Tag Archive: volunteers


Site Coordinator Snapshot: Recruiting New Mentors

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots, Volunteers by Tracey Savell Reavis — Leave a comment
February 26, 2013

Communities In Schools of Miami Site Coordinator Nadege Delinois-Jean.

For Nadege Delinois-Jean, the journey to becoming a site coordinator at Communities In Schools of Miami started behind the deli counter of a supermarket. While taking orders, the part-timer chatted with a customer about the work he did as the head of a grants program at Delinois-Jean’s alma mater, Florida International University. Delinois-Jean, who has a degree in public administration and who had always wanted to be a teacher, says she followed up the chance meeting with a phone call as soon as she took her next break.

“I called right away, and after I came in to meet with him, I ended up getting a job at the university.” The position was with Robert Vos, who helmed GEAR UP Edison, a program that provided grants to help increase the number of low-income students getting into to college. Delinois-Jean worked with the local chapter of GEAR UP for seven years, and it was what led her to Communities In Schools. After her work at GEAR UP, she spent two years working for Communities In Schools as a data specialist at North Miami Middle School. When a site coordinator position became available in 2010, she got a call to apply.

As a site coordinator at North Miami Middle School, Delinois-Jean works with approximately 100 students to ensure they receive targeted and sustained services. One of the programs she’s most proud of expanding at the school is a mentoring group that serves boys and girls in all grades. She works with the City of North Miami mentoring program to recruit new mentors. Roughly 10 civic employees from the city arrive every Wednesday and along with 23 students, fill the school’s media center from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.

“Kids need mentors. They need people to talk to,” said Delinois-Jean. “The mentors come every week and you can see the kids opening up. The ones that were in trouble are doing great. I’m very happy with the program and the results because I see the progress the kids are making and I see improvements in their grades and conduct.”

And her latest project, a partnership with Sabrena O’Keefe, assistant professor at the Center for Leadership & Service at Florida International University (FIU), is the Academy of Leaders. It includes 12 FIU students working twice a month with North Miami Middle School students to teach them life skills.

“Being a site coordinator gives me a chance to help people,” said Delinois-Jean. “I love to help people, I love to empower people. I think it’s in my blood. My happiness comes from seeing others succeed.”

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A Supportive Teacher

Filed Under: Affiliates, Volunteers, What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
February 15, 2013

Periodically, Beyond the Classroom shares blog posts from affiliates, mentors, partners, and education and nonprofit leaders. Today’s post was originally published on Communities In Schools of North Texas’ blog. Jennifer Hughes, a Communities In Schools program manager at DeLay Middle School, wrote the post to thank a teacher for her endless support.

Communities In Schools site coordinators and program managers collaborate with teachers and other school staff. Many of the students we serve are referred to us by teachers, who are often the first to notice when a young person is struggling. Through our model of integrated student services, we address the nonacademic needs of students so they are prepared to learn. And that frees up teachers to do what they do best: educate students and help them prepare for life as successful adults.

Monique Garza and Communities In Schools of North Texas Program Manager Jennifer Hughes. Photo courtesy Communities In Schools of North Texas.

This month I would like to recognize a teacher, Monique Garza, for her constant support for Communities In Schools of North Texas and the Communities In Schools students at DeLay Middle School.

Ms. Garza has been a teacher at DeLay Middle School in Lewisville ISD for seven years and has supported Communities In Schools from the start. She knows about the resources that we offer our students and families and does not hesitate to bring a student by who needs this help.

She is one of the teachers who always volunteers at my events. In October she came to the DeLay Fall Carnival and took pictures of the event. She helps me with the Communities In Schools Christmas party by helping to translate and sign families in. This year she will help with the party and delivery of presents to students whose parents who are not able to attend. In February, she volunteered her Saturday afternoon and evening for 20 DeLay students and family members to do a walking tour of the University of North Texas followed by a women’s and men’s UNT Mean Green basketball game.

Ms. Garza is the eighth grade lead teacher and is my contact for anything eighth grade related. She helped to encourage students to join the new Igniting Minds program. Ms. Garza assists me with recruiting speakers and organizing the 8th grade Career Day.

At the end of the school year, the 8th grade students will donate their old uniforms to Communities In Schools. She runs this program with her students and allows me to keep the donations in her room through the summer.

Communities In Schools of North Texas at DeLay Middle School would not be as successful as it is without Ms. Garza’s support.

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Site Coordinator Snapshot: Making Perfect Matches

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots by Erica Rafferty — Leave a comment
February 8, 2013
Mayor of Pittsburgh and Cindy Bostick

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Mentoring Coordinator Cindy Bostick. Ravenstahl serves as a sixth-grade mentor.

Cindy Bostick can tick off an impressive list of people who serve as mentors in Pittsburgh – the city’s mayor, lawyers, doctors, retired teachers   and the president of a local community college, just to name a few. As the mentoring coordinator for Communities In Schools of Pittsburgh-Allegheny County, it’s her job to make sure she is matching the students she serves with the best mentors possible.

Bostick has worked for the Pennsylvania affiliate for more than 20 years, and she currently manages nearly 100 mentors across two Pittsburgh public schools as part of the “Be a 6th Grade Mentor” program. This program is an initiative among Pittsburgh Public Schools, The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern PA, the Youth Futures Commission and United Way of Allegheny County. Mentors meet with their mentees for 45 minutes a week from October through May, helping them to build the skills they need to achieve.

“We want to help students develop career dreams and aspirations, and to understand the relevance of their academics and how it will impact their future,” said Bostick.

The mentors have a guidebook with different topics to discuss with the students, such as developing goals, doing well in school, and discussing what the mentors do for a career and what it was like when they were in school. Some days, the mentors may just listen to students and help them resolve any challenges or concerns they have.

Bostick only asks for a one-year commitment from the mentors, but she said that about 50 percent of the mentors stay with their mentees through eighth grade.

“We have seen mentors say, ‘I can’t walk away – I am invested in this child’s life. I am coming back next year,’” said Bostick. “It’s amazing to see the different walks of life people come from to spend 45 minutes a week with a child to sit, talk and help them dream big.”

One of the most challenging parts of Bostick’s role is making sure the mentor-mentee matches work. When they do, incredible transformation can take place.

Bostick remembers a student named Jesse. Referred to the program to work on his social skills, Jesse was extremely shy, barely nodding and shaking his head in response to questions. Bostick matched him with a woman who owned a consulting company and was ready to give Jesse all the support he needed. She worked with Jesse for three years, and in that time he not only started speaking frequently, but took on a leadership role in his eighth grade student council.

“These students are like little tulips. Sometimes they are all closed up and then – they blossom.”

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Answering Life’s Most Persistent and Urgent Question

Filed Under: Affiliates, Volunteers by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
January 22, 2013

Volunteers at Communities In Schools of Milledgeville's service project.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of service. I believe that it’s our obligation to honor him and give back to our communities.”

For the past two years, Communities In Schools of Milledgeville, Ga., Site Coordinator Christi Tyson has emboldened her community to make Martin Luther King Day not just a day off, but a “day on.” Through planned service projects, the residents of Milledgeville come together to improve local schools and make them wonderful centers of learning for local children.

This year, the staff of Communities In Schools of Milledgeville, along with amazing volunteers from the Communities In Schools of Georgia state office, AmeriCorps, Georgia Power, Georgia College and State University Gamma Sigma students, assembled four basketball hoops, painted 12 bathrooms, painted outdoor railings and benches, and collected trash at Eagle Ridge Elementary School. Last year, they spread more than 140 tons of sand on the school’s playground.

“The kids are going to be so excited when they come back to school on Tuesday,” Tyson said. “I can see them running outside my office during recess. They’re going to be excited to be able to play basketball.”

Tyson has been planning this year’s Martin Luther King Day event since November. As the project manager, she worked with the principal at Eagle Ridge to figure out what work could be done around the school, made lists and purchased supplies, and kept the community partners well-informed.

“We’re so lucky because even though we’re in a small town, we have great partnerships,” said Communities In Schools of Milledgeville Executive Director Sandy Baxter.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” At Communities In Schools, we’re bringing people together to change the lives of students for the better.

Check out some more great photos from Communities In Schools of Milledgeville’s day of service! Click on a photo to enlarge.

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Bringing Holiday Cheer

Filed Under: Volunteers by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
January 4, 2013

Students team up to wrap Christmas gifts. Photo courtesy The Daily Telegram/Lad Strayer.

The holiday season is officially over, but we wanted to take a moment to highlight the amazing work one of our Communities In Schools affiliates did to bring seasonal cheer to families in their community.

Communities In Schools of Lenawee County, Mich., worked with students and school staff members to collect more than $4,000 in donations of gift cards and presents for 27 families in need. They also worked with local healthcare providers to provide the families with basic medical services, free of charge.

One of the most important things a student gains from Communities In Schools is the ability to give back to his or her community. When students are able to make a positive difference in the world around them, they feel like valuable members of society. Programs like this one serve a two-fold purpose: they enable Communities In Schools students to give back, and support Communities In Schools families during difficult financial times.

“It gives students a sense of purpose and encourages them to get involved,” said one volunteer. “There are a lot of people out there who are unable to do this for themselves. It doesn’t matter who you are. At some point everyone needs help. It can happen to anybody.”

Learn more about this wonderful program from Lenawee County’s local newspaper, The Daily Telegram.

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