Monthly Archives: July 2009

June 30 – Renton’s EriAm Sisters, who’ve gained national recognition on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” are now proving that Renton’s also got charity.

EriAm Sisters performing at Communities In Schools fundraiser. Photo courtesy of the Renton Reporter.

Performing at a Communities In Schools of Renton (CISR) fundraiser, the girls performed the longest concert of their new careers.
“The beauty of the concert was … that the majority of the people were there supporting each other,” said CISR director Sari Pascoe.

People came to support the musicians who were supporting CISR, a youth drop-out prevention program, she said.

“The crowd was very responsive,” said Mulugheta Abraham, the sisters’ father. “There were different acts. It wasn’t just the EriAm Sisters.”

The staff hasn’t totaled the numbers, but about 250 guests paid $20 for tickets to the June 26 show at the IKEA Performing Arts Center.

Other artists that attended the concert included Jordan Bolden with the band Anonymous and the Breaking Point and Amazing Grace Praise dance groups.
“It was one of the few times that it really happens that you partner with a local charity group and get local talent to contribute,” Abraham said. “It was a beautiful thing.”

Getting word out about CISR’s programs was a major goal of the event, Pascoe said, adding that KING5 TV aired news about the event several times.

“The more we let people know about the programs, the more children we can serve,” Pascoe said, adding that some volunteered to help after the event.
In the 2008-2009 academic year, about 4,500 students received assistance from the CISR liaison program , which works with families and school staff, Pascoe said.
Liaison staff work inside the schools, she said. “It allows us to have first-hand information of problems.”

Students are also offered the opportunity to participate in a youth mentorship program, where once a week volunteers meet with students to encourage them, Pascoe said. “They mentor not academically, but for self-esteem,” she said.

About 150 students participated in CISR mentorship program this past year.
Renton Reporter Staff Writer Celeste Gracey can be reached at cgracey@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5052.

Story courtesy of the Renton Reporter, Celeste Gracy.

Last week we launched our Small Gifts = Big Change campaign asking for small donations that will help us get kids in need and at-risk things they need to learn and grow.

Simple things like ready-to-eat weekend food, basic school supplies or necessary clothing. You’d be surprised at how many kids come to school lacking these essentials. How can a child focus on learning when they’re hungry or are the butt of jokes because of what they’re wearing?

One fourth-grader we helped recently was coming to school in adult sized work boots – they were the only shoes he had. A skinny nine-year-old wearing size nine boots he couldn’t even tie. Needless to say, he was made fun of, couldn’t play at recess, couldn’t participate in PE class. With money funded by small gifts Communities In Schools was able to purchase a pair of sneakers for the impoverished youngster – a $17 purchase allowed him to run, jump, and most importantly smile like all young kids have the right to do.

Seventeen bucks made all the difference – helping him become joyful, fulfilled and more engaged at school. Seventeen bucks… how about it?

Posted by: Tracy Oster, Communities In Schools of Federal Way

As Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Federal Way, I have to say, I love my job and I love my community. One of the biggest challenges our staff and Board of Directors face is getting people in our community to volunteer. I don’t think this is any different from other communities. In fact, in talking to other volunteer recruiters, they say we are actually doing a “pretty good” job in Federal Way of getting people engaged. But “pretty good” just isn’t good enough.

FWPS has over 22,000 students - and of those, approximately 43% are eligible for free or reduced lunch. (This year, that number will most likely be higher.) That makes nearly 10,000 students in our school district living at or below the federal poverty level. Often these students face challenges to their success that have nothing to do with academic abilities. Every one of those students – along with many others – would benefit from a one-to-one relationship with a caring adult.

Each school year, we get a list of students that are referred to our PASS Mentoring Program.  And each year, we end up with students who don’t get mentors, simply because there are not enough caring adults who take action and volunteer. I know that Federal Way and many other communities have caring adults who have a heart for education and youth. We get a lot of interest on our website and from the community. However, “having a heart” isn’t enough – we need people to take action.

I recently had a Board member who suggested we weren’t being “aggressive enough” in our recruitment of mentors. I believe what he meant was, there is such a need in the schools that we really need to figure out how to increase our mentor recruitment efforts exponentially so we can come close to serving the number of students that would really benefit from a one-to-one relationship with a caring adult.

The research on mentoring clearly shows that having a mentor can make a positive impact on a child in many ways. Children who have mentors have improved academic performance, higher graduation rates, increased communication skills, improved family/peer relationships and improved self-esteem. In Federal Way, students who participate in our PASS Mentoring Program showed a 79% increase in attendance last year and a 95% of the students were promoted to the next grade. Mentoring works!

I know that people care and they understand the benefits of mentoring. What about you? Is this you? Do you have a heart for youth and education AND are ready to take action? Check out www.cisfederalway.org or call CIS of Federal Wayat 253-528-0847 to sign up today. It is time!

Federal Way – Communities In Schools of Federal Way and Red Canoe Credit Union are partnering to collect school supplies for low-income students in Federal Way Public Schools.

From July 27th through August 14th, Red Canoe Credit Union will be collecting school supplies in a 14 foot canoe in the lobby of their Pacific Highway Branch in Federal Way. Red Canoe Credit Union will then match
pound-for-pound new school supplies.

“This is a great way to leverage resources from the community,” said Tracy Oster, Executive Director of CIS of Federal Way. “By partnering with Red Canoe Credit Union, and collecting their matching donations, we can serve more students and help more families.”

The Federal Way Community can help by donating supplies, volunteering to sort supplies and stuff backpacks or collecting supplies at a business location. Supplies can be dropped off between July 27 and August 14th at the Red Canoe Pacific Highway Branch (map), 8:30 am-5:30pm Monday-Friday.

For more information on how you can be involved contact Tracy Oster at CIS of Federal Way at 253-528-0847 or tracyo@federalwaychamber.com or Bridget O’Conner at Red Canoe Credit Union at (253) 942-3111 or boconnor@redcanoecu.com.