I believe that we did not know the true extent of people’s generosity until the onset of Covid-19. We are fortunate to have worked with our partners, and donations received from businesses and private citizens to deliver more food in one year than we did in the previous five.
We learned that our staff would take on tasks that were never in a job description, driving box trucks, providing technical assistance to students at home and many other things that “normal” doesn’t require.
We learned that despite spending billions of taxpayer dollars for internet infrastructure, there are many communities and families without access to high speed internet. The fiber might be in the ground, but no one’s sure. If it is, gaining access is proving impossible in some cases.
We learned that while we speak of “resilience” as a fact, we see students losing ground every day; academically and emotionally.
Our hope is that children might become a priority in Washington at some point. Many are going to be behind two academic years in the fall of 2021 and we will need your help more than ever. Thanks to all who did help us and will continue to help us.
Sincerely,
Chuck Teegarden
Executive Director
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The Thanksgiving support this year was phenomenal, and we can't thank YOU enough!
To put it in perspective, each year Garry Middle School holds a food drive which provides about 10 to 20 families with enough food for a Thanksgiving dinner. However, when gifts poured in this year, there was enough food and money donated to support 80 families, not only at Garry, but at Shaw Middle School and Rogers High School as well.
In addition, more than 20 families at Westwood and Cheney Middle Schools and Sunset Elementary were served thanks to your generosity and help from Grocery Outlet in Airway Heights!
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Communities In Schools is thankful for the community support and volunteers! Your time and care are needed now more than ever. In order to serve students in need,
WE NEED YOU!
Do you have 30 minutes in your week to make a difference in the life of a student in need with a smile or a listening ear?
- Our PrimeTime Mentoring – Virtual Connection is launching at a handful of area schools and look forward to continuing to add additional sites in the days to come. This means a continued need for mentors and Communities In Schools and our kids would love to have you serve with us.
- Are you a member of a community group or organization and are looking for a way for your team to serve? We need volunteers to deliver food kits and Bite2Go bags to families in the Shaw Middle School and Rogers Neighborhood. This is a contactless option and can be done on a reoccurring or short term scheduled basis.
Spokane County’s kids in need, need us!
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"As an organization owned by its members, we have a passion for service and people. We hope that this donation will, in some small way, contribute to the success of Communities In Schools of Spokane County, our community, and its citizens."
--Traci McGlathery
STCU Director of Community Relations
We are grateful to be the recipients of a $25,000 donation from our partner STCU . They are supportive of our mission to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life even during a pandemic!
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Chelsie Price-Hawley
Medical Lake Middle School
Site Coordinator
The mission of Communities in Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. In the Medical Lake School District, we have CIS coordinator's who work with the school as a whole and individual students on things like academics, attendance, behavior, and basic necessities. They help students set goals and monitor their growth throughout the year. Chelsie Price-Hawley is the CIS coordinator for our school.
Chelsie graduated with her bachelor s degree from Eastern Washington University in Race and Culture Studies. She then continued her education at EWU, earning her Masters degree in History, in 2019. Chelsie served as a sports coach for young children and serves in several volunteer roles advocating for youth. She has a passion for working with kids and is dedicated to providing them with every opportunity to succeed.
--From our friends at Medical Lake School District.
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Tim Smith
CISSC Board of Directors
Tim Smith is a Veteran with a heart for serving our community. “I grew up as a kid in Big Brothers and Big Sisters and my family volunteered for lots of different organizations; Shriners, The United Way and Easter Seals. I had an Aunt that was handicapped from a fever as a child and was taught at a young age, that helping others is just part of living a full life”. He currently owns blueskiesmatter.com and works for SpotOn.com a Business Software Company helping businesses save money and stay connected to customers.
Tim is also a Free Fall Skydiving Instructor with nearly 1,000 skydives and a Commercial Pilot. Tim has served on The Board for more than 4 years. "At times it seems like what we do as board members is so small in comparison to what our staff does in the field, but over time, it has been so rewarding to see ideas that started in the board room come to fruition in the schools.” Tim brings a lot of energy and great ideas to the team. He likes to connect people to the cause, which is important as a board member. “You can see someone's true character when times are tough and NOW is the time you can make a difference in a child's life. Find a way to join us.” Spoken as a true Veteran, thank you for your service, Tim!
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First Annual Fall Into Writing Contest Winners!
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During a typical school year, we stay busy keeping students engaged with school. School connectedness has been proven to have an impact on academic performance and social-emotional learning and wellness.
This year we thought it might be fun to offer a creative outlet for our students. Thus the Fall Into Writing contest was born. We launched it during the month of November to celebrate National Academic and Fiction Writing Month.
Despite being an entirely new venture and the hurtles facing our students as they try to stay focused in online school, we had a good turn out, and some definite winners!
High School
1st Place: “The Reminder” Lumen High School Junior
2nd Place: “Dreamed” Aaliyah, Lumen High School Senior
Middle School
1st Place: “The Monsters of Sleepy Hollow” 8th grader from Shaw Middle School
2nd Place: “Aspen’s Story” 8th grader from Shaw Middle School
3rd Place: “Romeo and Juliet: An Analysis” 8th grader from Westwood Middle School
Elementary School
1st Place: “The Letter” Cadence, 3rd grade at Sunset Elementary
2nd Place: “The Tale of Cow and Dalmatian” Eliza, 3rd grade at Michael Anderson Elementary
3rd Place: “The Leaf” Alejandra, 3rd grade at Hallett Elementary
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3rd Annual Blue Jean Ball
Feburary 20 | Virtual & Live at the Spokane Convention Center
Break out your boots for the
3rd Annual Blue Jean Ball!
Tickets for this years virtual and in-person event can be purchased at spokane.ciswa.org!
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Numerica Light up the Night – Holiday Tree Walk
November 27 -
January 3
We are excited to be featured at the “Numerica Light up the Night – Holiday Tree Walk” at Riverfront Park. Check out our tree, some of our students made ornaments to decorate with.
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