All too often, students do not have the school supplies — pens, paper, notebooks and more — that they need to succeed in school, and teachers struggle to fill the gap. So please join NBC 5 through July 29 as we begin Supporting Our Schools.
It is easy to do. Just go to any Tom Thumb or Albertson’s and purchase pre-packaged bags of schools supplies.
The bags contain exactly what the schools need, and all of the supplies will be donated to our local Communities in Schools (CIS) organizations. These three local chapters help students stay in school and achieve in life.
For the first time, NBC 5, Telemundo 39 and other NBC and Telemundo-owned television stations are partnering with several nonprofits across the country, including Communities in Schools, DonorsChoose.org, United Way and Boys & Girls Club, to raise donations of supplies and cash.
“Every year, teachers pay for classroom supplies their students will need out of their own pocket while students and their families weigh the costs of paying for school supplies and other household financial needs. To help address these needs, our NBC and Telemundo stations are hosting “Supporting our Schools,” a monthlong awareness campaign to help raise awareness about classroom needs and what communities can do to help local educators and school-bound children. Education is the key that unlocks the doors to endless opportunities and I’m proud that our local teams are stepping up to the plate to help their neighbors and strengthen their communities," said Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations.
We’ll be telling stories through the end of July and beyond to raise awareness about what can be done to help students and teachers thrive. We’re Supporting Our Schools and we need your help to support our local chapters, Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region, Communities in Schools of Greater Tarrant County and Communities in Schools of North Texas.
Schools, by themselves, are not equipped to go behind the scenes and address the chronic socio-academic needs of students. Communities in Schools partners with local campuses to place full time social workers on site to provide services and resources to meet students' needs. CIS is currently in 57 school campuses in nine school districts in Tarrant County, 72 campuses in nine districts in Dallas, Collin and Ellis Counties, and 37 campuses in six school districts in Denton and Wise Counties.
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These are great children, in grades kindergarten thru 12, who without this concentrated intervention, will probably disconnect, drop out, or worse. The students CIS serves may not read at grade level, may suffer in health or mental crisis, be homeless, or go without basics at home, may be teenage parents, or feel they simply don’t fit in.
In fact, at least 91 percent of the students CIS serves are living below the poverty level, and 10 percent have 1 or more parents incarcerated.
In CIS’s 25 years in Tarrant County, their stay in school rate hasn’t dropped below 97 percent. CIS of North Texas continues to stand as the primary provider of effective dropout prevention programs in the North Texas area and leverages community support to achieve a 99 percent success rate at keeping students in school.
There is no other program like Communities in Schools. They are shaping the future. So please go to your local Tom Thumb or Albertson’s and purchase a bag of school supplies today.
