Annual Breakfast to Celebrate Student Success

They’re going to eat – and celebrate student success.

Communities In Schools of Lakewood will host its annual Champions for Youth breakfast next Wednesday to showcase how the organization is changing the lives of the city’s youth. The fundraiser, which begins at 7 a.m. at at Lakewood Towne Center, will feature Lt. Governor Brad Owen as the keynote speaker.

Co-chair of the Washington State Mentors Board of Directors, Owen is dedicated to increasing the number of mentors in the state, knowing the vital role they play in helping students succeed.

Communities In Schools of Lakewood partners with Washington State Mentors to provide mentors for local students, primarily through its Champions Mentoring program, which provides academic support to students in grades 4-12.

“We try to inspire people to support kids and support organizations that support kids,” said Dave O’Keeffe, executive director of Communities In Schools of Lakewood. “Sometimes, all it takes is a caring adult or a tutor or someone caring in their life, to turn their life around and help them do better in school and graduate.”

Communities In Schools of Lakewood has been around since 1993 and impacts about 1,500 children in Lakewood every year through its programs and basic-needs support.

“We’ve been offering programs that help students at risk at dropping out of school,” O’Keeffe said. “Our organization is here to help them in school and graduate on time.”

Kimberly Prentice, director of community relations for the Clover Park School District and a longtime board member of Communities In Schools of Lakewood, said that the program’s “homespun” nature is key to its success.

“It is tailored to the needs of our students; not a cookie-cutter program that goes from district to district,” she said. “Communities In Schools of Lakewood really gears its programs towards our needs, so that is really positive.”

O’Keeffe said that he has seen the numbers of students graduating increasing every year, “and we’re part of the solution.”

He said that about 260 students “on the bubble” are enrolled in after-school programs to receive the extra support they need to pass tests and stay on grade level. Most of the students are in grades 7-10 and enjoy one-on-one contact with an adult.

O’Keeffe said that about 15 adults recently signed up to become mentors, and that about 10 children, mostly boys, are on the waiting list.

“We are getting a lot of caring adults coming through to meet with kids,” he said.

The breakfast traditionally draws a mix of educators, business owners and the city’s leadership to support Communities In Schools of Lakewood. More than $25,000 was raised last year.

Attendees will learn about how Communities In Schools of Lakewood has delivered upon the Five Promises – and meet selected students from the CPSD who have benefited from the Champions Mentoring program.

“This is a fun way to support the organization,” Prentice said. “A lot of times you go to auctions or dinner events or something, but this is a pretty easy and fun event to attend. You get to have breakfast and you get to listen to the successes that the program has experienced and hear from students who have benefited from the after-school programs and mentoring.”

Money raised at the breakfast will support Communities In Schools of Lakewood’s After-School, Champions Mentoring and Readiness to Learn programs. There is no charge to attend, but a $50 donation is requested.

O’Keeffe said such programs are crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty in the area.

“A lot of the kids in Lakewood come from a poor household,” he said. “If they can’t succeed in school, they’re going to follow on the same path as their parents.”

He elaborated that the only way to help those kids is to get them through high school and on to college or a technical school.

“It’s the only way we’re going to get kids out of these low-income situations,” he said.

For information or reservations to the breakfast, contact 253-589-7489 or kidsandfamilies@cislakewood.org.