Communities In Schools’ Response to Hurricane Katrina

Communities In Schools, the nation's leading drop-out prevention network, has created a fund specifically targeting the needs of school-aged children impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The Communities In Schools National Katrina Fund will help stabilize and assist Hurricane Katrina victims.

National Fund Goal
The CIS National Katrina Fund will provide immediate and long-term assistance to young people and families affected by Katrina. The fund will support the CIS local affiliates and state offices - in the region and throughout the network - that are impacted by the hurricane and/or making a home for those who have relocated due to Katrina. The fund will enable the CIS network to continue doing its part in providing victims of Katrina with the CIS Five Basics.

Objectives
The Communities In Schools National Katrina Fund will support:

1. Immediate financial/in-kind support to operational local affiliates directly affected by the hurricane, to keep operations stable and allow affiliates to respond to extraordinary needs. The CIS national office has designated a team of staff (The Katrina Team) to coordinate this effort and work most appropriately with the three local affiliates.
2. Immediate financial/in-kind support to operational local affiliates working directly with displaced families, to keep operations stable and allow affiliates to respond to extraordinary needs. The Katrina Team will convene a national committee (CIS National Katrina Committee) of local affiliates and state offices to support the network's efforts to provide young people and families what they need to get their lives back on track.
3. Long-term financial/in-kind support to local affiliates in the region affected by Katrina, to rebuild their work of providing a safety net for young people and their families. The Katrina Team will work closely with the three local affiliates to support their long-term organizational stability, and to ensure their ability to serve young people and families while supporting the work of local schools.
4. Operation of a website that coordinates the CIS network response by providing opportunities to donate money and time, and provides up-to-date information about the network's efforts to support victims of Katrina. The website will serve as a resource for displaced families; it will also feature successful practices used by local affiliates and state offices in response to Katrina.

Partners
Capital One Financial Corporation, a Communities In Schools partner, has stepped forward with an initial contribution of $250,000 toward the national fund. In addition to the National Katrina Fund, Communities in Schools affiliates across the country, including those in North Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, and Washington, are conducting individual fundraising activities to support children and families affected by Katrina.