GOOD NEWS FROM CIS l WINTER 2020
The Power of Love ~ Happy Valentine's Day!
To our CIS Friends: THANK YOU for lighting up our students' lives with your support, energy, and love! We see how the power of love is transforming young lives every day. Happy Valentine's Day to you, and here's hoping you feel the Power of Love not just today, but all year long!

And, we hope you'll join us in 2020 to generate the #PowerofLove through our two signature events!

DINE OUT FOR KIDS ®
June 16, 2020

ALL IN FOR KIDS - A NIGHT OUT
October 3, 2020
Unveiling "ORNELLA"
We are thrilled to share that a CIS-Charlotte graduate, Ornella Makolo, is featured in a beautiful mosaic collage portrait on display through March 5th at Sozo Gallery in uptown Charlotte! The portrait is by renowned pop artist Jason Mecier and is part of a vibrant collection of student portraits by Mecier that help share the challenges and triumphs of CIS students across America, and the vital role we all play in seeing the story within every student. Learn more at whatwearemadeof.us
Ornella shares her story in this video, where she also sees her portrait for the first time.

http://bit.ly/OrnellaVideo
"Drea mers & Doers"
CIS is proud to be part of "Dreamers and Doers", an exhibit at Sozo Gallery through March 5th. The show features artwork by two incredible local artists, Percy King and Nico Amortegui. Best of all, Ornella's portrait (story above) is also part of the show!

Visit Sozo Gallery website for gallery hours.
Volunteer Spotlight: Felicia Kline
As an employee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (Charlotte Branch), Felicia Kline knows a lot about investing. But she also believes in the power of another type of investing – investing her time and energy into mentoring young people. 

Volunteers Needed!
We have two upcoming events where we need volunteers to support our students:

ACCESS GRANTED l Feb. 22 l 8:30a-1:00p
Our senior students need help with their college scholarship essays. No experience necessary - training provided that morning! Email Karen Sutton with questions. Register at this link.

LEAN FORWARD l Apr. 24 l 8:00a -1:30p
Sign up to support CIS high school students in this fun and interactive career-readiness event. Email James Berkman with questions.
Best Collaboration in Mentoring
A big shout-out for Site Coordinator Jasmin Harris (on left), who won the "Best Collaboration in Mentoring" Award from the Mayor's Mentoring Alliance in January! The award was for Harris' dedication and partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library to implement a "Reading In Color" Book Club for her students at Westerly Hills Academy. Harris currently has four different RIC groups that meet weekly at the school. Watch this video to learn more about the RIC program.
Announcement from Molly Shaw
On January 29, Molly Shaw announced she will step down from her role as President and CEO of CIS-Charlotte, effective June 30, 2020. All of CIS-Charlotte's staff and the members of our Board of Directors are grateful to Molly for her strong leadership and dedication for the past nine years.

Read her complete announcement letter at this link.
CIS Alumni, send us your NEWS!
Are you a Communities In Schools (CIS) graduate from a CMS high school? Or were you enrolled in CIS at any point during elementary, middle, or high school? If so, we would love to hear from you! We would like to know how you are doing, if you are in college, graduated from college, working, or whatever you are up to! Bonus points if you share a photo and/or recall your CIS Site Coordinator's name :) Send your news to our Volunteer & Community Engagement Associate, Andreia Graddick.
EY Innovators of CLT Video
Ernst & Young (EY)  has recognized CIS-Charlotte President and CEO Molly Shaw and CIS Board member Federico Rios in their  #InnovatorsofCLT video series ! And congratulations to EY on the opening of their cool new  #EYwavespace   in South End!

Click here to view video
Make it count in Charlotte-Mecklenburg!

Getting an accurate count of people in the 2020 Census is critical to receiving resources for our community, such as funding for education, healthcare and transportation . Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year. It also determines the number of seats our State has in the U. S. House of Representatives. In 2010, when the last census was taken, North Carolina missed gaining a congressional seat by only 15,800 people.

There are no questions about Citizenship Status. All information collected is anonymous and used for statistics only. For more information regarding the 2020 Census, click here .

Please complete the 2020 Census and be counted in Charlotte-Mecklenburg!