Dine Out for Kids

Tuesday, June 15, is the 11th Annual Dine Out for Kids event to benefit the Charlotte chapter of Communities in Schools (CIS). 65 local restaurants will give a portion of the day's sales to Communities in Schools. Click here to see the list of restaurants, which includes everything from Bonterra to Brixx to the food service at the airport.

Communities in Schools is "the nation's largest and most effective dropout prevention program." Its services include school-based drop-out prevention, college access and career exploration, support for teen mothers, and working with youthful offenders housed in Jail North. CIS has a philosophy of "5 basics," which include:

• a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult
• a safe place to learn and grow
• a healthy start--a healthy future
• a marketable skill to use upon graduation
• a chance to give back to peers and community

CIS in Charlotte currently serves 4,800 students in 44 selected Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

You may have seen some of the good press on members of the CIS community. The Charlotte Observer has been running a series called "The Graduates" which tells the stories of a handful of CMS high school graduates. One, called "Teen Mom: 'Everyone Told Me It Was The End,'" shared the story of Hawthorne High graduate Olivia Leverette, who was supported by a CIS teen-parenting program. She is off to UNCC with two multi-year scholarships. "Parents Deported, He Pushed On," told the tale of Bill Ngha, who was supported by CIS as he finished his high school education at Philip O. Berry Academy after his parents were deported to Cameroon. Ngha is headed to Georgetown College in Kentucky on a full scholarship.

To Do: Dine out on June 15 to support a program with a great success rate. 97% of the students in CIS Charlotte stay in school. 88% are promoted to the next grade. 94% of the seniors in CIS graduate.