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Wells Fargo Foundation donates $200,000 to Communities In Schools in support of its Differentiated Services programming delivery

Charlotte, NC – Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg (CIS-Charlotte) is pleased to announce that Wells Fargo Bank has donated $200,000 to the organization, a significant increase for this year. The Wells Fargo Foundation grant is primarily intended to help CIS-Charlotte continue to strengthen and deliver its wrap-around services to students in 46 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ sites through its enhanced differentiated services programming model in its second year of implementation. 

The differentiated services model for delivering case-management and Integrated Student Supports (ISS) to students consists of four levels of intensity delivered by specialized CIS Site Coordinators who address specific needs with evidence and research-based interventions through a developmental relationship: 

• addressing chronic, crisis-ridden student and family situations; 
• addressing chronic absenteeism and other barriers to learning;
• ensuring attendance, academic and behavior support and stabilization; 
• and providing academic/cultural enrichment, life skills coaching, social capital and exposure as well as post-secondary planning and options.

Molly Shaw, CIS-Charlotte’s president and CEO, said this enhanced service delivery approach will benefit students through more targeted intervention and support based on individualized student needs. 

“Simply put, differentiated services will allow us to provide students with the right kind of support, in the right amount, at the right time,” said Shaw. “Wells Fargo’s longstanding support and generous increased gift this year will help us fill critical gaps in schools where high concentrations of poverty exist and provide additional training and specialized skill development for program staff.”   

Wells Fargo has been a longtime major supporter of Communities In Schools and was one of the original corporations (then First Union National Bank) that helped initiate Communities In Schools in Charlotte in 1985. Jay Everette, Senior Community Relations Manager with Wells Fargo Social Responsibility Group, says the company is proud to support CIS and its mission to provide thousands of local students with the resources they need to be successful in school and in life.

“Wells Fargo believes that CIS-Charlotte has the vision and a strong plan to help students and their families make life-changing progress,” said Everette. “On a broader level, we believe that CIS-Charlotte’s differentiated services approach will not only support improved outcomes for students and their families in the short-term, but can ultimately lead to more systemic change for future generations. This is one of the anticipated outcomes we are most excited about.”

CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg is an affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network and is dedicated to keeping kids in school and helping them succeed in life. Locally, CIS-Charlotte provides case management services to 6,400+ students annually in 46 Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. An additional 27,000 students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg are supported by CIS each year through school-wide programming and volunteer-resource coordination at those same schools. 

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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. Communities In Schools uses an evidence-based model, implemented by trained site coordinators, to connect students and their families to critical education and community-based resources. This involves working hand-in-hand with schools, partners, communities and families to identify students’ unique needs and surround them with a caring network of support. Find out more at www.cischarlotte.org