Testimonials
Heritage Elementary school has received the honor of partnering with Cliff’s Residents Outreach for the 2008-2009 school year. As the guidance counselor for the school I have the great job of working hand in hand with not only the director of the program but also the residents. It has been such a gift to work and serve so many of our Heritage Families. With the changing economy and the crisis that our country is in, our families are desperate for help.
One family that CRO was able to help this year is a family near and dear to my heart. We will call them Family X. The mother of family X came into my office one morning in August. She was crying and clearly distraught. She had an infant in her arms and a three year old in tow. She also has a son in our K-4 class and a nephew in our first grade class, which she is the legal guardian. Her husband was having legal problems and being detained in Atlanta. She was left with four children and no income, bills, medical payments, no food and diapers in the house. We were able to help her with her debt; we hooked her up with resources for legal aid, bought her diapers and formula and started her family in the backpack program. Since that day in August we have helped her with finding a job, working on completion of her GED and made sure that the children’s needs were met. Heritage could not have helped this family with out the help and resources of CRO.
Thanks to CRO we have helped many families with items such as clothing, medical vouchers, food vouchers, scholarships for field trips, Christmas, bills, eye exams and glasses and so much more. We serve 12 families with the Backpack program and provide healthy snacks for six kindergarten classes. It is an honor to be affiliated with such a great program and Heritage is grateful to have such wonderful people giving back to our community.
Carrie Pulley
Heritage Elementary
School Counselor
It is difficult to know where to even begin expressing our very sincere gratitude to the Cliffs Residents Outreach program. As Title I Facilitator at Slater-Marietta Elementary, I see many varied needs. All Title I schools are identified due to their high percentage of low income families. As is usually the case, those with less suffer more during financially stressful times. The needs vary widely from students needing school supplies to parents needing assistance with rental fees, utility bills, or food. Many of our students do not have health insurance and need assistance with health related issues such as medications, dental care, and eye care. Also, the stress of the Christmas holidays was greatly relieved with the assistance of the CRO and numerous other community partners.
While there are numerous community agencies on which we rely to assist our families, few come without restrictions and timelines for service. It is extremely beneficial for us to have the availability of the resources at the CRO and your wonderful director, Marilyn Neves. When a sudden need arises, we only need call or email Marilyn with the situation and magically, our students’ and/or families’ needs are met!
A few examples of this include: providing backpacks of food to insure some of our families do not go hungry over the weekend or long school breaks; providing Ingles’ gift certificates to insure some families are able to enjoy a traditional holiday meal without the extra burden of cost; providing Christmas gifts for students when all other resources had been exhausted; providing clothes and hygiene items for a special project; providing school supplies for students; and assisting students and parents with eye glasses when no other resources are available. During these trying times, to have the resources of the CRO at our disposal is a great burden lifted from those of us dealing with crisis on a daily basis. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The seeds you sow today will “pay it forward” in many lives. We may not see the trees that grow, but know you have planted the seeds that will grow and flourish for years to come.
Paulette Megee
Title I Facilitator
Slater-Marietta Elementary
The Cliff’s Resident Outreach program has blessed our children and families in ways that are too numerous to count. A majority of the families in the Holly Springs attendance area are self-employed and are having a difficult time to say the least. Some of the families opted not to accept the generosity of the CRO program at first, but then as their personal situations became more serious, the families extended a hand in a request for help. CRO was there to take their hand and lead them through the holidays, providing support and peace of mind. So many times, these parents and grandparents have been brought to tears in their appreciation, referring to “the kind folks who helped me when I needed it most” as a gift from God. To see the children return to school in their new clothes, touched the hearts of all. In this day, it is very rare that a community of people take such interest in truly helping their neighbors. For all you have done, and continue to do for our precious children and families, I thank you.
Sincerely,
Donna Harden, principal
Holly Springs Elementary School
Pickens, South Carolina
CRO offers possibilities to students at Tigerville that otherwise would not be available. Over the last couple of years they have provided healthy snacks for needy children in classrooms, provided back-pack food over weekends for several struggling families, paid for field trips for students whose parents could not afford for them to go, and even helped families pay living expenses during extenuating circumstances. We feel blessed to be the recipients of such a self-less group of individuals. They are kind, considerate, and very careful about the privacy of the children involved. They are like silent angels who watch over our young flock and we appreciate the countless hours that they volunteer to help our families.
Regina Urueta, Principal
Tigerville Elementary School
