Communities In Schools of Houston receives Presidential Award of Excellence for supporting community recovery efforts in Uvalde

Communities In Schools of Houston (CIS) received the Presidential Award of Excellence at the recent “All In for Students Awards” luncheon held in conjunction with the annual Leadership Town Hall Conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by its parent organization, Communities In Schools. The award was also presented to CIS Affiliates of Central Texas, San Antonio, South Central and Greater Tarrant County for their leadership and commitment in supporting community recovery efforts in Uvalde, Texas after the May 24 school shooting. Accepting the award on behalf of Communities In Schools of Houston was Shubhra Endley, LCSW-S, Director of Mental Health and Wellness for CIS, who was team lead for the Uvalde effort. The national conference is an opportunity for CIS leaders from across the country to join prominent education thought leaders, policy makers and key school district leaders to discuss community solutions to help students in need. The “All In for Students Awards” has been an annual tradition for CIS since 2007.

The awards, given in several categories, honor, recognize and celebrate the contributions of key alumni, education and funding partners, legislative representatives, businesses, and community leaders who have demonstrated their commitment, expertise, and fulfillment of the mission of CIS: to connect students in need with a caring adult who empowers them to stay in school and succeed in life. “In response to the mass shooting, Communities In Schools of Houston deployed a team of seven mental health professionals to Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD), arriving on Sunday, June 5,” says Lisa Descant, LPC-S, LMFT-S, CEO of Communities In Schools of Houston. “We were there in partnership with UCISD, along with our colleagues from other Texas affiliates, to provide one-on-one and group mental health support to teachers, students and families, as students began the summer session.”