communities in schools

Letters from the Lunchroom is a podcast that shows you a new side of Communities In Schools, a nationwide non-profit which provides support services for at-risk students. We know that people who engage with non-profits have a story to tell, and we want to hear that story. From students to staff members, and alumni to volunteers, we connect with people of all backgrounds to discover their journey which brought them to Communities In Schools. Join us in the lunchroom to hear these stories, which are always touching, occasionally heart-breaking, and often surprising.

In this special episode, guest-host Rey Saldaña, National President and CEO of Communities In Schools, talks with Shakaka S. Perry, MA, Reengagement Coordinator from CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, about how she is working with students who stopped attending school during the pandemic — in particular, which strategies she finds successful in connecting with and motivating our students and getting them back to learning. 

Want to be a guest on the show and share your own story? Contact Victoria at victoria.partridge@cismidamerica.org.

Letters from the Lunchroom is a production of Communities In Schools of Mid-America. 

Theme song: "Like a Polaroid" by Spazz Cardigan

Letters from the Lunchroom is a podcast that shows you a new side of Communities In Schools, a nationwide non-profit which provides support services for at-risk students. We know that people who engage with non-profits have a story to tell, and we want to hear that story. From students to staff members, and alumni to volunteers, we connect with people of all backgrounds to discover their journey which brought them to Communities In Schools. Join us in the lunchroom to hear these stories, which are always touching, occasionally heart-breaking, and often surprising.

In this special episode, guest-host Rey Saldaña, National President and CEO of Communities In Schools, talks with Donna Dennis, Reengagement Coordinator with CIS of San Antonio, about how she helped students return to learning during the pandemic — in particular, which strategies worked well last year to motivate our students and get them back online. 

Want to be a guest on the show and share your own story? Contact Victoria at victoria.partridge@cismidamerica.org.

Letters from the Lunchroom is a production of Communities In Schools of Mid-America. 

Theme song: "Like a Polaroid" by Spazz Cardigan

Letters from the Lunchroom is a podcast that shows you a new side of Communities In Schools, a nationwide non-profit that provides at-risk students support services. We know that people who engage with non-profits have a story to tell, and we want to hear that story. From students to staff members and alumni to volunteers, our host, Victoria, connects with people of all backgrounds to discover the journey which brought them to Communities In Schools. Join us in the lunchroom to hear these stories, which are always touching, occasionally heart-breaking, and often surprising.

In our CEO Convos series, President and CEO of CIS of Mid-America Malissa Martin will host critical conversations with leaders from across the United States. In this episode, she sits down with Carol Lewis, President, and CEO for Communities In Schools of Georgia.

Want to be a guest on the show and share your own story? Contact Victoria at victoria.partridge@cismidamerica.org.

Letters from the Lunchroom is a production of Communities In Schools of Mid-America. 

Theme song: "Like a Polaroid" by Spazz Cardigan | Transition song: "Game Plan" by Bad Snacks

Letters from the Lunchroom is a podcast that shows you a new side of Communities In Schools, a nationwide non-profit which provides support services for at-risk students. We know that people who engage with non-profits have a story to tell, and we want to hear that story. From students to staff members, and alumni to volunteers, our host, Victoria, connects with people of all backgrounds to discover the journey they took which brought them to Communities In Schools. Join us in the lunchroom to hear these stories, which are always touching, occasionally heart-breaking, and often surprising.

In this special episode of Letters from the Lunchroom, guest-host Rey Saldaña, President and CEO of Communities In Schools, talks with Janine Quijije, Chief Advancement Officer of Communities In Schools. Together, they discuss the effect of the pandemic, and the shutdown of schools, on nearly 3 million students and what Communities In Schools is doing to help. 

Want to be a guest on the show and share your own story? Contact Victoria at victoria.partridge@cismidamerica.org.

Letters from the Lunchroom is a production of Communities In Schools of Mid-America. 

Theme song: "Like a Polaroid" by Spazz Cardigan | Transition song: "Game Plan" by Bad Snacks

Letters from the Lunchroom is a podcast that shows you a new side of Communities In Schools, a nationwide non-profit which provides support services for at-risk students. We know that people who engage with non-profits have a story to tell, and we want to hear that story. From students to staff members, and alumni to volunteers, our host, Victoria, connects with people of all backgrounds to discover the journey they took which brought them to Communities In Schools. Join us in the lunchroom to hear these stories, which are always touching, occasionally heart-breaking, and often surprising.

In this episode, we talk with three of our Site Coordinators who are working to provide student supports as part of our Innovation Team. Please join us as Miranda Carpenter, Shanna Cramer, and Amber Cole share why the work they are doing is classified as “innovative”. 

Want to be a guest on the show and share your own story? Contact Victoria at victoria.partridge@cismidamerica.org.

Letters from the Lunchroom is a production of Communities In Schools of Mid-America. 

Theme song: "Like a Polaroid" by Spazz Cardigan | Transition song: "Game Plan" by Bad Snacks

Communities in Schools is a non-profit that partners with schools to increase graduation rates. But that's not a simple fix. They deal with absenteeism. They are often the front line for kids with suicidal thoughts. They deal with bullying and other social issues. Their goal is to intervene before a kid veers onto a track that will end in dropping out.

As part of our ongoing look at social issues in schools, Carrie Kaufman sat down with CIS Nevada executive director Tami Hance-Lehr to talk about the challenges K-12 students face in Nevada.

Our Everybody In initiative is ongoing, and this month, we're proud to support Communities In Schools of Chatham County. In this episode, Brent connects their work with scripture and briefly interviews CIS Chatham's Executive Director, Kim Caraganis — about what she loves about her job, her community, and more.

Scripture Referenced: Psalm 139

For more information about The Local Church, visit our website. We're also posting good stuff on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, too. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.

To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts, give online here. And here’s the link to the Everybody In initative. Make your commitment now.