Communities Who Make A Difference

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Communities Who Make A Difference! Amanda
Atkins Graduation Coach Region 1/Lakeview Ft.
Oglethorpe High School/Catoosa County
Schools Phone [phone] x 112 Email
aatkins.lfo_at_catoosa.k12.ga.us
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How to start community partnership?

• Identifying needs in your school community.
• Educate the community on what types of students
  we are serving.
• Break the community into groups including
  mentors, financial sponsors, tutors, and school
  and county partners.
• Show the community the benefits of getting
  involved.
• Provide data to support all your needs.
• Allow students to speak on behalf of their
  schools.
• Allow community partners to have an active role
  in the schools.

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Where Do I Find Community Partners?

• Local Churches
• Family owned business
• Local Franchises
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Local Colleges
• Companies that make tee-shirts, screen printing
• Fast Food Restaurants
• Local companies needing to hire employees
• Local Chamber of Commerce
• Local Banks
• Retired School Teachers Substitute Teachers

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How do I start building an effective Partnership?

• If you feed them they will come!
• Allow students to do the talking!
• Show data that confirms how they can make a
  difference!
• Relate it to the future, not just the present!
• WIFIM Whats In It For Me!
• Be organized and know your needs before you meet!
  
• Make sure you allow them to decide what will be
  the best fit for them in your partnership!

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What types of things can Community Partners Do?

• Mentoring
• Support Continued Education
• Career Growth Development
• Sponsor Events
• Assist with Grants
• Be an adult figure in the schools
• Help with recognition
• Provide community service opportunities
• Financial support and assistance

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WIFIM Whats In It For Me!

• Let the Community partners know that this will
  not only benefit the schools, the students, but
  also their businesses.
• Personal gratification, nothing feels better than
  unselfishly helping someone.
• Individual growth. Normally, our students teach
  us more than we can ever teach them.
• Setting an example What better example can we
  give our own children.
• An opportunity to improve schools for the future
  of our children, grandchildren, and future
  teachers!

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Examples of Effective Community Partnerships!

• Dalton College
• Northwestern Technical College
• Sew Cool Embroidery
• TANDUS
• Will Work 4 Kids
• Russ Blakely Associates
• 1st Presbyterian Church
• 6th Calvary Museum
• Look Out Mountain Community Services
• McDonalds

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Examples of what our Community Partners can
Accomplish

• 75 PLC students all had mentors for the entire
  school year that met at least 30 minutes monthly.
• Over 14 events took place at the Catoosa PLC and
  they were all funded by partners.
• Graduation was attended by 18 people in the
  community that had no ties to the county other
  than the students they met through partnership.
• Continued relationships even after graduation
  occurred to help high school graduates make the
  transaction to college , or the work force.
• 13 out of 44 graduates from the Catoosa PLC were
  enrolled, and receiving full financial aide for
  Dalton College by the end of July.
• 11 teen parents _at_ the PLC received services
  through Parents As Teachers last school year,
  along with the other two local high schools
  serving over 30 more teen parents.
• Students partnered with Communities In Schools to
  help raise over 10,000.00 in a local 5k run.

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Brain Storm!

• Make a list of three prospective partners.
• List three things that can be accomplished with
  these partners.

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Questions?

• Amanda Atkins
• Graduation Coach
• Region 1/Lakeview Ft. Oglethorpe High
  School/Catoosa County Schools
• Phone [phone] x 112
• Email aatkins.lfo_at_catoosa.k12.ga.us