Donation brings Nevada Gold Mines’ total contribution to the nonprofit to more than $3.3 million over the past 12 years.
Communities In Schools of Nevada received a $320,000 donation from Nevada Gold Mines (NGM), a joint venture between Barrick (61.5%) and Newmont (38.5%), that aims to create value and deliver economic benefits to the Silver State. This donation, an annual monetary commitment to the organization, continues to help maintain and expand CIS’ Integrated Student Supports, the nonprofit’s evidence-based holistic approach to promoting academic success and the model on which CIS was built and founded 45 years ago.
NGM’s donation will support ten of CIS’ middle, junior high, and high schools across Clark, Elko, and Humboldt counties, serving over 10,000 students.
“Corporate partners like Nevada Gold Mines are invaluable to the evidence-based programs and services we offer at CIS of Nevada,” said Tami Hance-Lehr, CEO and state director, Communities In Schools of Nevada. “This gift continues to subsidize our Integrated Student Supports, the foundational backbone of CIS that has been proven to positively impact our children. With this investment from Nevada Gold Mines, we can focus on what matters most-connecting kids with caring site coordinators and resources to enable them to succeed in school and life.”
A portion of the funds also supports The PRACTICE Mental Health Clinic, a partnership between CIS and UNLV that offers free tele-counseling to students in northeastern Nevada. The free program provided more than 50 students ages 12 and older with nearly 400 on-site mental health sessions during the 2020-2021 school year.
“NGM is thrilled to be partnering again with Communities In Schools of Nevada. Long-term relationships such as this are incredibly valuable to the communities that they serve and are the types of partnerships that NGM strives for. The positive impact that CIS makes on at-risk students is clear, and we are proud to be able to support that impact. Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed in school and life, and CIS is an excellent example of an organization that effectively eliminates barriers, ensuring that this potential is realized,” said Alissa Wood, head of communities and corporate affairs, Nevada Gold Mines.
In addition, team members from NGM also assist CIS of Northeastern Nevada with winter coat and clothing drives, donating school supplies, Thanksgiving meal distributions, employee giving campaigns, and student sponsorships during holiday gift campaigns.
“For over a decade Nevada Gold Mines has been a crucial piece to the success, sustainability, and growth of CIS of Northeastern Nevada,” said Sarah Goicoechea, executive director of CIS of Northeastern Nevada. “They support our mission and share our ‘all in for kids’ mentality and we are so grateful to have their continued support.”
Since 2009, Barrick (now Nevada Gold Mines, operated by Barrick) has demonstrated its commitment to bettering Nevada’s education, and more importantly, the lives of the state’s students most at-risk of dropping out. Over the past 12 years, NGM operated by Barrick has donated more than $3 million to Communities In Schools of Nevada.
Currently, CIS Nevada operates in 81 high-needs schools across four rural and urban school districts throughout Nevada – that’s nearly one in five Title I or high-needs schools. The organization places full-time site coordinators in enrolled schools to support more than 80,000 students considered at high risk for dropout. CIS’ long-term vision is for every child enrolled in a Title I school to have access to a site coordinator and an Integrated Student Support, otherwise known as wraparound services.
Since 2004, for nearly two decades, CIS of Nevada has demonstrated measurable success in student outcomes. For the 2020-2021 school year, the graduation rate for CIS case-managed high school seniors in Nevada was 92 percent, 13 points higher than the Nevada statewide graduation rate of 79 percent for students on free or reduced lunch, as released by the Nevada Department of Education.
