Communities In Schools Of Kalamazoo

Mentoring/tutoring - cis recruits, screens, and connects volunteers from the community to students who can benefit from a positive one-on-one relationship with an adult and/or additional academic assistance. 452 volunteers from the faith community, local colleges/universities, community businesses, city government, and 9 push-in tutors provided 1,413 hours of in class support to approximately 300 algebra i students, and the general community provided 11,002 hours of service in 2024-25.

Health - cis health initiatives address physical, mental and social emotional health. In 2024-25 cis continued to coordinate services with community partners that lead to the following services being provided: 66 students received vision assistance; 300 students received mental health service; food packs distributed during school totalled 20,458; five full service and five partial service school based pantries provided assistance on 11,761 occasions; and 21,970 basic need items were distributed.

Scholarships and grant making - through cis, students who graduate from high school have opportunities to qualify for and receive scholarships through various endowed funds held at the kalamazoo community foundation. Cis provides assistance to students applying for scholarships and oversees various advisory committees involved in selecting scholarship recipients.