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CIS Houston details programs supporting ALIEF ISD students, seeks volunteers and donors
Summary
On ALIEF ISDs Impact Ed podcast, Miss Vega of CIS Houston said the nonprofit supports 41 ALIEF schools with services from basic needs and counseling to dental care and career-readiness events, and invited volunteers and donors to support scholarships and student services.
Miss Vega, a representative of Communities In Schools (CIS) in Houston, told ALIEF ISDs Impact Ed podcast that CIS currently supports 41 schools in the district and provides services ranging from basic needs and counseling to dental care and career-readiness events. "Nuestros servicios van desde necesidades básicas hasta a a consejería," she said, adding CIS tailors programs to each schools needs.
Why it matters: CISs on-campus staff and district partnerships connect students and families with resources that schools cannot always provide directly, from uniforms and backpacks to health services and college-readiness supports.
Miss Vega described six core program areas CIS offers. She said the nonprofit supplies school materials and uniforms through donations, runs a winter coat drive with a local foundation and teacher volunteers, and helps fund scholarships via district fundraising events. "Gracias a las donaciones que recibimos, nosotros podemos proveer a nuestro CIS staff para que ellos a su vez provean a nuestros estudiantes," she said.
The podcast highlighted a career-readiness initiative run in partnership with ALIEF for two consecutive years. CIS staged an event at district facilities that included professional headshots for students to use on applications; Miss Vega said about "un poquito más de 350 estudiantes" participated this year. She also said CIS provides recreational and enrichment activities (example given: bringing the Houston Grand Opera to a school) to broaden studentss exposure to arts and careers.
Health services were discussed as part of CISs offerings. Miss Vega confirmed a long-standing dental program in partnership with UT Health that the organization funds in part through donations. On scholarships, she said the association SPE (described on the podcast as an engineering and petroleum association) provided scholarships and that CIS increased awarded scholarships to five this year; the scholarships are four-year awards.
Miss Vega emphasized staff qualifications and crisis response: CIS staff include people with backgrounds in clinical psychology and social work and receive ongoing training to provide interventions, family home visits and support when serious incidents occur. "Nuestro staff está plenamente capacitado," she said.
On volunteering and donations, Miss Vega invited listeners to contribute and to apply as volunteers. She instructed potential volunteers to use CISs volunteer section on its website and complete a brief questionnaire; coordinators then follow up to place volunteers in large events or ongoing programs. For families seeking help, she said CIS services are open and families should contact the CIS staff at their school, adding CIS typically attends back-to-school open houses to provide enrollment information.
The podcast concluded with Miss Vega reiterating CISs mission to bring resources to students and families and a request for community support. "Estamos 100 por 100 disponibles en los campus," she said, and invited donors to consult the website mentioned on the episode for donation details.
Next steps: listeners were directed to the CIS contact points announced on the podcast for volunteer sign-ups and donation information; no formal district action or vote was discussed during the episode.
