Charlotte, NC ― Representatives from the Verizon Foundation today presented a $20,000 check to Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg at The Performance Learning Center (PLC) High School to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives. The grant will provide STEM-related education such as math and science labs, job shadowing in STEM fields, STEM related service learning and other activities. Students will be guided in maximizing the use of mobile technology in the classroom, such as recording data and analyzing results for various science experiences.

“The focus on careers in science, technology, engineering, and math has never been greater, and for good reason,” said Molly Shaw, executive director of CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. “These are some of the most promising and exciting career options available to students today. We’re thrilled that – thanks to the Verizon grant – our students here at the Performance Learning Center will have increased exposure to STEM careers and related technology. This is a fantastic way to kick off the new year.”

CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg is among five Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) affiliates each receiving a Verizon Foundation grant of $20,000. Mike Bickel, Senior Vice President of Global Client Services with Verizon and a CIS of North Carolina (CISNC) Board member, said that better equipping at-risk students with technology-based education programs will help them succeed in the classroom and prepare them for life after graduation.

“The Verizon Foundation is thrilled to assist the Communities In Schools Performance Learning Centers with the effective integration of mobile technologies to increase student engagement and interest in science, technology, engineering and math careers,” said Bickel.

Also on-site at the event was a 40-foot “STEM Bus,” created as an outreach project by North Carolina Community Colleges and BioNetwork to inspire students across N.C. to explore life science career opportunities. After the check presentation, officials from Verizon, Communities In Schools, students and staff from the PLC and nearby Druid Hills Academy were invited to tour and experience the interactive STEM Bus. The Bus features activities related to technical careers across North Carolina, allowing students to learn about many STEM subject areas such as manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare and green technologies through individual job tasks in short experiments or mini labs.

The STEM Bus visit is funded by a grant given to Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) by the Verizon Foundation. The STEM Bus will also visit the other four Performance Learning Centers in North Carolina.

“This partnership with Verizon could not come at a better time,” said Linda Harrill, CISNC President & CEO.  “If we want a well-educated workforce, then we must invest the resources necessary to provide all of our students the chance they need to reach their potential, especially those whom some might dismiss as lost causes. The PLCs show that there is no such thing as a lost cause: every child has value, potential and can thrive under the right educational environment.”

For more information about CISNC’s Performance Learning Centers, visit www.cisnc.org/ initiatives/performance_learning_centers.

About Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Communities In Schools (CIS) surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. An affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network, CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg serves over 7,000 students annually in 45 high-need Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools who are most at-risk for dropping out. As the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization, Communities In Schools is helping build a stronger local community where every child is capable of reaching his or her greatest potential. www.cischarlotte.org

About The Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation is focused on accelerating social change by using the company’s innovative technology to help solve pressing problems in education, health care and energy management. Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live. Verizon’s employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.2 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities. For more information about Verizon’s philanthropic work, visit www.verizonfoundation.org; or for regular updates, visit the Foundation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/verizongiving).

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with nearly 96 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 184,500.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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Charlotte, NC – Communities In Schools staff on the Project L.I.F.T. Team (Leadership and Investment for Transformation) will host a “Future Lions Day” at West Charlotte High School for eighth grade students on Thursday, December 6. The half-day program and tour of the campus is designed to give 8th graders from West Charlotte’s feeder zone middle schools a “preview” of the high school experience, including the opportunity to meet some of the staff and WCHS administrators, as well as current West Charlotte student leaders.

“Coming to this large campus as a rising freshman can be intimidating,” said Jessica Williams, a CIS Site Coordinator at Ashley Park PK-8 School, one of the Project L.I.F.T. schools that feeds into West Charlotte High School. “Not every student has an older sibling who has ‘been there, done that’ – there are lots of students zoned to attend West Charlotte who have never set foot on the campus.”

Approximately 130 eighth graders from the six feeder middle schools are expected to attend. They’ll be greeted by West Charlotte’s popular marching band and the West Charlotte cheerleaders, and see a presentation by the West Charlotte High School Army Junior ROTC. Students will learn more about the various courses and extracurricular programs West charlotte offers. They’ll even play a round of “West Charlotte trivia” to learn some of the venerable history and traditions of the school. After touring the campus, students will have lunch in the auditorium, followed by a “rap session” with current West Charlotte students.

"This school has an incredible history and we want to help instill that sense of pride and excitement about becoming a future Lion,” said Williams. “At the same time, we want rising freshman to be better prepared for the big differences they’ll encounter in high school, compared to middle school. If they are more familiar with the campus, know what to expect and perhaps see a familiar face when they return in the fall, then they will be more confident and excited about high school and all that goes with it.”

December 6 Agenda – “Future Lions Day”

9:30 – 10:15 am Welcome – Auditorium
• WCHS Band, Cheerleaders, and Jr. ROTC
• West Charlotte Trivia
• Remarks from Asst. Principal Ms. Timisha Barnes-Jones, CIS Executive Director Molly Shaw, and Freshman Academy Director Ms. Alexandria Elliott

10:15 – 11:55 Concurrent Tours of the Campus

11:55 – 12:15 Lunch - Auditorium

12:15 – 1:00 Open Rap Session with Student Leaders - Auditorium

1:00 – 1:15 Closing and Dismissal

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Communities In Schools (CIS) surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. An affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network, CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg serves over 7,000 students annually in 45 high-need Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools who are most at-risk for dropping out. As the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization , Communities In Schools is helping build a stronger local community where every child is capable of reaching his or her greatest potential. www.cischarlotte.org

Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment For Transformation) is a philanthropic initiative composed of leaders from Charlotte’s largest community and family foundations. Project L.I.F.T. aims to accelerate the improvement of academic outcomes for children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools West Charlotte corridor. www.projectliftcharlotte.org

The Choice Bus takes a three week tour in North Carolina counties

Charlotte, NC - For the next three weeks, students in 10 North Carolina counties will experience The Choice Bus – the nation’s first mobile experience dedicated to reducing the dropout rate. Communities In Schools of North Carolina has partnered with The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation to help increase the graduation rate and teach students the importance of their decisions, especially the decision to stay in school. An estimated 2,000 students will have the opportunity to board the bus. In Mecklenburg County, The Choice Bus will be at Vance High School on Monday, November 5 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:45 pm.

This is not the first time The Choice Bus has been to North Carolina. Since 2008, when the bus was first introduced, Communities In Schools of North Carolina and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction made sure students across the state took advantage of this interactive tool.

“We know how important it is for our students to not only stay in school, but make the right choices too,” said Linda Harrill, President and CEO of Communities In Schools of North Carolina. “That’s why we continually leverage our partnership with The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation and find opportunities to bring The Choice Bus to our students.”

Close to 10,000 students in North Carolina have experienced The Choice Bus since 2008, and that number will grow after the bus visits students over the next three weeks.

“When we had an opportunity to bring The Choice Bus to Mecklenburg County, we had to have it here for our students; they need to see first-hand the consequences of not staying in school,” said Molly Shaw, Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

The Choice Bus is half-prison cell and half-classroom setting, and gives students an opportunity to think about the choice of staying in school and pursuing their education versus dropping out of school. The bus will visit several counties, including Catawba, Cleveland, Guilford, Lee, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Robeson, Rowan and Wilkes from October 30 to November 16.

The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation develops tools educators can use to encourage students to stay in school, but maintains that no tool is more powerful than building solid relationships with students, families and communities.

“This partnership has been a wonderful surprise for the Foundation,” said Phil Christian, Executive Director of The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation. “The Choice Bus has spent a considerable amount of time in North Carolina because of CIS of North Carolina, and we are thankful for the opportunity to impact students here to make the right choice to pursue their dreams.”

Additionally, the Foundation has created InsideOut, a 26-minute documentary that features prison inmates sharing their stories of regret for not getting an education and Bewhoyouwanna beSM, a career mentorship program for ages 7-13.

To learn more about The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, visit www.mattiecstewart.org.

About Communities In Schools of North Carolina
Communities In Schools of North Carolina is part of the national CIS group, the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization, and the only one proven to both decrease dropout rates and increase on-time graduation. During the 2010-2011 school year, the CIS network in North Carolina worked with more than 143,000 youth and their families across the state, empowering 98 percent of its high school students to remain in school. For more information, please visit www.cisnc.org or call 1-800-849-8881.

About Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc.
The mission of Communities In Schools (CIS) is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg currently serves over 7,800 students in 44 high poverty Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools who are most at-risk for dropping out. As an affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network and the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization, CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg is helping build a stronger local community where every child is capable of reaching his or her greatest potential. www.cischarlotte.org

About The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation
The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the dropout rate. The Foundation was established in honor of Dr. Shelley Stewart’s late mother, Mattie C. Stewart, in the summer of 2007 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Its primary corporate partner is o2ideas, Inc., a corporate communications and brand relations firm also based in Birmingham. The mission of the Foundation is to create tools and resources to help educators, community leaders and parents effectively address the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate. The Foundation also partners with America’s Promise Alliance, Communities In Schools, the National Dropout Prevention Center, PepsiCo, Shelby County, State Farm and Verizon Wireless. For more information, visit www.mattiecstewart.org.

For more information, contact:

Phil Christian, Mattie C. Stewart Foundation
205.616.2061

Charlotte Media Contact:
May Johnston, Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg
704.943.9447

Charlotte, NC – The Leon Levine Foundation announced today it will support Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg (CIS) by offering a $100,000 matching gift challenge grant. Donations made to CIS by new donors – or donations that represent an increased gift by a current donor – will be matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000 if made between now and December 31, 2012.

“We are thrilled and excited about this generous opportunity,” said Molly Shaw, CIS Executive Director. “This grant will have a huge impact on our ability to broaden our donor base by attracting new donors as well as larger donations. Further, it will allow us to meet the community’s growing needs and serve more students, as well as continue programming to the children we currently serve in 44 Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools.”

Communities In Schools’ mission is to help disadvantaged students stay in school and graduate from high school. CIS takes a holistic approach to increasing graduation rates in Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools by addressing the physical, emotional and academic needs of children and their families through direct case-management and a comprehensive range of services for students in grades Pre-K through 12. By determining students’ needs and surrounding them with a community of support through relationships established with local businesses, social services agencies, health care providers, faith communities, and civic and other volunteer organizations, CIS helps thousands of students each year to be successful in school and prepared for life after high school. Of the 5,735 students enrolled in CIS during the 2010-11 school year, 99% stayed in school; 93% were promoted to the next grade; and 624 CIS seniors graduated with a high school diploma.

“Strengthening PreK-12 public education and providing post-secondary access for disadvantaged students is one of the key tenets of The Levine Foundation’s mission,” said Tom Lawrence, Executive Director of The Leon Levine Foundation. “We believe Communities In Schools’ mission to help kids stay in school and graduate, along with the organization’s demonstrated track record of success, aligns perfectly with our mission. Most important, the entire Charlotte community will benefit if CIS is able to reach more students and provide them with the resources they need to become high school graduates and productive citizens. We’re optimistic that this ‘challenge grant’ will be met with resounding success.”

To learn more about Communities In Schools and to make a gift that will be matched by The Leon Levine Foundation, visit www.cischarlotte.org and click on the “Donate Now” tab. Or donations may be mailed to Communities In Schools, Attn: Development Office, 601 E. 5th Street, Suite 300, Charlotte, NC 28202.

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About Communities In Schools
The mission of Communities In Schools (CIS) is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. During the 2011-12 school year, CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg served over 6,800 students in 44 high poverty Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools who were most at-risk for dropping out. As an affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network and the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization, CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg is helping build a stronger local community where every child is capable of reaching his or her greatest potential. www.cischarlotte.org

About The Leon Levine Foundation
The Leon Levine Foundation, located in Charlotte, NC, is an independent private foundation dedicated to improving the human condition in the areas of education, healthcare, Jewish religion and human services. Find out more at www.leonlevinefoundation.org.