflessness and the commitment to help one family get back on its feet so that the children could focus on learning. It was the kind of story that really sticks with you.

Luckily, we had a video camera handy and filmed Cruz as she told her story. View full article »

Support for the youngest victims of war

Today’s blog post comes from Communities In Schools of Bell-Coryell Counties Development Assistant Carolyn Labrie. Bell and Coryell Counties are located in Texas, not far from a military base from which thousands of soldiers are deployed every year.

soldier and daughter dance at carnival

A soldier and his daughter dance at a carnival for Communities In Schools kids with army families.

Although we serve all types of at-risk students throughout the Bell and Coryell County communities, our most profound work is offering our services to the children of our soldiers stationed at Fort Hood. Communities In Schools supports the children of our service members by having a strong presence in schools located on or adjacent to the post. Each year, we serve approximately two to three thousand military-dependent students.

Communities In Schools has witnessed a great deal of trauma endured by the children and families of our military members. Fort Hood troops are now participating in their fourth and in some cases fifth deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan. These numerous and exhausting deployment cycles have created an enormous amount of fear, anxiety, and hardship for the children and families left behind. View full article »

In Fall 2009, Terrence Thomas noticed that a few of his son’s classmates were missing coats. After speaking with a Communities In Schools site coordinator, Terrence learned that more than a few students in the elementary school were without warm winter gear. Working with Communities In Schools of Brazoria County, Terrence founded an organization that provides coats to hundreds of children across Texas. Here’s Terrence’s story about how he became inspired to make a difference, in his own words.

Terrence Thomas

The Kids Charity Founder Terrence Thomas

I am very grateful for the opportunity that I have had to work with the Communities In Schools network in various parts of Texas. I believe that Communities In Schools is a much-needed organization because I have seen firsthand how students and families benefit from their services. I was even partly inspired by the organization in October  2009 to start a charity that helps economically disadvantaged children. It happened after I was introduced to a Communities In Schools of Brazoria County site coordinator and several students served by the local affiliate. Some of these students were labeled as “at-risk” or “disadvantaged’” in various ways, so I began to seek opportunities to help meet the needs of these wonderful children. View full article »