HOUSTON — Communities in Schools of Houston received a large, unprecedented donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The nonprofit, dedicated to surrounding students with a community of support, announced the gift from Scott Thursday.
Ana Troya is a Student Support Manager at Bush Elementary in Alief ISD. She's also a part of CIS of Houston's network of 200 specialists.
"Our goal is to cover any necessities, any needs that our students are showing here at school or at home,” she said.
The specialists work alongside school staff providing support services at over 160 campuses in the Greater Houston area.
"Every day is different. You meet different kids that might need you on a regular basis but also have kids that need a jacket today or shoes or something that,” said Troya.
Their services are set to expand. The national nonprofit Communities in Schools received a $133.5 million dollar donation from Scott. The program's Houston division will receive $13 million from her donation.
Linda Buchman is the Associate Superintendent for Communications & Community Engagement with Spring Branch ISD. She’s worked closely with the CIS program, saying the specialists fill a unique gap between schools and their students.
“Last year, for an example during the pandemic, we had one school that couldn’t find about 50 to 60 of the students," she explained. "They sent their CIS colleagues out to the neighborhood and we were able to bring almost all of those kids back."
Communities in Schools of Houston has also partnered with KHOU 11 helping to identify a school to adopt through our Education Station initiative.
As the program sees an increased demand for their services, Troya believes MacKenzie Scott's donation will have a lasting impact.
“I feel for these services we’re going to see a bigger need. I’m excited we got this donation.”
Editor's Note: The following video was uploaded in June 2021.