Here in the downtown CIS office we updated each other on our Thanksgiving weekends. Talk turned to how thankful we are for each of you. We get to hear about or see children succeeding in school every day because of you. Your efforts—as a school and community partner, volunteer, donor, or member of a CIS site team—are feeding our future. So, while the pumpkin pie is long gone and our serotonin levels are diminishing, our reasons to be thankful remain abundant. Here are just a few things of THANKS we shared with each other:
Teeth cleanings, sealants, fluoride treatment, exams, and fillings. Our partners, Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Mobile Dental Unit and Family Health Center dental services at Edison School Based Health Center and Paterson Street brighten the smiles of our children on a daily basis.
Hats and coats. Mittens and boots. Underwear, too! And all the people and organizations who help to stock our Kids’ Closet. When these basic needs are met, children can better focus on learning.
Appetites and apples. Hundreds of students receive food from Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes through our Friday Foodpack program and school pantries. Thanks to our many faith based and community partners who help distribute the foodpacks.
Numbers and letters. And all the fabulous tutors who help children make sense of them.
Kids, with their energy and enthusiasm for learning. All 12,000+ of them.
Site Coordinators. These eighteen dedicated men and women are the “secret sauce” to helping us fulfill our mission, connecting a myriad of community resources to the children who need them.
Tags: CIS, Communities In Schools, Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo, Edison School Based Health Clinic, Family Health Center, Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services, Kalamazoo Public Schools, Kids' Closet, Thankfulness
