Helping Houston Students Soar To New Heights — Communities in Schools Fills a Vital Void

What: Communities in Schools (CIS) “Soaring to New Heights” gala

Where: The Post Oak Hotel

PC Moment: Moving testimonies about Communities in Schools students and staff held the group of 550 supporters to rapt attention. CIS student support managers Mandy Kolbaba and Madison Wimmer, CIS support manager Alma Nava and a CIS wellness specialist each spoke on the value of the program that has full-time student support managers, providing essential services from mental health counseling to academic and basic needs support.

Julia Barnwell-Joseph, CIS program manager from the Lone Star College System, introduced a student who overcame personal challenges to excel academically and graduate with honors and will now attend the University of Houston.

Chaired by Caroline and Will Brown and Virginia and Cramer Williams, the evening raised $603,000 to support at-risk students across the Greater Houston area.

In the process of raising those funds, CIS honored Jan Redford, Ph.D., for her 46 years of  dedication to the nonprofit that including serving as an employee, a volunteer and board member. In the late 1970s as president of the Junior League of Greater Houston, Redford worked to provide seed money to get Communities in Schools off the ground and later she personally provided a loan to CIS. Her praises were sung by Sue White and Lisa Descant.

Receiving special recognition was former Texas First Lady Linda Gale White, a staunch CIS supporter and board member. She was introduced by Lisa Malosky, who served as emcee.

CIS board member Gina Carroll, director of the Lazarus Energy Empowerment Program (LEEP) and TED Talk presenter, spoke on the importance of school attendance and CIS’s national campaign dubbed Being Present Matters, highlighting the tangible impact of Communities In Schools’ presence on graduation and promotion rates.

PC Seen: CIS CEO Lisa Descant, CIS board president Omar Reid, David Redford, Judy Tate, Margot Cater, Ginny and L.E. Simmons, Diana and Russell Hawkins, Terri Lacy and Jim Baird, Lisa and David Sambrooks, Nicole Campbell, Paige and William Simmons, and Jennifer and TJ Gibbons.