While we have all experienced the effects of our country’s economic downturn in one way or another, a new Census Bureau report released Tuesday delivered a shock to the system with the statistic that 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty last year—nearly one in six people.

Sadly, many of these people are children. As parents lose their jobs or take severe pay cuts, their sons and daughters go without food, clean clothes and sometime even a home.

The Washington Post put it bluntly: “The economic turmoil has pummeled children, for whom the poverty rate last year — 22 percent — was at the highest level since 1993.”

Communities In Schools site coordinators work tirelessly across the nation to help young victims of the recession. Whether it’s organizing food backpack programs to make sure children have enough to eat, or partnering with doctors and health clinics to provide free screenings and treatment, our unsung heroes do everything they can to help children survive and thrive.

But our resources aren’t only for helping students in the now. We are also dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and giving children a shot at a better, brighter future.

Communities In Schools evolved its successful model of integrated student services from the Five Basics, which have guided our work from the beginning. The Five Basics are a set of essentials that every child needs and deserves. One of these is “A marketable skill to use upon graduation.” Communities In Schools site coordinators don’t leave a student’s life once the student is on track to getting a high school diploma. Our site coordinators take students on college tours, and help them with college applications and obtaining financial assistance. They also help students prepare resumes, and apply to jobs and trade schools.

Take Rasheedah Phillips, for instance. At 14, she was pregnant and felt directionless. Communities In Schools of Philadelphia made sure she had adequate services that she needed right away, such as food and prenatal health care. But they also connected the teen to a program that helped prepare her for life as a young adult and parent. And ultimately, this enabled her pursue her chosen career. Now 27, Rasheedah is a graduate of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and a successful lawyer.

Rasheedah Phillips

“The Communities In Schools counselors were very instrumental in helping me,” she said. “They recognized my abilities and encouraged me – they didn’t let me quit.”

Communities In Schools’ mission is to help kids succeed in school and achieve in life. As more children are forced to deal with poverty, Communities In Schools will be there to answer the call and provide immediate aid. But we are also looking toward the future by equipping students with our most valuable resources: the tools and the hope for a better tomorrow.

The birth of her daughter, Jasmine, was a turning point for Angelica. “I remember thinking: How can I bring a child into this world and basically put her in the same situation I came from? I hated my life, and I didn’t want that for her,” she says. Motivated to return to school, Angelica faced huge challenges in finding a place to live, caring for her daughter, attending high school, and trying to make ends meet. “I finally just told my teacher that I didn’t have a home; that I was struggling,” says Angelica. Angelica’s teacher contacted Communities In Schools’ for assistance. “The next day, I came to school and they gave me a bag full of supplies like shampoo, conditioner and lots of other stuff. They helped me with business clothes, food vouchers, and baby supplies. It was such a pick-me-up. It was so wonderful.”

With her new career clothes, Angelica attended a job fair and found a way to pay the bills. With the continued support of her teacher and Communities In Schools, Angelica found day care for her daughter and received her high school diploma. “Graduating high school gave me the confidence to try out college – just to give it a try. I worked hard, and I got a 3.8 my first quarter. I was stunned,” says Angelica.

Two years later, Angelica is still an honors student at Green River Community College, and will attend the University of Washington in Tacoma this fall to begin a bachelor’s degree in business. “I’m just really happy about my life and happy that I can provide for my daughter,” she says. Angelica is already making a difference in Jasmine’s life by reading to her regularly and sharing her new love for learning. “I’m not only changing my daughter’s life,” she says, “I’m changing the lives of my grandchildren – all those people that she’s going to touch. Because it doesn’t stop with me – it keeps going to the next generation.”

Angelica has worked hard, and with the help of a caring teacher and Communities In Schools she has succeeded in reaching and surpassing her goals. “Communities In Schools opened that first door for me to walk through. And that gave me encouragement to keep going.”