The Need:  When teachers had not heard from four siblings since school closed abruptly in March, Communities In Schools of San Antonio (CIS-SA) Site Coordinator, Monica Williams joined efforts with a local teacher to reconnect with them.

How CIS-SA Helped:   Monica reached out to the family to see what obstacles were preventing them from participating in the virtual classroom. After making some phone calls, she was able to locate them at a hotel and arranged to meet the children at the grandmother’s house. Monica and the teacher showed them how to log-in and use their Google classroom on their school-provided Chromebooks.  Recognizing the family had additional needs, Monica brought food, school supplies, and pet food for the children’s dogs.

The Impact: As a result, the family now has the resources they need and students are re-engaged in school.

The Need: Bianca Valdez, CIS-SA Site Coordinator, has been working with a grandmother who is the sole caregiver for her two grandchildren. The grandmother often worried about how she was going to continue to be the breadwinner, loving caregiver, and now teacher in the midst of a pandemic.

How CIS-SA Helped:  Bianca helped get the grandmother to a place where she did not feel overwhelmed and alone. She assessed the needs of the family and connected them resources to ensure they had what they needed at home and for school

The Impact: Because of Bianca's support, this family now has food, electricity and hope that better days are coming.