Can't Do It Alone PSA

Communities In Schools Houston (CIS) has a new television Public Service Announcement (PSA). This PSA is centered around our Can't Do It Alone campaign, which discusses that schools, parents and teachers can not do it alone. Below is the public service announcement created by Love Advertising, and featuring our students from Lamar High School and three of our wonderful area superintendents. The spot will begin airing soon, as will Spanish and radio versions.

Communities In Schools Houston Observes

Communities In Schools Houston (CIS) is part of the Community of Respect initiative, a No Place for Hate program of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Community of Respect was developed for organizations to engender respect for individual and group differences while challenging prejudice and discrimination.

CIS will be conducting activities throughout the year to celebrate different heritages and backgrounds. On the 19th of this month, we observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. King was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968.

CIS encourages everyone to appreciate all kinds of diversity and to stand up against all forms of prejudice and discrimination so that we can help create a world that is a "Community of Respect."

by - Heather Martin, Development Associate

CIS Celebrates 30 Years

To start off the new year, Communities In Schools Houston (CIS) celebrates its 3oth Anniversary. CIS began in 1979 with one program in the Acres Homes community at MC Williams Middle School. Today, we are gearing up to celebrate 30 years of serving Houston's at-risk youth on 115 campuses in five school districts. CIS can't do it alone and we would like to thank and acknowledge more than 300 partners who help make our services possible. We would also like to thank all the teachers, parents, and volunteers who support us in helping kids stay in school and prepare for life.

As CIS commemorates its thirtieth year of serving Houston's youth, we look back and reflect on all that has taken place over the past three decades. We want to thank you all for taking part in this journey with us and invite you to celebrate with us. If you have a special CIS memory, please share it with us! You can submit your CIS story by clicking on the Contact Us link on our website www.cishouston.org. Thank you so much for your contributions to CIS. We are looking forward to a year full of memories, celebrations and service!

River Oaks & Texans Event

Communities In Schools Houston (CIS) students at Foster Elementary were grateful for their relationships with both the Houston Texans and River Oaks Baptist School this holiday season. Both long-time partners of CIS, these organizations went above and beyond to make sure those kids had everything they wanted and needed.

The Texans donated brand new bicycles to all of the Foster CIS first and second graders, and spent a few minutes talking, playing, and posing for pictures with the kids. The 8th grade class at River Oaks Baptist really wanted a more hands-on experience where they really got to interact with the kids, so they invited them all over to the school for lunch and a Christmas party where they all received gifts.

CIS would like to thank the Texans and River Oaks Baptist for all of their support!

To view pictures from the events, please visit www.cantdoitalone.org.