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 Happy Valentine's Day!
Are you dining out with your sweetheart this Valentine''s Day? We certainly hope so! But we also hope you'll make plans to Dine Out with Communities In Schools come June to support our students. Our favorite annual event, Dine Out For Kids, will be here before you can say "Valentine's Day!" So mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 20 and make plans to join us!
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Dine Out For Kids
June 20, 2017
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New Video Celebrates CIS "DreamMakers"
As we celebrate CIS-Charlotte's past 30 years and look ahead to planning for the future, we are excited to share this video that features the special relationship between a mentor and student forged through CIS connection nearly 20 years ago that's still strong today. The 6-minute video features
Ed Crutchfield, former First Union CEO and a CIS-Charlotte founding trustee, and
Boris "Bo" Henderson, a CIS graduate who today gives back to our community in numerous ways, including having served on the CIS Board of Directors for six years. A lovely story and tribute to all of the amazing CIS "DreamMakers" among us!
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Student Success Stories
CIS works with more than 6,000 PK-12 students every year, 600+ of whom are seniors preparing to graduate. All of our students face various obstacles and challenges at home and at school, but we know they also have amazing potential. CIS is proud to feature the following outstanding seniors who are shining examples of how CIS is changing lives!
Miracle Farrar - West Mecklenburg High School
Miracle is a senior at West Mecklenburg High School and has been enrolled in CIS since middle school. She recently was selected to be one of a handful of student speakers at the CMS "State or Our Schools" event this past December. Spoiler Alert: Her NAME is a very apt description of this young lady!
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Joseph Teah - West Charlotte High School
Joseph "Joe" Teah, a senior at West Charlotte High School, will brighten your day with his charm and his mega-watt smile. Meeting him today, one would be surprised to learn the nickname some students at West Charlotte gave him two years ago: the "smart thug." Fortunately, that nickname did not stick and no longer applies to Joe.
Read More
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Sandra Monrroy - South Mecklenburg High School
Congratulations are in order for Sandra Monrroy, a CIS senior at South Mecklenburg High School. She is the first Latina student in CMS to be named to the Regional Women's Golf Team! She has played golf for just two years, and it was a former CIS Site Coordinator at South Meck who encouraged her to give the sport a try. Sandra ended up loving the sport, though she will tell you it is
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 CIS-Charlotte named Bank of America "Neighborhood Builders" Award Winner
Exciting news! CIS-Charlotte has been awarded a
Bank of America "Neighborhood Builders" grant!
As part of "Giving Tuesday" on November 29, 2016, Bank of America announced it is donating nearly $1.1 million to 17 Charlotte area nonprofits focused on community development and basic needs for families. CIS and Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI) were named "Neighborhood Builders" partners and will receive $200,000 each over the next two years, as well as opportunities for staff professional development. To see the complete list of agencies receiving grants,
Read More
here.
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 Volunteer Spotlight: Fay Grasty
Fay Grasty has been volunteering as a tutor and mentor with CIS students at Billingsville Leadership Academy (BLA) for six years now, but her connection with CIS goes back MUCH longer than that! At a conference in 1983, Fay heard national CIS founder and president (now vice chairman) Bill Milliken speak. She was so impressed with him and what he had to say about Communities In Schools and the philosophy behind it, that she immediately called her good friend, Cynthia Marshall, to tell her about it.
Read More
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Berryhill 8th Graders win NCASFAA Scholarships
 Let's give a HUGE shout-out to CIS Site Coordinator Clay Freeman and not one - not two - but THREE of his 8th grade students at Berryhill School who won summer camp scholarships for programs at UNC-Chapel Hill and NC A & T University! Mr. Freeman encouraged all of his 8th graders to apply for the STEM-related camps that will be held on college campuses this summer. The NCASFAA (North Carolina Association of Financial Aid Administrators) was offering $1,000 scholarships that would cover the full cost of the week-long camps. Read More
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NEW Volunteer Training
"Coaching Students to Success"
Have you heard about our new volunteer training program, "Coaching Students to Success"? We held our first training in January and participants have given it great reviews! The purpose is to provide in-depth training for our volunteers to ensure they feel equipped and confident as they build relationships with students and help them develop skills in goal setting and decision making. A CIS "Success Coach" will meet with a student preferably every week (minimum of twice a month) during the school day. Our next training date is still TBD, but if you are interested in finding out more, please contact Sarah Shifflet at volunteer@cischarlotte.org.
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| Many Thanks to our "Give Kids A Smile" Partners
On February 3, the American Dental Association's 15th annual
Give Kids A Smile Day took place across the city of Charlotte, and across the country. In Charlotte, CIS, the Junior League of Charlotte, and the Mecklenburg County Health Department partnered with local dental practices to provide free dental services to children in need. Dentists and hygienists provided cleanings and much-needed treatment to 64
students from 14 CMS schools. Now that's something to smile about!
HUGE thanks to these dental practices:
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CMC Dentistry
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Clark Pediatric Dentistry
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Merlo & Fahrney Dentistry
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Carolina Dental Arts of Ballantyne Village
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Ghorshi Family Dentistry
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Park Crossing Dentistry
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Carolina Kids Dentistry
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Laxer, Long & Savage
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Pediatric Dentistry of Mathews
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In Gratitude
Speedway Children's Charities
 CIS is grateful for Speedway Children's Charities' (SCC) ongoing support for the organization and in particular, programming support at Walter G. Byers School. SCC was founded in 1982 by Bruton Smith, Chairman of Speedway Motorsports and Sonic Automotive, as a memoriam and legacy to his son, Bruton Cameron Smith, who passed away at a very young age. Through a selective grant process, SCC funds a wide range of charities that focus on children in need and their families.
University City Women's Group
CIS is delighted to welcome a new donor and partner, the University City Women's Group (UCWG). UWCG is a diverse group of business professionals, homemakers, and retirees in the North Charlotte area who come together to share friendship and to support the community. Members participate in a variety of projects that benefit the local community and sponsor fundraising efforts to donate to charitable organizations. UCWG recently selected CIS as one of the charities they wish to support and made a donation to fund CIS programming at Hidden Valley Elementary.
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