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Written by Gary Henderson
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Saturday, 30 January 2010 03:33 |
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Two sessions at The Village Church (first in Flower Mound and the next night in Denton) and then a session at UNT training Education Major students resulted in 70+ new Mentors and Tutors for CISNT students. As I spoke to the UNT Education students, I couldn't help but feel that we're not only making a difference in the lives of at-risk students, but we're helping UNT produce a more qualified and prepared teacher. Knowing this is amazingly rewarding!
At The Village Church earlier in the week, Dana Smith, our Director of Community Investments & Volunteerism, and I trained adults who work hard, have families to raise and generally are way too busy to volunteer as a CISNT mentor or tutor. Yet, they were all eager to hear about CISNT students, their needs and how they can be as effective as possible as quickly as possible. Seeing their eagerness to want to make a difference was amazingly rewarding!
As I write these thoughts, I see a message coming in from Shannon at the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce. The message reads, "I have a great lead for a new mentor for you". Tomorrow, we host our annual Garage Sale Giveaway. A wonderful program based on a garage sale idea, except our CISNT families get to shop free of charge. And each family gets to take a book home with them for their CISNT student. The event was announced at the Flower Mound Rotary on Thursday, the donations have been pouring in. What a generous community we get to do this wonderful work in. Knowing the support and partnerships we share is also amazingly rewarding!
This week we opened the mail to find the largest single individual donation in the history of the organization. It is humbling to think about our friends and partners who care so deeply about the work we do to help children and young people who will not succeed without our help...
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Written by Guest Blogger
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Friday, 25 September 2009 23:26 |
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Our Guest Blogger today is CISNT Volunteer Mentor, Ms. Debbie Garison
The following is an email report I sent to my CISNT Program Manager at Central Elementary, Marisa Harley, yesterday after my first mentoring session this year. I was involved with Saturday Connections at Central and developed a relationship with a student that resulted in one on one mentoring when she was in 3rd grade. She is now a 5th grader. Marisa asked me how everything went:
Our conversation was great. She asked me about college. I asked her if she wanted to go to college. She said no. I asked why. She said it would be hard. I explained that she had MS and HS to complete and then she'd be ready. I then asked her if she was excited to be a 5th grader facing MS. She said no because it makes her sad. When I asked why she said, because I'll miss you. (There isn't adequate funding for a CISNT program at Huffines MS where she will be going next year.) So...I took a deep breath. She really matured over the summer.
I explained that Huffines doesn't have the mentoring program. But let's not talk about the end of the year...let's enjoy now. She offered that her family may move to another house. I told her that if she goes to Delay I could probably still meet with her. I'll keep quizzing her about the move just so I'm sensitive.
Our goals for this year are:
1. Speak up in class
I told her that her teacher gave you a great compliment about her. That she is smart, but that she wishes she would speak up in class. We talked about why she doesn't (shy and not sure if her answer is correct). I told her those were good reasons, but...try. I asked her if anyone had ever gotten in trouble for trying even if the answer was wrong. She said no. I suggested she could also be a leader for someone else in her class that was struggling with shyness and confidence too. I think she was encouraged to participate more.
2. Good attendance
I affirmed that this is already a point of strength for her. I applauded her commitment to be at school.
3. Try everyday.
This was her own goal for herself. So we talked about what that means.
Yesterday was GREAT!!
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Written by Gary Henderson
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Friday, 04 September 2009 17:48 |
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Two years ago, CISNT collaborated with the Denton County Juvenile Probation Department to create a new dropout prevention program that would serve Lewisville ISD students in the Denton County Juvenile Justice system. We named the program TARMAC (Take Action Reintegrate and Make A Change). Our hope was that we could dramatically reduce the number of youth in the juvenile justice system who reoffend, or commit repeat offenses. Knowing that 78 to 80 percent of Texas Prison Inmates each year do not have a high school degree, we felt this was a critical area for CISNT to do work in.
After two years, we believed that our results were good. So did the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission who funded our two year pilot. The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission have agreed to continue their financial support of the TARMAC program this school year!
I want to say a special thank you to the Denton County Juvenile Probation Department. Their staff have been wonderful to partner with and are a key to TARMAC's success. Thanks must also go to Lewisville ISD Administration and School Board Trustees for their support of TARMAC. Finally, to our TARMAC volunteer Mentors and Tutors goes a huge thank you! Our TARMAC volunteers asked to be placed in a CISNT program that had the most need - frankly, every CISNT program needs more volunteers, but TARMAC needs a special type of volunteer. TARMAC volunteers are highly dedicated and committed to the vision of TARMAC.
This month TARMAC enters its third year of working with middle school and high school students in the juvenile probation system! Good luck to our TARMAC volunteers, our outstanding CISNT TARMAC Program Manager, Denny Singh and to the students in TARMAC who have committed to "make a change"!
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Written by Gary Henderson
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Wednesday, 05 August 2009 18:58 |
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It is United Way campaign season again in Denton County and I had the pleasure of speaking to the campaign team leaders at Presbyterian Hospital in Denton this afternoon. I was impressed by the very cool plans they have this year in their campaign including a fantasy football theme with a Prom King and Queen! I firmly believe that it all starts with great leadership. Stan Morton talks the talk and walks the walk. I have great admiration for his work and generosity through the United Way in our community.
During the session, one of our generous Communities In Schools of North Texas mentors from our dropout prevention program at Borman Elementary in Denton ISD shared her experiences as a CISNT volunteer mentor. We are lucky to have her support, before coming to Texas she was a CIS of North Carolina volunteer mentor and tutor. What a great example of the United Way spirit and the difference one person can make in the life of an at-risk student.
From all of us at Communities In Schools of North Texas, thank you to the great people at Presbyterian Hospital in Denton for your outstanding example of Living United! |
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Written by Gary Henderson
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Friday, 10 July 2009 01:44 |
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You can count on two guarantees when it is July at Communities In Schools of North Texas. Program staff are on their way to every corner of the planet for well deserved vacation time with their families and here at the Central Office we are waste deep into planning for next school year. Before jumping ahead, I need to recognize our amazing staff work tirelessly helping at-risk students. Throughout the year I may write about outstanding partners and devoted volunteers but behind each successful partnership and every committed volunteer is a CISNT Program Manager.
I want to thank the families of our Program Managers for the sacrifices they make throughout the year. Home visits to see CISNT students rarely occurs during the day. Parent events are always in the evening. Holiday Assistance is nearly a 24x7 job in November and December. Behind every successful CISNT Program Manager are family members who support and encourage.
I countless times this past month CISNT volunteers approached me to tell me how dedicated are our Program Staff. I appreciate those words from our volunteers. We push ourselves to do more with less resources, to help more at-risk students, to gather more resources so it is great to know we're making a difference.
The next school year is going to be very difficult for Communities In Schools of North Texas financially. We saw our volunteerism grow again this year, but not at the rate we needed it to grow. We added 8 new CISNT programs this year, but we closed 4 programs. This coming school year we are stretching every dollar to keep as many of our dropout prevention programs functioning at a high level as possible. We need your help finding more financial support, more resources to sustain our dropout prevention programs. To operate a full time, all year, CISNT dropout prevention program, CISNT needs to secure roughly $50,000 in donations.
In the coming year, in addition to sustaining our existing CISNT programs we desperately need to establish a CISNT program at Lewisville High School. We have sustained CISNT programs at critical elementary, middle and LHS North - feeder schools to LHS, but we have not secured funding to continue with LHS students when they leave us at LHS North. Many of these students we have worked with for several years. I will be reaching out to business leaders in the community, many of whom are former LHS students, to help us find a solution to this pressing need.
For now though, CISNT staff take a much needed and well timed summer break. In a few short weeks though, we charge into another year of changing lives. And we cannot do it without you.
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