Communities in Schools
Every parent wants what’s best for their child and every child wants to succeed.
But what happens if you don’t have an example to show you that there can be light on the other side of dark times? What happens when you lack the vital experience or generational guidance that can help you defy the odds? What happens if you simply just don’t know any different?
Communities in Schools was created to bridge this gap.
Launched in 2014, the CISBF (Communities In Schools Benton-Franklin) program has grown to a leadership team of twelve, and partnerships with forty-one local schools expanding across five school districts, including Richland, Pasco, Kennewick, Finely, and Prosser.
At the core of CISBF is the organizational premise that every student is capable of success and is hungry for opportunity; however, CISBF also believes that each student’s potential is just one element among many factors that need attention. While schools must devote their limited resources to address the academic needs of each student, CISBF not only works in partnership with school administration to help foster academic success, but also addresses the whole environment in which the student functions.
CISBF addresses food insecurity, loss of stable housing, educational equity and student advocacy, basic coping skills, mental health concerns, family disruption and violence, and college and career readiness. Open communication between the school and CISBF is instrumental in defining a clear strategy for prioritizing case by case referrals as well as providing basic needs and alternative assistance when necessary.
CISBF acknowledges that struggle, hardship, and adversity exist for our youth, more so now than ever before; however, with a strong and invested community focused on support and advocacy for the whole family unit and not just the student, these hardships can not only be endured, they can be overcome!
To support Communities in Schools either through donating or volunteering, visit bentonfranklin.ciswa.org.
This content originally appeared in the Fall/Winter ‘22 issue of Taylored Living Magazine.
This feature is generously sponsored by McCurley Subaru.