A quarterly newsletter of Communities In Schools,the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization

ContentsVOLUME 9 • NUMBER 1 • March 2013

2President’s Message

4Race to the Top Has Winner in Charleston Seen and Heard

New Members Bring Tech Leadership On Board

Photo Essay: Mentors at Work

3Student Success Story: Javier Alamirra

5Sight for Students Provides Valuable Vision ServicesYankees Star C.C. Sabathia Pitches for Communities In Schools

7Spotlight on Success

8

6

Communities In Schools Expands Into New MexicoIn October 2012, Communities In Schools began serving more students in America’s Southwest by launching the Communities In Schools of New Mexico state office.

The office, helmed by State Director Julia Bergen, emerged from a previously existing local nonprofit. Founded in 1997 by residents Bill and Georgia Carson, Santa Fe for Students provided integrated student services to children at two elementary schools. The organization raised money to help pay for school nurses’ and physical education teachers’ salaries and provided students with academic support and health care.

Even though the Carsons, who both have backgrounds in education, originally moved to Santa Fe to celebrate their retirement, they found themselves continuing to work to help children succeed.

“This project, to help students in Santa Fe, became a life mission for them,” said Bergen.

By 2011, the Carsons felt ready to pass on the torch to new leadership and saw a valuable opportunity in Communities In Schools.

“We pursued Santa Fe for Students transitioning to Communities In Schools of New Mexico for two reasons: to enlarge what we were already doing and

expand to more schools and to gain more credibility with schools and donors,” Bill Carson said.

Through extensive work with Communities In Schools President Dan Cardinali and National Network Executive Vice President Gary Chapman, Santa Fe for Students was able to embrace the organization’s unique model and make a successful transition to the Communities In Schools of New Mexico state office. Bergen, formerly the executive director of Fine Arts for Children & Teens (FACT), a nonprofit visual arts learning organization, took over the day-to-day duties as state director.

“Our biggest successes with expanding Communities In Schools into new states are when local champions reach out to bring Communities In Schools to their area,” said Chapman.

With a strong strategic plan in place, Bergen is confident that Communities In Schools of New Mexico will thrive in Santa Fe and beyond.

“Communities In Schools of New Mexico has been really embraced by the Santa Fe public schools, and we are excited to expand our work within the district over the next months and years.” ■

In its first phase of development, the Communities In Schools of New Mexico state office will serve students in Santa Fe, like these first graders at Salazar Elementary School, and in time, will establish a network of local affiliates implementing the Communities In Schools model. Photo by Don Usner

Board of DirectorsChairman Elaine WynnDirector Wynn Resorts

Founder and Vice ChairmanWilliam E. MillikenCommunities In Schools National Office

Christopher F. AllwinGeneral Maritime Corporation

Robert H.B. Baldwin, Jr. Vice Chairman Heartland Payment Systems James Cox ChambersProducer Field Hands Productions

Rudolph F. Crew Chief Education Officer State of Oregon

John R. EttingerCEOThe Helmsley Trust

Hon. Daniel GlickmanExecutive Director The Aspen Institute Congressional ProgramSenior Fellow Bipartisan Policy Center

Rhoda Glickman Senior Vice President for Business Services Empire State Development Corporation

Michael KeithleyChief Information Officer Creative Artists Agency

Linda LeSourd LaderPresident Renaissance Institute

Jillian ManusFounder Manus Media & Literary Agency Inc. CEO and Co-Founder Broad Strategy, LLC

John NixonExecutive Director ICAP®

Michael ParhamSenior Vice President and General CounselRealNetworks, Inc.

Yvonne M. PetrasovitsJonathan G. PowersDeputy Supervisor Town of Pound Ridge, N.Y.

Manoj SaxenaGeneral Manager Watson Solutions IBM Software Solutions Group

Leonard SternPartner Shepardson Stern Kaminsky

Donna WeissSherrie Rollins WestinExecutive Vice President Sesame Workshop

Linda Gale WhiteFormer First Ladyof Texas

Ava YoungbloodCEOYoungblood Executive Search

PresidentDaniel J. CardinaliCommunities In Schools National Office

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The Communities In Schools model has a unique role in improving education in America. We give all students, no matter the circumstances into which they were born, a fair shot at the American Dream. So it is with great excitement that we announce our expansion into Sante Fe, New Mexico (see cover story). We were fortunate to have worked with philanthropists Bill and Georgia Carson, who helmed a youth-serving nonprofit in Sante Fe for 16 years following their retirement. The Carsons, who became familiar with our work over the years, are helping to expand the number of students served in New Mexico through the transition of their organization to Communities In Schools of New Mexico. They now can enjoy their “second retirement,” secure in the knowledge that integrated student services will be provided to greater numbers of young people in their community.

Communities In Schools goes to the heart of the dropout problem and attends to nonacademic barriers so we can free up young people to learn. In this edition of Inside CIS you’ll read about a student who, with the help of his Communities In Schools site coordinator, went from having no hope or plans for the future to a laundry list of dreams he is well on his way to realizing. Growing up, Javier Alamirra had never been asked what he wanted in life and never knew anyone who had gone to college. He had low self-esteem, missed classes and got into trouble at school. Javier is now a college senior expecting to graduate this spring and a husband and father who values his education and the opportunities it creates. Most importantly, he more fully understands his own worth and potential.

We are thrilled to welcome two new members to the Communities In Schools board of directors. Michael Keithley and Manoj Saxena are both leaders in the technology field and champions for young people. Read their profiles on page 6. We look forward to their contributions in raising the profile of our work in the country’s education system and meeting the needs of the 1.25 million children we serve.

This time of year, I’m reminded that each spring brings with it the promise of new life and growth. Across the country, high school seniors will be receiving college acceptance letters and facing their futures with anticipation. Many of the students we serve are the first in their families to attend college, and our site coordinators never tire of getting a call or email from a student they’ve helped along the path to postsecondary education. In sharing these great moments, their lives are made richer by the incredible young people they have the privilege to walk beside on the journey.

Please visit our website at www.communitiesinschools.org to find out how you can make a difference in unlocking a child’s potential. ■

President’s MessageExpanding Horizons

Dan Cardinali, President, Communities In SchoolsPhoto by William Waybourn

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Javier Alamirra: Engineering a Brighter FutureA Student Success Story

As a high school student at George I. Sanchez Charter School in Houston, Texas, Javier Alamirra could not have cared less about his future. He had already decided he didn’t want to do anything or be anything and constantly skipped class because he didn’t see the point in working toward a diploma that he had no plans to use.

“There was nothing I really cared about,” said Alamirra. “The teacher told us that if you wanted to, you could go to college. But if you never knew anyone who actually went, then how could you possibly think you could do it?”

Now 23, Alamirra has a laundry list of things he cares about. He’s a college senior at the University of Houston pursuing his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, an intern at a local engineering firm, vice president of his university’s American Society of Civil Engineers chapter, a father to a five-year-old son and husband to his high school sweetheart.

Everything changed for Alamirra in 10th grade. Removed from his first high school for truancy, Alamirra continued to get in trouble after transferring to Sanchez. One day his friend was caught with drugs at school, and the incident concerned Alamirra’s mother enough that she reached out to school administrators for help. Their answer was Communities In Schools.

Shubhra Endley, now a mental health specialist for Communities In Schools of Houston, was the site coordinator at Sanchez when she first met Alamirra. A licensed social worker, Endley pulled Alamirra out of class once a week to participate in Young Leaders, a male leadership program comprised of a small group of Alamirra’s peers. While working on conflict resolution, nonviolent communication and social skills, Alamirra got his first taste of leadership development. In Endley, Alamirra found one of the first people who believed in him, and that confidence resonated with him.

“There was something about Ms. Shubhra. There was no judgment in her eyes. She accepted you for who you were,” said Alamirra. “She boosted my self-esteem and made a lot of things seem possible. ‘What do

you want to be?’ she would ask me. No one had ever asked me what I wanted to be.”

The tools Alamirra acquired from Communities In Schools proved valuable in helping him build a resiliency to persevere in life.

“Alamirra saw an opportunity with Communities In Schools and took advantage of the program. He was invested in his own change from the beginning,” said Endley.

With Endley’s encouragement, Alamirra enrolled in an early college program, where he earned 17 college credits his senior year while working nearly full-time. When Alamirra’s girlfriend became pregnant, he thought about giving up on college but instead focused on all of the people who were invested in his future.

In 2007, he applied for and received a scholarship to attend the University of Houston-Downtown. At the end of his first semester, on the day of his finals, his son was born. Alamirra had just turned 18 and again thought his only option was to drop out and get a job. “I had that feeling that I was going to

be just like everyone else. I had barely started, and I didn’t want to quit already.”

But the scholarship program director refused to let Alamirra drop out and instead gave him a job on campus so he could continue earning his degree. With Endley’s support, Alamirra scored his first internship with a local engineering firm, where they were so impressed with him that they decided to turn the one-time internship into a permanent company program.

In May, Alamirra will receive his bachelor’s degree, becoming the first college graduate in his family. He hopes his experience will show family members that college is possible for them, too.

“A lot of people opened my eyes,” said Alamirra. “And I just thank God they got through to me. I feel so lucky. I want to make them proud.” ■

Because of the resources he received from Communities In Schools, Javier Alamirra, set to graduate from college this spring, has gained the tools he needs to succeed in life. Photo by Roswitha Vogler

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Race to the Top Has Winner in Charleston

Thanks to a partnership with the Charleston County School District (CCSD), winner of $19.4 million as one of 16 recipients of the 2012 Race to the Top District competition, Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area, S.C., will receive funding to support four full-time site coordinator positions. The site coordinators will be in six new sites during the next four years, starting with the 2013-14 school year.

Meeting the community partner criteria of the proposal, Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area worked with the CCSD to demonstrate specific services site coordinators would bring and their ability to uniquely address the needs of at-risk students. The site coordinators will provide social and emotional support for students in targeted schools that do not currently have the personnel or financial resources to offer these services.

“We are honored to be a part of this important initiative with the Charleston County School

Seen and Heard

District,” said Jane Riley Gambrell, executive director, Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area. “We are especially pleased that this grant award will provide us with the opportunity to extend the Communities In Schools model into more schools and serve more of Charleston’s at-risk students.”

The $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund is a competitive grant program designed to encourage and reward states that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform. ■

Communities In Schools Goes to AASA ConferenceAt the American Association of School Administrators’ (AASA) annual education conference, National Network Executive Vice President Gary Chapman, pictured above (rear), participated on the panel “At the Schoolhouse Door,” highlighting the Communities In Schools model and how the battle for America’s future will be won or lost at the schoolhouse door. Gary Hobbs, school superintendent from Walton County, Ga. (left), and Communities In Schools of Georgia President Neil Shorthouse also attended the conference.

A Panel at the Aspen Institute

On Feb. 15, Communities In Schools President Dan Cardinali spoke at the Aspen Institute about communities working together to achieve greater success for youth. “We have embarked on the era of great collective action to improve the lives of the most vulnerable,” said Cardinali. “Data-driven, results-based programming and broad public support have laid the foundation for continuing on this path towards greater impact.”

The panel was part of the Aspen Community Foundation’s Cradle to Career symposium.

“Making a Difference” Video Released in January

The Communities In Schools “Making a Difference” video illustrates how the organization

is making a difference in the lives of 1.25 million children each year. Communities In Schools President Dan Cardinali, site coordinators and students demonstrate how the organization breaks down barriers that inhibit students from staying in school and achieving in life. It also touches upon the sound financial investment that Communities In Schools is, returning $11.60 for every dollar. View “Making a Difference” at www.youtube.com/communitiesinschools.

Race to the Top funds will benefit many Communities In Schools students, like these at Memminger Elementary School. Photo by Ashley Keyes

At the AASA conference last month in Los Angeles, Calif. Photo by Cindy Nixon

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Yankees Star C.C. Sabathia Pitches for Communities In Schools

Sight for Students Provides Valuable Vision Services

Each year, tens of thousands of children enter school with undetected vision problems that are causing them to miss valuable lessons and inhibiting their academic success. For the past 16 years, Communities In Schools has partnered with Vision Service Plan (VSP) and their Sight for Students program to help low-income students receive free comprehensive eye exams and corrective lenses if needed.

A national survey conducted by VSP found that almost 66 percent of children under the age of six have never been examined by an eye doctor. A 2010 report by Teachers College at Columbia University determined health-related problems, such as unchecked vision, play a major role in limiting the ability of underprivileged youth to learn. The report adds that interventions to address these problems can improve educational as well as health outcomes.

A student who says he or she is having problems seeing is often brought to the

attention of a Communities In Schools site coordinator. If the student meets the Sight for Students guidelines, he or she is given a voucher that provides free eye exams and free glasses, as well as a list of doctors the student can visit.

“This program is extremely important,” said Tammy Foor, program coordinator of Communities In Schools of Northeast Florida. “There are children struggling in the classroom because they can’t see, and Sight for Students is a great program to help with those struggles.”

Since its inception in 1997, Sight for Students has provided free eye exams and glasses to more than 56,000 children through the partnership with Communities In Schools. ■

New York Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia threw traders a curveball when he pitched in to answer phones during the 20th annual ICAP® Charity Day this past December. Sabathia swapped the pitching mound for the trading floor of the New York City ICAP® office to raise money for Communities In Schools during the international event organized by Communities In Schools National Board Member John Nixon. Nixon’s company, ICAP®, is the world’s leading online trading company. The 2012 ICAP® Charity Day was a huge success, raising $18 million across the 63 offices participating worldwide and benefitting more than 200 charities. Since 1993, ICAP® has dedicated one day each year to giving back to the global community. All broker commissions made on that day are donated to charitable organizations. Over the past 20 years, the ICAP® Charity Day has raised more than $160 million.

“Participating in ICAP® Charity Day on behalf of Communities In Schools and my nonprofit, the PitCCh In Foundation, was an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience,” said Sabathia. “To do something so simple to benefit two organizations that every day tackle the issues facing our local underserved youth is a cause I could not have been happier to contribute to.”

Other celebrities participating in the event included Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Phelps and Reese Witherspoon. This is the sixth year that Communities In Schools has benefitted from the ICAP® Charity Day. In past years, actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Goldie Hawn have represented Communities In Schools on the trading floor. ■

Sabathia makes the call for Communities In Schools. Photo Courtesy of ICAP®

Sight for Students has helped Angelina, a fifth-grade student at Argyle Elementary School, Orange Park, Fla. Photo by Tammy Foor

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New Members Bring Tech Leadership On BoardBoard Member Profiles

Communities In Schools is proud to introduce its two newest members of the board of directors, both leaders in the technology field: Michael Keithley and Manoj Saxena. The Communities In Schools board is responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the organization and its membership is comprised of business and civic leaders from across the country.

Elected to the national board in September 2012, Michael Keithley knows the Communities In Schools model well, having served on the Communities In Schools of Los Angeles board of directors since April 2011. Professionally, Keithley is the chief information officer at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency, representing many of the most successful professionals working in film, television, music, video games, theater, fashion and on the Internet. CAA also represents more than 700 of the world’s top athletes and works in the areas of broadcast rights, corporate marketing initiatives, licensing and sports properties for sales/sponsorship opportunities. Keithley continues a long tradition of CAA’s support for Communities In Schools.

As CIO for the past 20 years, he is responsible for all information technology at the agency

and advises CAA’s agents and clients on technology-related issues. In addition, Keithley is active in CAA’s business development, corporate consulting and marketing business units. He was responsible for the technical aspects of the joint venture between CAA and Intel, which resulted in the CAA/Intel Media Lab located at CAA’s former Beverly Hills, Calif., headquarters. Prior to joining CAA, Keithley held several technology and management positions at Northrop Grumman Corporation and Motorola, Inc.

Keithley is also a board member of the Fulfillment Fund, which provides first-generation, low-income students with the support necessary to graduate from high school and go on to college. “A high school diploma is the crucial first step to finding a place in the workforce and achieving success in life. When young people drop out of school, we all lose out,” said Keithley. “Growing up in the Los Angeles area and attending public schools is a big part of who I am today. I feel a sense of responsibility to today’s youth to help them stay in school and succeed in life.”

Manoj Saxena first became involved with Communities In Schools due to his passion for education. It was his love for race cars, however, that gave him the idea of how he could help. In 2011, through the Saxena Family Foundation, he named Communities In Schools as the beneficiary of a cross-country motorsport event raising awareness and money to help combat the dropout problem. Saxena co-drove a Porsche 911 GT3 RS on a 7,200 mile tour that raised more than $100,000. Upon his election to the board in January 2013, Saxena said, “I am delighted to be joining the board of directors of Communities In Schools. Too many American students are dropping out of schools and not acquiring the skills they need to succeed in this 21st-century economy. I look forward to helping the team extend and accelerate their efforts to ensure that our children have the resources they need to stay in school and achieve in life.”

Saxena is the general manager of Watson Solutions, responsible for the commercialization and scaling of the IBM Watson super‐computer. While Watson may be best known for winning on “Jeopardy,”

the super-computer’s potential for revolutionizing a variety of industries, such as health care, with medical applications that can diagnosis and treat life-threatening illnesses, is remarkable.

Prior to joining IBM in 2007, Saxena worked at 3M and later successfully founded, grew and sold two venture‐backed software companies. He earned a master’s in management studies from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, India, and an MBA from Michigan State University.

Both Michael Keithley and Manoj Saxena will be pivotal in guiding Communities In Schools’ ongoing efforts to utilize technology to ensure its work is data driven for results.

“We are honored to have Michael and Manoj join the board of directors of Communities In Schools,” said Elaine Wynn, chairman of Communities In Schools’ national board. “Their collective experience in information technology will help us integrate and strengthen our national network, and better meet the rapidly evolving needs of the 1.25 million children we serve every year.” ■

National Board Member Manoj Saxena Photo by Alex Suarez

National Board Member Michael Keithley Photo Courtesy CAA

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Spotlight on SuccessNews Briefs from the Network

Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area put on its 22nd annual Chocolate Affair at the Charleston Marriott in early February. More than 400 chocolate lovers indulged their sweet tooth on a variety of offerings from some of Charleston’s finest restaurants. Three Communities In Schools students were also on hand for a chocolate demonstration with renowned chocolatier, Fritz Knipschildt. This year’s event raised more than $108,000 for the affiliate.Communities In Schools of Tacoma, Wash., partnered with the Master Builders Association of Pierce County (MBAPC) and Soundbuilt Homes on the construction of the 2013 House for Hope. Proceeds from the home will be donated to Communities In Schools of Tacoma to benefit local students and schools. All of the labor and materials for construction of the home are being cooperatively donated by MBAPC members and supporters, under the coordination of general contractor Soundbuilt Homes. Once completed, the House for Hope will be featured as the showcase home in the MBAPC South Sound Parade of New Homes, which will take place this coming May.

Communities In Schools joined a new immigration reform initiative focused on undocumented young people called “The Dream Is Now,” which launched on

January 22. Its centerpiece is a powerful documentary with footage of some of the roughly two million undocumented young Americans who have grown up in the United States. The initiative also includes engagement tools for students to share their stories and for the public to get involved in advocating for immigration reform.

“The Dream Is Now” was created by documentary director Davis Guggenheim of “Waiting for Superman” and “An Inconvenient Truth” fame. Guggenheim partnered with Emerson Collective, an organization that supports social entrepreneurs and organizations working in the areas of education, immigration reform and social justice, to create the initiative.

Communities In Schools is one of more than 25 organizations that have partnered with the initiative. To learn more, go to www.thedreamisnow.org Give Twice Gap Campaign Extended The Communities In Schools and Gap global marketing campaign, “Love Comes In Every Shade,” launched last November, included the holiday gift card program Give Twice. Though the holidays have passed, consumers can still buy a Gap GiftCard in Gap stores or online and have 2 percent of the face value of the card donated to Communities In Schools or CARE, the nonprofit partners in this

Communities In Schools of Central Texas staffers Eric Metcalf, chief program officer; Karin Florez, Travis High School site coordinator; and Suki Steinhauser, CEO, at the 3M Half Marathon. Photo by John Duck

Chocolate confections, like these decadent cupcakes and an award-winning cake, were just some of the many desserts on display during Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area’s Chocolate Affair. Photos by Paul Cheney

program. When purchasing a Gap GiftCard at www.gap.com/givetwice, be sure to select one that supports the work of Communities In Schools to help students succeed. Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., in collaboration with the Junior League of Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Carolinas HealthCare System, held this year’s Give Kids A Smile Day on February 1. The local event provided free dental care for an estimated 100 children. Students in grades K–12 received a range of dental care, from cleaning to extractions. Dentists from 16 Mecklenburg County practices offered their services this year.Communities In Schools of Central Texas received $40‚000 from the 3M Foundation as sole beneficiary of the 19th Annual 3M Half Marathon. Roughly 6,300 runners, including several Communities In Schools staff and board members, braved the cold temperatures on Sunday, January 13, to take part in what event organizers say was their biggest race ever. ■

Communities In Schools National Office2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 801Arlington, VA 22202

800-CIS-4KIDS (800-247-4543)www.communitiesinschools.org

EditorMaureen Salamat

Managing EditorTracey Savell Reavis

ContributorsJohn CarterBriana KerenskyCindy NixonTim PlantErica Rafferty

Inside CIS is published quarterly by Communities In Schools, Inc.,2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 801Arlington, VA 22202.

©2013 Communities In Schools Inc. All rights reserved.

Newsletter designed by Ainsley Adao.

ATTENTION LOCAL AFFILIATES!Help us tell your story to a national audience. Send story submissions to salamatm@cisnet.org or reavist@cisnet.org. Please include “Inside CIS Story” in the subject line.

Photo Essay Mentors at Work in Communities In Schools

January was National Mentoring Month and in addition to participating in the 2013 National Mentoring Summit in Washington, D.C., Communities In Schools continues all year long to champion the powerful benefits achieved by providing mentors to students. Whether it’s one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring or peer-mentoring, site coordinators around the country form partnerships with business professionals and community leaders to connect students with caring adults who can provide support and encouragement and create expectations for their success. Thanks to these meaningful relationships, thousands of passionate mentors, like the ones pictured here, are making a profound difference in the lives of children every day. ■

A Communities In Schools of Wilmington, Del., mentor with a student at the EastSide Charter School. Photo Courtesy Communities In Schools of Wilmington

Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo, Mich., volunteers read to students at El Sol Elementary School. Photo by Kaitlin Martin, Freshwater Photography

A Communities In Schools of Chesterfield, Va., mentor with young student. Photo by Jay Swedenborg