This month marks the beginning of the new year and the end of an awesome holiday season here at Communities In Schools of North Texas! As we head into 2021, we want to celebrate the success of our CISNT Giving Tree event, taking place annually from late November to mid December.
In North Texas, 1 in 2 students are considered to be at-risk of dropping out of school. CISNT amplifies student potential by connecting students with caring adults and community resources to help them succeed. The CISNT Giving Tree, similar to an Angel Tree, is an important part of the CISNT mission to empower students and tackle barriers to success. The angels on the CISNT Giving Tree are students participating in CISNT programs in Denton and Wise county.
CISNT understands that in order to be successful, students need to come to school prepared, nourished, and focused on learning. The items listed on the angels help meet these basic needs of students in the following ways:
- Preparing students for school with new clothing to boost confidence, shoes that fit, and winter coats to keep students warm on their way to school.
- Nourishing students with family meal boxes to reduce food insecurity, and kid-friendly snacks that supply accessible food while parents are working.
When these basic needs are met, students are able to focus on learning!
This year, through partnerships with local churches, community volunteers, and civic groups, the CISNT Giving Tree served 841 children across 304 families!
CISNT Site Coordinators who helped register families and distribute gifts got to see, first-hand, the positive impact of the Angel Tree on students and their families!
One mother at Lewisville High School Killough was so grateful for the items donated to her family that she asked Site Coordinator Julie Redus to pass on thank-you notes to her family’s donors, writing that her children were “so immensely grateful for everything they received,” and that the gifts were “so incredibly thoughtful, special, and absolutely perfect.”
At Clara Love Elementary School, one mother shared with Site Coordinator Alexa Terry that 2020 had been the hardest year her family had experienced. With both parents having lost their jobs for reasons related to COVID-19, many challenges had arisen.
Mrs. Terry writes:
“As Christmas approached, [the mother] says that she was realizing that for the first time, she would not be able to provide Christmas gifts for her children. Through CIS, her family was not only given so many gifts for her children, but also received a full meal through a CIS partnership with a local organization.”
The mother left Mrs. Terry a thank-you message expressing gratitude for CISNT and the community partners that made her family’s Christmas wonderful!
At DeLay Middle School, Site Coordinator Tracey Quezada said that donations made to angels at her campus had an enormous impact on families.
Mrs. Quezada writes:
“One family, who I have been working extremely close with throughout the year, received so many gifts along with 3 bikes for each of the little ones. Grandmother showed extreme gratitude with tears rolling down her face along with a huge smile. It is such a wonderful feeling to give back to our community, and this was the best experience ever.”
2020 was a challenging year, but again and again, our Community of Support has shown up for North Texas students! We are so thrilled to see the impact that this year’s Angel Tree had on our incredible students and families.
We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to the community members and partners who made this year’s Giving Tree a success, and we would like to give a shout-out to our staff members who worked hard to organize and distribute donations!
Our next Giving Tree event will be held at the end of the year, but between now and then, there are plenty of other ways to get involved and support CISNT. Visit our website for more information about volunteer opportunities or to make a donation!
Thank you for being All In For Kids!
