Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada Partners with Shania Kids Can Foundation to Empower Students

Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada (CIS), an affiliate of the fifth largest state office of the nation's leading dropout prevention organization, has partnered with Shania Kids Can Foundation (SKC) to meet the needs of underserved students at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, a new addition to CIS' school roster for the 2022-2023 school year.

On Wednesday, Sept. 7, select students from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School met with Shania Twain to help announce the new partnership at a press conference at Zappos Theater inside Planet Hollywood, home of Shania Twain "Let's Go!" The Las Vegas Residency.

"We are so grateful to Shania and the Shania Kids Can Foundation for supporting our mission to remove barriers that prevent students from learning and for enabling us to expand our reach into Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School," said Debbie Palacios, executive director, Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada. "Thanks to this partnership, we've opened a special CIS Resource Room appropriately called the Shania Kids Can Clubhouse that is operated by one of our full-time CIS coordinators who provides mentorship, resources and services to students who need them. Seeing celebrities like Shania Twain do such good things in our community is truly inspiring, and we can't wait to see the positive difference it will have on the students at Martin Luther King Jr. ES."

"I am so excited for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School to join the Shania Kids Can Foundation family," said Shania Twain. "Growing up, I struggled financially, and I recall all too often going to school hungry, which affected my ability to focus, learn and enjoy school. While I didn't always have the courage to ask for help, I believe organizations like Communities In Schools are finding new ways to reach students who need the help, whether it's food, clothing, school supplies or just someone to talk to. I'm rooting for all the students at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School who have so much potential to succeed in school and in life."

Martin Luther King Jr. ES is one of 11 new CIS schools this year that is expanding CIS' reach to 65 schools in Southern Nevada, or one in five Title I schools, supporting more than 74,000 K-12 students. Statewide, CIS has grown to 91 schools, an expansion made possible, thanks in part, to public and private partners like SKC.

Founded by music icon, Shania Twain, SKC's dedication to educating and empowering children so they may succeed in life goes hand-in-hand with CIS' evidence-based model that provides wraparound services to improve academic performance and graduation rates among underserved students. Thanks to this new partnership, a CIS site coordinator at Martin Luther King Jr. ES will develop meaningful relationships with vulnerable students to identify needs and barriers they face that prevent them from learning. Site coordinators tap into a community-wide network of agency partners, nonprofits and resources to provide students with whatever they need, including school supplies, new shoes and clothes, emergency food and hygiene items, medical/dental/vision/mental health services, to name a few.

For the 2020-2021 school year, the graduation rate for CIS case-managed high school seniors in Nevada was 92 percent, 13 points higher than the Nevada statewide graduation rate of 79 percent for students on free or reduced lunch, as released by the Nevada Department of Education.

About Communities In Schools of Nevada

Communities In Schools of Nevada (CIS) is the fifth-largest state office of the nation's leading evidence-based dropout prevention organization that believes every child has potential - regardless of race, zip code or socioeconomic background - but may lack equal opportunity to succeed. CIS places caring, well-trained, full-time employees in underserved schools to build trusting relationships with students and families, assess their needs and remove the barriers they face to learn and graduate. CIS taps into a network of more than 120 agencies and nonprofits to meet student needs - literally bringing the community into the schools it serves. CIS has innovated ways to collaborate with partners during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure continuity of care, meeting students online, at home, or in the community to provide supports. Included in CIS' strategies and culture are principles and practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a result, CIS breaks down immediate and systemic barriers to create and sustain equitable outcomes. In total, CIS serves more than 90,000 students, including 13 schools in Western Nevada, 13 schools in Northeastern Nevada, and 65 schools in Southern Nevada. Nationally, Communities In Schools provides services in more than 2,900 schools in 26 states and the District of Columbia, serving 1.7 million young people and their families every year. For more information, visit http://www.cisnevada.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

About Shania Kids Can

Founded in 2010 by artist and advocate Shania Twain, Shania Kids Can (SKC) partners with elementary schools to provide a safe place within the school where students can go for help. The goal in the SKC Clubhouse is to support students by offering a program that increases academic achievement, improves emotional development, improves mental health, and provides nutritional support. SKC provides children with one-on-one consultations, academic tutoring, group activities as well as nutritious snacks and meal programs where needed, all while in the safe, confidence-building environment that is the Shania Kids Can Clubhouse. These children are learning the skills to cope with and overcome family hardships which, in turn improves their ability to succeed in school. Shania Kids Can not only has a positive effect on the children in the program, but it has also been proven to play an integral part in improvements to the entire school community as well as for the teachers, parents, and the community at large. For more information visit www.shaniakidscan.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Shania Kids Can US Ltd is a registered, non-profit 501(c)(3) charity and Shania Kids Can is a Canadian registered Charity (charitable registration number 80435 4652 RR0001).

Photo Credit: Baylee Jo Lorrick

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