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E-Connections Newsletter / CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Feb 2010
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Greetings from CIS!
Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg has been fortunate to receive an abundance of good news these past few months and we are excited to share it with you, our invaluable friends and supporters. You may recall from our November E-Newsletter that CIS was one of two local nonprofits to receive the Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Award in October. Then in mid-December, CIS received another outstanding gift in a surprise announcement from the C.D. Spangler Foundation - $150,000 to support our dropout prevention efforts at West Charlotte High School. CIS is most grateful for these gifts and the "vote of confidence" from benefactors that they represent. To that end, we are carrying forward into 2010 the excitement and momentum these grants have created, especially as this year marks the 25th Anniversary of Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. CIS-Charlotte was initiated in 1985, serving 80 students at J.T. Williams Middle School. Today CIS provides services to more than 5,000 students in 47 CMS schools. This tremendous growth and the ability to help the students who need us most would not have been possible without the generous support of many corporations, individuals, faith communities and civic groups, as well as the many partner agencies with whom we collaborate.
I hope you will enjoy reading this issue of E-Connections to learn about our most recent activities and accomplishments that you help make possible. I would also like to highlight two items in particular:
- Our 2008-09 Annual Report has just been published and is available on our website in pdf format. It contains several outstanding "student success stories," as well as the names of all those supporters whose donations have made these students' very stories possible - literally turning dreams into reality.
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CIS is proud to have been recently chosen to participate in the "Friend of Earth Fare" program, which allows CIS to benefit from Earth Fare's "bring your own shopping bag" program, register donations, and two in-store special events on March 4 and March 27. Read below for details or visit this link on our website, http://www.cischarlotte.org/earthfarepromotion.html.
Again, many thanks for your continued support of CIS and the students and families we serve. We look forward to another 25 years of helping all of the students in this community to graduate from high school and find their way to a secure and promising future.
 Bill Anderson, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc.
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Upcoming Events
March 4- Southpark Location March 27- Ballantyne Location
CIS Fast Facts
CIS serves 5,000 students annually in 47 CMS schools. Click here to see schools that offer CIS.
97% of CIS students stay in school.
88% are promoted.
94% of CIS seniors graduate.
In N.C., only 69 of every 100 9th graders graduate from high school in four years.
The national high school graduation rate is 73%.
Approximately 2,000 students drop out of Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools each year.
More than 23,000 students drop out each year in North Carolina.
75% of N.C.'s prison inmates are high school dropouts. It costs $672 million annually to incarcerate them.
Quick Links
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CIS receives $150,000 from Spangler Foundation
 In a surprise announcement just before Christmas, The C.D. Spangler Foundation awarded more than $4.5 million to several educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, including $150,000 to Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The grant to CIS is specifically designated to support the CIS program and dropout prevention efforts at West Charlotte High School. Read More |
Shop at Earth Fare and support CIS!
From January 1 - March 31, bring your own shopping bag to the Earth Fare stores in Southpark and Ballantyne and 5 cents per bag will be donated to CIS! During February, Earth Fare customers can also donate at the register by purchasing a CIS Valentine. And, two in-store events are planned for March 4 and March 27, with proceeds going to CIS. On March 4 at Earth Fare Southpark, you can have a delicious healthy meal and support CIS students for just $10! Read More for all details!
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CIS is helping young men to "Man Up"
 On Saturday, February 6, nearly 100 young men (9th-12th grades) showed up at West Charlotte High School to participate in the first annual "Man Up" event coordinated by CIS.
"Man Up" was conceived by CIS high school site coordinators as a half-day summit for young men with the goal of educating and inspiring
them to take responsibility and learn the "tools" needed to be successful in school and in life. Read More
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 Rebecca Sherck
Midwood High School
Christy Strait actually likes math now. "I used to hate math," said Christy. "But now I understand it so much better. I really kind of like it now that it makes more sense."
Christy, a ninth grader at Midwood High School, has CIS volunteer tutor Rebecca Sherck to thank for her new attitude towards math. Rebecca provided Christy with intensive tutoring in Algebra twice a week over a four-month period this past fall. Read More |
| Local Dentists help "Give Kids A Smile"
 Twenty-one CIS students from Shamrock Gardens and Westerly Hills elementary schools recently received the dental care they needed that will soon lead to beautiful smiles for all involved. Pediatric Dentistry of Matthews - including dentists Scott Goodman, Margaret Lochary, and Jason Sperati - stepped up to provide free services to students in need when the local Give Kids A Smile® day was cancelled due to budget cuts.
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CIS Student wins scholarship drawing at
Sallie Mae Fund College Workshop
 Congratulations to CIS student Danielle Brown, who won a $500 scholarship in a drawing at a college preparation workshop on January 14! The free workshop was a joint presentation by CIS and The Sallie Mae Fund. More than 50 families attended and received information about college admissions, financial aid, scholarships, and how to save, plan, and pay for college.
Danielle is a senior at Vance High School and a participant in the Talent Search program, and also serves on the CIS Leadership Team. She hopes to attend North Carolina Central University and plans to study criminal justice.
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Only selected schools in CMS offer the Communities In Schools (CIS) program. A student must attend one of these schools in order to participate in CIS. Click here to see a list of CIS schools.
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Contact Info
E-Connections Editor Executive Director Web Phone
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