The 2020-21 school year posed many challenges to Chicago students and families, but throughout the stress and uncertainty, Communities In Schools (CIS) of Chicago remained a consistent presence.We continued to surround our students with a community of support – in schools and beyond – so that they stayed on the path to graduation.
Letter To Our Supporters
CIS of Chicago is the leading nonprofit in the city dedicated to removing barriers so that students can unlock their potential. We are grateful for the generosity of our supporters and the commitment of our team and partners who are invested in helping students reach graduation.
“Throughout the school year, our focus remained squarely on the students, families, teachers, and administrators we serve, understanding that everyone was affected by the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic. We engaged students virtually, and when schools provided a hybrid option, we committed to being present at school as well. We continued to set goals with students and supported them to achieve their goals through innovative activities and outreach.”
– Lo Patrick, Senior Director of Integrated Student Supports
Intensive Support
We provided students tailored, one-on-one support through our Intensive Program.
“The CIS of Chicago Partnership Team knows the power of collaboration. During the last school year, we leaned into this pillar of our work while connecting not just programs and services, but also connecting people. We heard about the needs and the concerns, and we took the time to celebrate the wins, no matter how small. When things got challenging, and then got more challenging, we reminded our partners that they can depend on us because we know that when we work together, truly beautiful things happen.”
– Robin Koelsch, Senior Director of Partnerships
Community Partnerships
We connected community partner resources and programs with schools who needed them the most.
We asked one CIS student what it was like to have a Student Supports Manager at their school. Here was the student’s response:
“It is important to have someone like (the CIS Student Supports Manager) here because she has helped not only me but so many others. She has made a safe place at the school for us. For me, she has made me a better person than I was before. She has also made me feel better throughout everything that has happened this past year.”
In Schools and Beyond
The 2020-21 school year began with remote learning. By the spring, schools provided a hybrid learning option for students, and then in the summer, schools prepared for a return to in-person learning, full-time. The changing landscape challenged students, families, school partners, and community partners, but it also created urgency for rapidly testing new ideas.
By The Numbers (2020-21)
0
students benefited from connected programs and services
0
students and families received essential needs items like school supplies, hygiene products, and direct cash assistance
0
programs and services were connected to students
0
school partners
0
community partners
0
Intensive Program sites
0
case-managed students
0
%
of case-managed students graduated or were promoted
<
0
%
of case-managed students dropped out
Fiscal Year 2021 Revenue Without Donor Restrictions was $7.0 Million
*Includes forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program Loan and Employee Retention Tax Credit
Recognizing Our Students and Partners
CIS of Chicago celebrates young people and the caring adults in their lives with two annual awards: the Al Ward Spirit of Giving Award and the Carnahan Family Tenacity Awards.
Recognizing Our Students and Partners
The Al Ward Spirit of Giving Award
This award recognizes a community partner and a school partner who have consistently gone above and beyond to positively impact students. It honors Alfred G. Ward, a founding board director who spent 15 years enriching our organization. The 2021 Spirit of Giving Awards were presented to:
Community Partner Category: Illinois Holocaust Museum Education Team
In 12 years of partnering with CIS of Chicago, the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center has served more than 50 different partner schools with quality programming. The Holocaust and Human Rights are difficult topics, but the Education Team makes the content age-appropriate, digestible, and engaging for multiple learning styles. Each year, they ask, “How can we better serve Chicago Public Schools students?” – going so far as offering busing for an evening program.
Despite a challenging year, the Education Team found ways to promote collaboration between the museum and CIS of Chicago schools. This included connecting with other CIS partners like The Peace Exchange and the Race Exhibit and creating a larger Leadership Day for students across Chicago.
School Partner Category: Katie Styzek, Volta Elementary School
Since Katie Styzek became the counselor – and CIS of Chicago site coordinator – at Volta Elementary School three years ago, she has hit the ground running. Her dedication to serving students is evident in the way she enthusiastically collaborates with the CIS team to bring resources and programming to Volta.
Katie is thorough, engaged, and dependable. She actively participates in CIS’s ACTIVATE training series, and she is intentional about scheduling community partner programs for Volta. Katie connects an average of 20 needed programs each year to Volta’s students and families.
The Carnahan Family Tenacity Awards
These awards honor one student from each of CIS of Chicago’s Intensive Program schools who has overcome significant obstacles to improve their school performance and stay on the path to graduation.
Each Tenacity Award recipient faces unique challenges, from issues with self-esteem to struggles with attendance or even conflicts with peers, but they work with their CIS Student Supports Manager to set and meet their goals.
2021 Tenacity Award recipients were celebrated with a mix of virtual and in-person ceremonies. All winners received a gift box in the mail with a “tenacious” T-shirt, a certificate, a VISA gift card, and a letter honoring their achievement.
The 2021 Carnahan Family Tenacity Awards were presented to:
- Naomi: Acero – Brighton Park Elementary School
- Yvette: Lázaro Cárdenas Elementary School
- Autumn: Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School
- Alexa: Chávez Multicultural Academic Center
- Yazmine: CICS Ralph Ellison High School
- Sophia: CICS West Belden Elementary School
- Oriana: Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet High School
- Destiny: Henry Clay Elementary School
- Wendy: Curie Metropolitan High School
- Nathaniel: Darwin Elementary School
- Quincy: James R. Doolittle, Jr. Elementary School
- Cesar: John F. Eberhart Elementary School
- Yamilette: Farragut Career Academy High School
- Kenyatta: Foreman College and Career Academy
- Sofia: Frank W. Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy
- Tamara: George Washington High School
- Cleo: Stephen K. Hayt Elementary School
- Tarquan: Helen M. Hefferan Elementary School
- Jamesha: Horace Mann Elementary School
- Gyselle: John L. Marsh Elementary School
- Karina: Stephen Tyng Mather High School
- Aayan: Arnold Mireles Academy
- Adam: William P. Nixon Elementary School
- Juan: Phoenix Military Academy
- Janelle: Pilsen Community Academy
- Markee: A. Philip Randolph Elementary School
- Katherine: Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy
- Emma: Jacqueline B. Vaughn Occupational High School
- Javaris: Daniel Webster Elementary School
- Dauveyae: Oliver S. Westcott Elementary School
- Yuri: YCCS – Association House High School
Since 2014, CIS of Chicago has honored 114 students with a Tenacity Award!
“The Lefkofsky Family Foundation believes strongly in supporting students' holistic developmental needs, especially across school transitions. That is why we are honored to partner and support the work of CIS of Chicago and their Freshmen Rising program.As we continue to see an increased need for social, emotional, and mental health support in Chicago Public Schools, we feel that CIS of Chicago's proven track record in adapting to student needs through the pandemic ensured they were well-positioned to support schools. Combining the Foundation’s financial support with a collaboration between CIS and our Success Bound curriculum, the Lefkofsky Family Foundation looks forward to continuing to collaborate with CIS to support students throughout our city.”
– Rachel Graham, Director of Programs, Lefkofsky Family Foundation
Investors in Our Work
Students’ needs have only increased since the pandemic. They are balancing their focus on attendance and academics with other challenges, including but not limited to an uptick in violence in their community, an economic burden on their family, mental health issues, and more. Our supporters remained deeply engaged and concerned about how the pandemic was impacting students.
As in all aspects of our work, the pandemic required us to shift to the virtual realm. We hosted virtual school visits, bringing together donors with school principals and CIS Student Supports Managers to talk about how they were supporting students in this difficult time. We provided a quarterly Investor Call with school insights beyond the headlines. We held our first-ever virtual fundraising event, showcasing our donors’ trivia knowledge. We launched a Hope Notes program, where volunteers created short inspirational messages for students encouraging them to keep moving forward, and we did the same for our school principals. Our Principal Notes program shared messages of inspiration with principals, who had to work through enormous uncertainties and challenges as the pandemic unfolded.
CIS of Chicago is able respond to students’ needs with the help of our generous supporters. We are grateful for the individuals and organizations who recognize the importance of supporting students on their path to graduation. We could not do this important work without them.
Board of Directors (2020-21)
CIS of Chicago’s Board of Directors works directly with our leadership team to ensure that the organization cements its position as the most wide-ranging nonprofit empowering Chicago public-school students to graduate from high school prepared for success. We thank our board members for their dedication to our mission, their leadership, and their contributions during an unprecedented year. We honor their service.
| Name | Position | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Brady (Board Chair) | Managing Director, Investment Banking | William Blair & Company, LLC |
| Jim Welch (Board Vice Chair) | Co-CEO | Nexgen Packaging LLC |
| Michelle Brown (Board Treasurer) | VP of Digital Products and Analytics | United Airlines |
| Brian Moncrief (Board Secretary) | Managing Director, Credit Group | Ares Management Corporation |
| Dr. Sherron J. Bibbie | Retired Principal | Chicago Public Schools |
| Don Bielinski | Managing Partner | SMB Interim Management LLC |
| Craig A. Bondy | Managing Director | GTCR LLC |
| Jodi J. Caro | Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary | Ulta Beauty |
| Lan Nguyen Chaplin, Ph.D. | Associate Professor | University of Illinois at Chicago |
| Barbara M. Ford | Principal | Ford Partners, LLC |
| Brian W. Good | Wicker Park Ventures | |
| John M. Greening | Associate Professor, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing and Communications | Northwestern University |
| Jonathan Guryan | Professor of Human Development and Social Policy, Chair of the Institute for Policy Research’s Program on Education Policy | Northwestern University |
| Ryan D. Harris | Partner | Kirkland & Ellis LLP |
| John M. Hawn | Retired | YUM! Brands, Inc. |
| Torrence L. Hinton | Vice President – Operations | Peoples Gas |
| Alain LeCoque | Principal, Chicago | Colliers International Group Inc. |
| Ralph Leslie | CFO and Associate Dean of Finance and Business Operations, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences | Northwestern University |
| Bradley H. Meyers | Managing Director, Public Market Investments | Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P. |
| Valli Perera | Founder | Occam’s Edge Advisors |
| David Schuppan | Senior Partner | Vistria Group |
In the News
- Chalkbeat Chicago, July 28, 2020: Can Chicago Find Its Missing Students in Time for Fall?
- WGN, August 21, 2020: Support for CPS Students from Communities In Schools
- CNN, September 24, 2020: Students with Special Needs Face Virtual Learning Challenges
- Crain’s, October 28, 2020: Nonprofits Need Help to Help Others During Pandemic
- The 74, January 12, 2021: Social-Emotional Learning Takes on Heightened Importance During the Pandemic
- WTTW Chicago Tonight, February 8, 2021: How the Pandemic Has Affected the Mental Health of Young People
- Chicago Tribune, March 2, 2021: Seeing Rise in Suicides Among Black Cook County Residents, City Officials and Mental Health Experts Work on Outreach
- WBEZ, March 17, 2021: What to Do if Your Child is Going Through a Mental Health Crisis
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