Communities in Schools to hold partner meeting Thursday
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 31, 2016 9:59 AM
This year's Communities in Schools community partner meeting, planned for Thursday, will be a celebration, despite the upheaval created around the county by Hurricane Matthew.
"It's a thank you to our community for all their support, and to let all of our community partners know what we're doing -- to inform them about our programs, how many children we've served during the previous year," said Selena Bennett, CIS executive director.
It will take place at Goldsboro Event Center, starting at 9 a.m. with coffee and light refreshments, followed by the meeting at 9:30.
As part of the agenda, Dr. Michael Dunsmore, superintendent of Wayne County Public Schools, will speak about the impact of the storm on the schools and community.
"I think this is going to be ongoing for quite some time," Mrs. Bennett said. "We have to take a look at the fact that we have children that have many things going on right now that's way beyond our control.
"I heard a principal say, we've got to be understanding, we've got to be flexible and we've got to be accepting of our extenuating circumstances and they are many right now."
All of the success coaches in CIS are working with principals and social workers in the six schools served, she said -- Brogden, Grantham and Mount Olive middle schools, and Goldsboro, Southern Wayne and Spring Creek high schools.
"I would like to be able to do something in every school in the county but we've got to focus on the six schools that we have," she said. "We may be the additional glue to try to hold it together.
"We do a lot of connecting the dots and providing that extra layer of support and if ever we were needed, it's now."
One of the big efforts during the year for CIS is a school supplies drive. Even just those "basic needs" are helpful, but this year Mrs. Bennett wants to build on that.
"We're set up to receive any additional school supplies or any monetary donations that people would like to send," she said. "We want to be able to specifically address any needs.
"My goal is to be able to put gift cards in the hands of school social workers so that they also have the means (to make) purchases. As great as it is for people to give clothing, we want to be able to add something that specifically addresses that child's needs."
In light of the storm, consideration was given to canceling this year's annual meeting, or at least postponing it, Mrs. Bennett said. Especially since the original announced location, Goldsboro Parks and Recreation, has been converted to a site for the American Red Cross.
"But there's two things that come to mind --I think people need something positive, they need a positive focus and they need to hear some good news right now," she said. "The second thing that keeps coming to my mind, when your community has been through a devastating situation, any sense of a normal routine and something that's returning to normal, I think it helps people to move forward."
The needs in the aftermath of the hurricane, she said, are farther reaching than just the students served. Educators and staff have also been victims.
"We have some staff that are going to be in just as much need as their students," she said. "I think for us moving forward with this need, it will help us be thankful for this community."
Part of the reason the annual meeting is held in November is to be able to review data from the previous year, just released by the CIS state office.
The agenda will also include several speakers, including a CIS alumni, Travis Sauls, who was part of the fire academy at Goldsboro High School and is now an EMT. Tammy Keel, principal at Mount Olive Middle School, will also talk about the impact of a mentoring program at the school.
And SaintSound, a musical group at Southern Wayne High School, will perform.
The Thursday morning session will also provide a chance to support those affected by the recent storm.
"We'll give people an opportunity at this meeting to donate to hurricane relief to go directly to the kids," she said. "We felt like that would be the most appropriate thing, not for us to fundraiser for CIS at this time.
"We're looking at everything to see what we can do to provide for more assistance."