2021 Annual Meeting

It’s called an annual meeting, but it was more like a family reunion. Staff members, board members, school administrators, local elected officials, law enforcement officers, faithful supporters from far and near gathered together for the 2021 Communities Supporting Schools Annual Meeting at Lane Tree Golf Club on December 10th to celebrate another successful year of CSS fulfillment of its mission in serving the youth of Wayne County.

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Selena Bennett, Executive Director of CSS, kicked off the event by highlighting several of the successes CSS has had over the past year on both the school side and the restorative justice side, despite challenges posed by budget constraints and pandemic restrictions.

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The mission of Communities Supporting Schools is to provide opportunities for students to stay in school, graduate and be successful in life. In accomplishment of that mission, CSS has eleven success coaches in nine Wayne County schools who assist students with reading, provide tutoring, and do whatever else is necessary to help students succeed. On the restorative justice end, CSS oversees diversion programs that help steer youth away from the criminal justice system.

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Billy Lassiter, Deputy Secretary of Juvenile Justice at NC Department of Public Safety, was the guest speaker at the annual meeting. Mr. Lassiter spoke about the positive impact that legislation such as Raise the Age has had on juveniles in North Carolina. Drawing from personal experience, Mr. Lassiter stressed the need for effective advocacy for juveniles.

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