Become a Part of the Safety Net
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The
Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region (CISDR) Community Connection newsletter brings you information and updates on programs, activities, trainings, presentations, as well as volunteer and funding opportunities for the organization. If you have questions, want more information or would like to get more involved with CISDR, please contact us at
connectcis@cisdallas.org or at 214-827-0955.
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CISDR focuses in on all of the issues that affect a child’s academic wellness and ability to function in school and at home. Become a part of the CISDR SafetyNet Project by getting trained to "see something, say something" when a child is in need. Our next available
Youth Mental Health First Aid training session is scheduled for Monday, April 22. Help us make a difference in the lives of high-risk children and register today!
Youth MHFA – April 22
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Our
Mental Health First Aid for Adults class on Saturday, March 23 is focused on identifying signs and symptoms of behavioral health crisis in adults. This course will help you address problems in parents, guardians, and other adults in a student's life. Children are only as healthy as the household and community that surrounds them, so help us build a safety net to keep them from falling through the gaps.
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MHFA for Adults – March 23
On Saturday, April 13,
Oak Lawn United Methodist Church will be hosting a Mental Health First Aid conference featuring CISDR President & CEO
Dr. Judith Allen as well as training options in either Youth and Adult MHFA. Use the links to register for one of the two sessions:
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Youth MHFA – April 13 at OLUMC
MHFA for Adults – April 13 at OLUMC:
If you have any questions about our upcoming Mental Health First Aid trainings, or if you'd like to schedule an on-site training for your organization, please contact us at
connectcis@cisdallas.org.
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Four Students. Four Stories
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“Allison” was expressing anxiety and sadness due to feelings of disconnect from teachers and school. She expressed a strong desire to be home schooled. Allison’s assigned CISDR Site Coordinator worked with her, providing counseling, guidance and encouragement to help her find ways to connect with other students. With reassurance from CISDR, Allison joined Student Council and now expresses feeling more connected and more positive about school.
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Originally referred to CISDR for academics,
“Jonathan” began having behavioral issues. CISDR staff spoke with him about how he felt his semester went as a sixth grader. Jonathan expressed some struggles and admitted that he was hanging with the wrong crowd, who influenced some of his poor choices. Jonathan’s assigned Site Coordinator reminded him that CISDR is on campus whenever he needed help. Since then, Jonathan has come to CISDR for advice, tutoring and homework help.
A student named
“Tiffany” was struggling with social anxiety and personal home issues. One day, in a small group session, she made a breakthrough that led to improved self-esteem. With the help of CISDR, Tiffany is no longer putting herself down from other peoples’ negative comments.
“Angelica” and her twin sister were dealing with multiple family losses that set them behind on academics and attendance. Then Angelica found out that she was pregnant, which resulted in even more absences and behavior issues. But despite these setbacks, Angelica was determined to get back on track. With help from CISDR staff as well as the school counselor and principal, Angelica she was able to improve her grades, make up her missing hours and officially graduate!
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High Turnout for CIS Day at the Capitol
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The 86th Texas State Legislative Session is in full swing, so representatives from Communities In Schools affiliates across the state went down to Austin for the biennial
CIS Day at the Capitol! Ten delegates from CISDR, including our staff, board and leadership council, went to the Capitol to let our legislators know why Texas needs CIS. Altogether, we participated in 21 scheduled appointments and 5 pop-ins, talking to our state leaders about education, mental health and school safety. Thank you to all of our brilliant staff and board who helped us bring this together.
While down in Austin, we took the opportunity to celebrate the First Lady of CIS Texas,
Cynthia Clay-Briggs, our state's first Site Coordinator and founding Executive Director of CIS Houston! CISDR wishes her all the best in her retirement after 40 years as our champion!
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The XY-ZONE: Young Men of Honor
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Young men often have trouble coping with sadness, grief, or anger in a way that does not cause harm to themselves or others. With an increasing number of boys dealing with mental crises, CISDR is expanding our
XY-ZONE: Young Men of Honor project. This initiative helps young men ages 12–18 identify and verbalize their feelings in a safe setting conducive to developing resilience, coaching them in methods to reduce isolation and stress and increase healthy communication.
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The XY-ZONE uses small group sessions to build character and integrity, improve academics, behavior and attendance, and help these young men set goals for themselves throughout high school and beyond. Using an evidence-based curriculum developed inside of our Texas affiliate network, our Senior Program Coordinator
Rey Maldonado started XY-ZONE interventions in November 2016, working with approximately 50 students per year. In December 2018, Rey became an XY-ZONE trainer, coaching 5 new facilitators in the curriculum. Currently we facilitate 11 groups on 7 campuses, serving around 130 students per week. As the need continues to grow, we are looking to train another 5 facilitators, and expand the initiative to serve 200 students in Fall 2019.
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CISDR Partners with Dallas County Sheriff
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CISDR has made formal partnerships with over 35 area organizations, so that we can work together to keep students safe and successful. This month, we welcome a growing partnership with Dallas County Sheriff
Marian Brown and her dedicated team. Thank you, Sheriff Brown, for helping us better serve the high-need students in our community.
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8th Annual CISDR Golf Tournament
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Since 2011, the CISDR Golf Tournament has been the largest fundraising event for our organization, and we are well aware that the success of the tournament is due in large part to the support from organizations and individuals like you. With this in mind, we invite you to the
8th Annual CISDR Golf Tournament on
Monday, September 30, 2019. This year, we are excited to return to the Golf Tournament's original location,
Hackberry Creek Country Club in Irving, Texas.
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Once again,
Flowserve
has signed on to be our Title Sponsor (see below for details.) Come join us for an afternoon on the links, and help us in our mission to surround children with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. By sponsoring the CISDR Golf Tournament, you will help us strengthen the “safety net” around our most vulnerable children.
Please contact us at 214-827-0955 ext. 267 or
cisdev@cisdallas.org for information on available sponsorships, or with any questions about helping out with or playing in the 8th Annual CISDR Golf Tournament.
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Flowserve Tees Off Again for CISDR
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With the 8th Annual CISDR Golf Tournament now on the calendar,
Flowserve Corporation has signed up once again to be our Title Sponsor. Flowserve has been our leading sponsor since the tournament's inception in 2011. Special thanks to Flowserve President & CEO
Scott Rowe (pictured here at last year's tournament) and
Lars Rosene, Vice President, Corporate & Marketing Communications and CISDR Board Member. We greatly appreciate Flowserve's commitment to the children of the Dallas region!
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Students Attend USICOC Women's Conference
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Last week, the
US India Chamber of Commerce DFW (USICOC) hosted its 3rd Annual Women’s Conference, with keynote speaker Dr. Anna Lee Fisher. Thanks to our Board Member
Neelima Gonuguntla, we were able to send several CISDR students from
McMillen High School in Plano ISD. Here they are at the George W. Bush Presidential Center with Neel and CISDR staff member
Denetra Dancer (center). Thank you to Neel and USICOC for providing these young women with a platform to be inspired, connect, and grow!
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CISDR Presents at Adolescent Symposium
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Last month, CISDR President & CEO
Dr. Judith Allen hosted a panel on Ethical Practices at the
Adolescent Symposium hosted by Mental Health America of Greater Dallas. We were pleased with the turnout, but the best part was making new connections and bumping into former CISDR staff! They each shared what an important part of their life the CIS experience was to them! Special thanks to
Janice, Lisa, Jacqueline, Rodney, David, Amanda, Ryan and Stephanie, as well as all of the current CISDR staff who helped make the event a success!
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"Do The Write Thing" Looking for Volunteers
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For the second full school year, CISDR is participating in the
Do The Write Thing initiative. Last month, CISDR President & CEO
Dr. Judith Allen went to Florida for the annual Do The Write Thing chair meeting. She was joined by representatives from around the country, as well as CIS friends from
Cameron County, Laredo and Coastal Bend.
Do The Write Thing helps our students explore how violence in our community has impacted them through essays, poetry and spoken word. We are looking for volunteers to lead discussion groups, read essays, and engage students. To participate, please contact
connectcis@cisdallas.org.
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TBN Addresses the Needs in Education
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Education – specifically public education – is a topic of discussion all across the nation. How do we sufficiently fund our schools? Is teaching and education, in the traditional sense, making the grade? How are we addressing the needs and minding the gaps to provide every child access to a quality education? The
Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) asks the tough questions in its
Taking Care of Business: TCOB Education documentary, part of a series of 26 documentaries on topics in the national discussion.
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Looking at the issues that TBN tackles in this documentary, Communities In Schools rises to the top of the list of organizations that are addressing students’ needs head on. With this in mind, TBN has created a public service announcement featuring CISDR, which will run during the show.
TCOB Education will air on TBN on
Wednesday, March 13 at 3:30 p.m. and then again on
March 15 at 3:30 a.m. Tune in to see how CISDR is addressing the needs in education.
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Support CISDR While You Shop
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Nowadays you can buy just about anything online. With Amazon becoming the go-to service for anything under the sun, you can now support Communities In Schools while shopping. Use the link below to select CISDR as your
Amazon Smile charity of choice. Amazon will then donate 0.5% of your purchases to us. Every bit helps to support our students!
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Upcoming CISDR Trainings & Events
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March 2019
- Saturday, March 23: Mental Health First Aid for Adults
- Saturday, March 30: Youth Mental Health First Aid: (registration full)
April 2019
- Saturday, April 13: Mental Health First Aid Conference at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church (Youth and Adult MHFA courses available.)
- Monday, April 22: Youth Mental Health First Aid
September 2019
- Monday, September 30: 8th Annual CISDR Golf Tournament
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Stay Connected to Our Community!
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The mission of Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
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