The journey of a fundraising campaign is a true memory maker. But when the goal is achieved there’s a true sense of accomplishment in attaining what may have seemed impossible. However, if those involved in the effort truly believe in it, they are driven with a truly remarkable power. So it was that Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region (CISDR) instilled such dedication in the team spearheading the “Safer Students, Stronger Schools (4S)” campaign for $10M.
To celebrate the completion of the multi-year campaign headed up by Brint Ryan, a celebration was held on Thursday, January 25, atop Reunion Tower in Crown Block’s Crown Room with the campaign’s advisory council, CISDR Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Summer Rose, Junior Achievement of Dallas President/CEO Keith Vinson and others. Here’s a report from the field.
Thursday night, high atop downtown Dallas in the Crown Room at Crown Block, education and mental health advocates gathered to celebrate the finale of Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region’s “Safer Students, Stronger Schools (4S)” campaign.
In 2018, Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region (CISDR) launched the $10 million campaign to increase mental health support for children and youth in schools, along with expanding case management services into new schools. The campaign was guided by a ten-person Advisory Council with 4S Chair Brint Ryan. Members included Nancy Best, Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew, Sarah Losinger, Lynn McBee, President Bob Mong, Paul Stephens, Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, Freddy Vaca and Gretchen Williams.
CISDR provides daily school-based interventions to students in grades PreK-12 to address academic, behavioral, and attendance challenges. They work with over 10,000 students in the Dallas area to improve grades and test scores, connect their families to needed social services, and resolve behavioral issues.
According to Brint, “The impact this group is making on the students they serve is tremendous. Raising this money allows Communities in Schools to have a presence in more schools, and in turn, reach more students who need help in the Dallas area.”
Through the 4S Campaign, CISDR has expanded their services to 70 additional schools, built an eight-person clinical team that offers direct counseling and group-based services to students in CISDR’s care, and hosted hundreds of individuals, plus school districts and organizations like Dallas CASA, CitySquare, North Texas Food Bank, Education Is Freedom, Big Thought and the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas for mental health trainings, including Youth Mental Health First Aid, to support children and youth in their care.
Major donors to the campaign included MacKenzie Scott, Amanda and Brint Ryan, Harold Simmons Foundation, W.W. Caruth Jr. Fund at Communities Foundation of Texas, The Perot Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, The Rees-Jones Foundation, The George and Fay Young Foundation, Hoblitzelle Foundation, Karl Schmaltz, AT&T Foundation and Nancy and Randy Best.
As CISDR CEO Adam Powell said, “I’m so proud of the progress we’ve made through the Safer Students, Stronger Schools campaign. The success of this campaign has put us in a position to continue surrounding students with a community of support, while also making plans to help them and their families in new ways in the coming months and years. There is still much to do in the realm of helping youth be successful in school, and in life, and I invite the broader Dallas community to join us on this journey.”
* Photo provided by Communities in School Dallas Region
Jeffery Rose says
Awesome project for a great cause. “Kids”