By Ellie Wilson
Thanks to the generosity of Lakewood contributors and sponsors, the youth in our community will be the beneficiaries of $16,000 + which was raised at the March 28th Champions for Youth Breakfast, a benefit hosted by Communities In Schools of Lakewood (CISL).
The CISL breakfast this year kicked off our 20th year of programs for our Lakewood youth, assisting them in a variety of ways to reach their educational goals.
Following the mellow music of the Clover Park High School Chorus and a hearty breakfast served up by Old Country Buffet, our featured speaker, David Pritchard, an assistant football coach at Clover Park High School and co-author, provided an inspirational message on helping kids to thrive in school, intertwined with his own personal experiences.
Melvin Smith, a senior at Clover Park High School and tutor at Tyee Park Elementary, followed with his personal story on how CISL supported him in his quest to reach the goals he had set for himself.
Susan Richards, Director of Washington State Communities In Schools, did a splendid job as MC for the morning events and reminded us in her brief message how important it is to surround our kids with community support. She noted that Lakewood is on the right path, to continue the good work that is being done and to bring others along in those efforts.
A special thank you to our sponsors for our 20th Anniversary Breakfast this year: Harborstone Credit Union, Cindy Thompson, Columbia Bank, LeMay Enterprises, G. Robb Cooper, Dennis Higashiyama, Lakewood Ford, 1st Baptist Church, Pierce College, McDonalds and Key Bank.
Additional donations may be made by contacting CISL at 253-589-7489 or kidsandfamilies@cislakewood.