What Is Community?
by Adam Powell, President & CEO of CISDR
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As we approach the holiday season, I once again feel almost compelled to engage in a healthy dose of self-reflection. The holidays frequently evoke this desire, as I sift through memories of “home,” of spending time with family, of engaging in the practices of giving, thanking, and communing. It is on these latter activities that I find myself focused this year. Admittedly, some years are more productive in delivering puzzlement than yielding even remotely meaningful (or fit for public consumption) observations about the world and my tiny role in it. This may be the year, however, that I have stumbled upon something considerable — dare I say significant — at least for me.
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CISDR Debuts New Fast, Secure Website
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As technology grows and changes, we have to change with it. Thanks to a grant from one of our donors, we were able to update our website to make it faster, more secure, and easier to navigate. As more and more of us surf the web from our phones and tablets, we have worked to ensure that our home page is "mobile friendly," so you can keep in touch with us on any device. Check out the new
cisdallas.org today!
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Join Us December 3 for #GivingTuesdayDFW
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Join us to "do one good thing" on
#GivingTuesdayDFW! This global day of giving on December 3, 2019 is the official start of the charitable season. Celebrated on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday is an opportunity for local organizations to raise funds and awareness for our community.
Click the button below to make an early Giving Tuesday donation to CISDR, While there, you can also set up a fundraising page to share with your friends. Together we can kick off the holiday season with a true spirit of generosity!
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Disasters are upsetting experiences for everyone involved. The emotional toll that disaster brings can sometimes be even more devastating than the financial strains of damage and loss of home, business or personal property. Children, senior citizens, people with access or functional needs, and people for whom English is not their first language are especially at risk. Children may become afraid and some elderly people may seem disoriented at first. People with access or functional needs may require additional assistance.
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Students Learn STEM with Women of AT&T
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On Friday, November 1, the
Women of AT&T - Dallas Chapter (WoA) partnered with CISDR to host the GIFT (Girls in Future Technologies) STEM event. The purpose of this event was to expose CISDR students to a variety of STEM-related careers. At the event, students from McMillen High and Williams High in Plano received a wealth of knowledge by participating in interactive activities with AT&T employees from the WoA committee. Thank you to the Women of AT&T for helping our students prepare for careers in STEM!
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Leadership Council Raises Funds for CISDR
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On Sunday, November 3, the
CISDR Leadership Council held its 2019 Fall Fundraiser at Peticolas Brewing Company. The CISDR Leadership Council is a group of energetic, focused and highly motivated young adults who are interested in giving back to their community. They support CISDR by acting as ambassadors, sharing their experiences, and engaging other community members with the overall goal of becoming the next generation of community leaders and philanthropists.
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If you would like to get involved with the CISDR Leadership Council, please email us at
cisdev@cisdallas.org.
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Snooze, Courtland Sutton Bring Shoes That Fit
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300 students at McLaughlin/Strickland Elementary are getting new custom-fit shoes from
Shoes That Fit. With help from
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery and CISDR Board Member
Justin Fritsch, Denver Broncos wide receiver
Courtland Sutton was on hand to help measure students for their new footwear. Students will receive their new shoes on December 19, just in time for holiday break, Thank you to Justin, Snooze, and Shoes That Fit for making sure these kids have good shoes for the upcoming winter.
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Adopt a Student on Our Amazon Wishlist
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With the holidays fast approaching, the
CISDR Adopt a Student Project
makes sure that our students have gifts to open this December. Make the season bright by buying a gift from our
Amazon Wishlist
. Use the link below to designate CISDR as your charity of choice, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchases back to us. Buy a gift or two today, and help us make sure that our kids have happy and healthy holiday
!
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Other Ways to Make the Season Bright
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In addition to buying a gift from our Amazon Wishlist (see above) there are several ways you can get involved with CISDR's
Adopt a Student Project.
With more than 60 schools, and 20 to 30 students identified at each school, there are more than 1,200 children who need to be adopted this year.
CISDR works with partners who support the majority of our elementary schools, which is incredible, but it still leaves nearly 400 middle and high school students and a few elementary children who need to be adopted.
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1. Adopt one or more specific students by contacting Jeannea Busby at
jbusby@cisdallas.org
, and CISDR staff will provide gift suggestions and a number to identify the student. Please bring unwrapped gift(s) with the intended child's ID number to the main office of CISDR at 1341 W. Mockingbird Lane, Ste. 1000E, Dallas, TX 75247 by 4:30 pm on
Wednesday, December 11
. This gives us time to distribute them to the schools before the winter break.
2. Donate gift cards in increments of
$10, $15, $20 or $25
or make a cash or online donation to the Adopt a Student project. Go to
cisdallas.org/donate
, or make checks payable to Communities In Schools Dallas Region, Attn: Adopt a Student, 1341 W. Mockingbird Lane, Ste. 1000E, Dallas, TX 75247.
For more information, or to get involved please contact Jeannea Busby at 214-827-0955 ext. 226 or email her at
jbusby@cisdallas.org
with any questions. With your help, we can make the holidays special for many local children this year!
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Upcoming CISDR Trainings & Events
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December 2019
- Tuesday, December 3: Giving Tuesday
January 2020
- Friday, January 3: Youth Mental Health First Aid
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Stay Connected to Our Community!
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The mission of Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
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