good morning. this is "news 4 your sunday." >> good sunday morning. i'm pat lawson muse. summer passing quickly. soon it will be time to send the children back to school. this summer nbc 4 is bringing backpacks for kids back and adding an additional element, supporting our schools, coordinated efforts to make sure our students are ready when it's time for classes to start again. you can help. we'll tell you how over the next few minutes. we want to take a look at what three local school systems are doing right now to help the student succeed in the classroom. our guests are ellen london, executive director of the group communities in schools of the nation's capital. cathy ryan, communications support specialist with the

office in fairfax public county schools. barbara holtstreater, partnerships officer with the prince george's public county schools, in the office of strategic and external affairs. very long titles and appropriate because you all do a lot of work. thank you so much for being with us this morning. so while all the kids are at the beach or camp and the parents are enjoying summer, you all are very, very busy. in fact, this is one of the busiest times of year for you. cathy? >> yes, our very busiest time working with our business and community partners, the county government and other groups to raise funds for school supplies and collect backpacks for students in need. >> barbara, you and ellen are doing pretty much the same thing but in your own county? >> we are. we're very excited to be here. most importantly, that we can really share what we're doing for the students of prince george's college and county, i should say. so we have our back to school sale on saturday, august the 26

donation forth 10,000 backpacks. we are excited to move forward with that as well. >> that's more than you had been anticipating. >> probably triple. we changed the venue to the prince george's stadium. we have some amazing sponsors and partners, negro league, legends hall of fame is one of our great sponsors. we're moving towards making a difference so the students can start a successful school year from day one. >> ellen, tell us what communities in schools does. >> communities in schools, we're the local affiliate of the nation's largest dropout prevention program. what we do is partner with a school and dcps, we're in 11 public schools, we work with the principal and the parents and the kids to identify their needs, then we put a plan in to address them year round. so we really work to remove all the barriers that can get in the way of kids either getting to school or being ready to learn once they're

>> you work primarily with d.c. schools? >> right, my affiliate, we're just in d.c. public schools. >> cathy, how do you begin -- how many students are you working with? fairfax county system is one of the largest in the region. >> it is. >> also one of the wealthiest. >> it is. what people don't realize is we have over 50,000 students in fairfax county public schools that receive meals assistance, lunch and breakfast. we work over the summer months to get backpacks to schools plus for those kids so they can start their first day of school just like everybody else. >> and the need goes beyond just backpacks? >> it's backpacks, school supplies. we work with businesses and community groups to have coat drives and shoe drives. those are throughout the year. efforts throughout the year. to get them so they feel equal. to the student sitting next to them who comes from a family that's not struggling. >> what about the picture in prince george's

>> the picture is getting greater and greater. with this, our seventh annual back to school sale, as i was driving here today we just received an announcement that we're getting over 2,000 backpacks from the educational system's federal credit union. working with corporate partners from a small business owner to a faith-based organization to national companies, they realize the need to help our students. because our students are our future generation. >> you said the need is greater. >> it is greater. >> what is fueling the need this time around in prince george's? >> in the county we realize, very similar to fairfax county, a lot of people will see us as a somewhat of a wealthy county. but we have about 50,000 students part of the title i program inside the beltway and part of northern county. we don't look at that as is there a need? but there is a need. even need for mentoring and tutoring and a way to give back. so we can partner with those business organizations. we can make a difference. and that's our goal, to have a

business partner in every one of our schools and we know we can do that. >> ellen, do you work with businesses? do your businesses adopt schools in the district if. >> yeah, we have some partnerships with a number of businesses. and i think the strength of our program is that we can build a partnership with, for example, the gap in banana republic that can benefit all our schools. and the more we were talking about how this is all relationship-based. when you can start a relationship with an organization or a business, it can benefit not just one school but maybe help address a lot of the issues. they do these things you're talking about. holiday drives. some businesses where the workforce has flexible hours and they can do more things maybe during the after-school program or a saturday event. >> we're going to take a break and continue our talk about supporting our schools and backpacks for kids in just a moment, stay with us.

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we're talking about getting students ready for school in september, coming quickly. cathy, you have title i schools in fairfax. what does title i mean in fairfax county schools? >> part of that, part of the title i -- actually title i schools is free/reduced lunch, students receive meal assistance. fairfax county, title i are elementary schools only. of our 140 elementary schools, 45 are title i. but then we also have middle schools and high schools who also have high poverty rates as well, high students, number of students on free and reduced lunch meals. >> the numbers are a little different in prince george's? >> a tad bit. we have about 70-something schools and 46,000 students that are part of the title i, again receiving the free and reduced lunch and breakfast program. we're also finding out that they have a need for parent volunteers. they have a need for the apple

i just received a call the other day from a company that's going to donate 80 computers to one of our title i schools. so that's exciting to know our business partners really want to work with particular schools and really make a difference in what they're doing as well. >> ellen, title i schools in the district are elementary, middle and high school? >> uh-huh, yep, about 78% of the schools are title i in dcps. >> you are not only working with businesses but encourage parents to work with title i schools? >> definitely. there are always things that can be done. and as we said, we have a site coordinator at the school. we have a venue, an avenue into the school to provide a meaningful engagement for volunteers and businesses that are going to fill the needs of the schools. working with the principals who have the ability to define what that principal is looking for. it could be college expleergs programs, it could be field

trips. people are interested in getting kids to see a different part of their own city. there's lots of ways to engage people. >> do you find that most people who don't have children in the school system don't take that much of an interest in what the schools are doing or what the schools may need? like a copier or they get the grass cut or to get supplies for the children? do most people just not think about it? or do you find most people are plugged into their school? >> i think in fairfax county, i do believe that they are plugged in, they do understand what it takes to -- there's a lot that runs the school, a large school system, it takes a lot. but i do believe the community does understand. >> people depend a lot on the school system, they depend on your budgets, on the government to give the schools all they need. i do recall one of our neighborhood schools started a community drive to get a copier. and i thought, oh, you all don't have a copier? doesn't e

copier? you know. and then the residents and the community banned -- pulled together, rather, and collected and pooled their resources to buy the school a copier. because they really needed something like that. and i think sometimes people may take for granted that the schools have what they need when they don't. >> and they don't, and i'm glad you share that. oftentimes someone just wants to be asked. a.s.k., we miss that. when we ask the business owner or the aunty or uncle on the corner and say, oh, i didn't know. now we're engaging the community. and it's not just the large corporations. we're engaging the neighbors. that's what we want to do at prince george's county public schools. we want to make sure we engage everyone, from the faith based to the large corporation to the aunty to the uncle to the grandfather, everyone. because guess what, the schools need us. >> and they really appreciate it. >> yeah, they do. >> to see the look on a principal's face when someone walks in and says,

this box of copy paper, or pens or pencils. just to give it to the schools. it makes them so happy. >> it does, it does. one of our largest faith-based organizes has adopted over 20 schools. and they give financially but they also give time. mentoring, tutoring. if they need supplies, they give supplies. we've had a great, great relationship in the community. but now we want to just expand it. as many organizations as possible. >> ellen, you are going to be working with what you call the a abcs in public schools with concentration on wards seven and eight. what are the abcs? and tell us about your focus. >> right. our abcs are attendance, behavior, and course work. these are frequently the things that rise to the top when our principals ask us to help them plan what the year's going to be, what are the extra supports. attendance, always a challenge. we can do

competitions amongst certain home rooms or grades to see who's got the best attendance for the week. there's more that we can do, though. that sometimes involves a home visit where the site coordinator will actually get engaged with the parent and see what might be the reason the kids aren't coming. it can be basic needs. it can be uniforms we talk about, hygiene products, food insecurity. so attendance is a big one. if we can't tackle that, then they're not there for the learning. >> sure. >> the behavior. it can be things like suspensions which get to be serious. that's where the site coordinator can intervene. that's where people can get involved, hey, i'd love to do something during lunch time to talk to kids about self-esteem, or how you get along in mediation and quelling the tiny beasts that they have in elementary school. course work was bringing in tutors and mentors to help. >> you put a site coordinator or partner in each one of the schools that you work with? >> exactly, yeah. 'r

coordinators. >> are they volunteers? >> no. >> they're paid? >> yeah, it's employees. and they have a lot of training in this partner work, but also in working with kids, they have social work backgrounds or education backgrounds. the principal is part of the selection process. they're really a part of the school. then they get to work with the kids every day. also the parents and the community and the longer we can keep them at that school the better their relationships are and the more meaningful the work. >> all right. we'll continue our talk after this, stay with us.

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plus hbo for one year and multi-room dvr service for two years, all with a two-year agreement. and switching has never been easier. get out of your contract with up to a $500 credit to help cover your early termination fee. go to fiosgigabit.com we continue our discussion about the support the schools need. you were telling me one of the things fairfax schools really need are businesses and community groups to dive in with both feet. >> yes. >> and help. >> yes. there are lots of businesses and community groups, faith-b

that we would love to have as partners with our schools. a goal just like with prince george's county, we'd like to have a partner with every school and we aren't there yet. our words are, get involved. call us. let us know where you'd like to help. we will pair you with the school or program or something. mentoring, tutoring, needs based, get to green, lots of different partnership opportunities for groups in fairfax. >> do you think it's difficult because they don't know or because they haven't been asked? >> both. i do think both. they haven't been ask the, they don't know how to ask, they don't know how to help. someone is interested in helping and becoming a partner, let us know and we will happily guide you through it. >> they should call you up and say, hey, i run an i.t. company. >> yes, oh, please. yes, yes. >> and i want to help the school. >> yes. >> i want to adopt a

ideas of what they can do to adopt a school. >> in case they can't come up with any. >> yes. >> do you have the same difficulties, challenges, in prince george's, getting businesses to come to the table or step and up volunteer and say, hey, is there a need, what is the need, how can we fulfill it? >> well, you know, it's interesting. i won't tell you that much of a challenge. we do have people, just this past week, it's been amazing. i've had over five calls from an i.t. organization i've never heard of. she said their president said they have to give back, it's part of their corporate social responsibility. and i said, i have amazing opportunities for you to give back. so it makes a difference. i had lunch with a small church in upper marble, st. john providence, i may be saying it wrong. we talked about back to school and i said, i want a commitment from 2,500 backpacks from faith-based organizations. he said, i'll give you 250 backpacks. so when you have those conversations, i'

have lunch. have breakfast. share what you want. share what you need. and it will make a difference. because at the end of the day they see that these students are in their neighborhoods, in their faith-based organizations, and they will be the future of our generation. we want to do whatever we can now. >> the stronger our communities are and the more supported our students and our schools get, the stronger the environment, the better the environment for the businesses. >> it is. >> you know, where they're operating. you have an interesting relationship with city year. >> yeah, yeah. >> tell us what city year is. >> oh, city year is a remarkable organization, also national, a strong presence in d.c. i think being vista americorps volunteers, near peers, kids that are just out of college or in between and they'll spend a year at a school and volunteer. they go into the classrooms. they do push-ins. sometimes just sit with a

pull the kids out and then help them with their schoolwork. they do a lot of the emotional support as well for the kids. we can be -- i think, gosh, we're in four or five of the same schools. we work really well with them. and in one of our schools we've been in the same office. so -- >> that's part of it. >> exactly, yeah. they know what they're doing with kids, we know what they're doing, we support each other at events. there's a great need to do a lot of events in school that get kids to love their school and feel like they belong and get excited. so whenever we can collaborate, we absolutely do that to lift up the students every day. >> you want kids to want to go did school. >> this is a big part of it. you were talking about -- they want to feel like they're peers, they don't want to feel like they're short of supplies or their uniforms are frayed. you want them to feel very welcomed and that their schools are somewhere they want to

and so this abc piece is made easier by making the culture and the climate of the schooling welcoming. >> we'll be right back. stay with us.

welcome back. kathy, barbara, ellen, what can folks watching this morning do to help you do what you are doing? >> get involved. we have a website called collect 4 kids. collect4kids.org. it lists the different ways individuals and community groups can support our efforts. so we're looking for cash so we can buy school supplies and books. backpacks for kids. and calculators so we can build calculator loan pools in high schools and middle schools. >> all right. so if those are the things you need specifically -- >> yes, yes. >> you need more of those than pep sills and paper? >> well, the cash helps us buy school supplies in bulk.

with our community partners, with collect 4 kids. cash helps a lot. >> barbara? >> saturday, august 26th, our back to school sale. seventh annual. at the stadium. the prince george's stadium. we're doing something different this year, asking our students and families to register. because we want to really find out the need and where the need is. so they would just go online, register with their name and information, and then of course they will get their backpack on saturday, august 26th. attend a car show, a free car show. and a baseball game. so it's not just about backpacks that day, it's a family event day on saturday, august 26th. >> you would like them to register but is registration required to get the backpacks? >> no, ma'am, not at all. we will have backpacks available for elementary, middle, and high school students. >> the baseball game working with the negro league this year? >> that is partnership at its finest. that's about relationship. we looked at different venues to h

best place for us. it was a great connection for the negro league legends hall of fame to be able to give out tickets. so now when you come to the game, to the event, you will actually have a free ticket. 5,000 tickets that we want to be able to donate to the students in prince george's county. >> backpacks and baseball, i love it. >> together. >> what can people do to help? >> we love backpacks, it's a great way to welcome kids back. we start early, august 14th and 21st. so we love the back packs. also we have an amazon wish list. when kids get in middle school and high school they need hygiene products as well are as well. order through us and we'll have them not just for the year start but all year. it is a constant need but we'd love to get people engaged now as school starts and maybe they'll stick with us throughout the year. >> ellen, barbara, cathy, thank you so much. and continue the great work that you're doing to help our

children. thank you for being with us. help by joining us for nbc 4's annual backpacks for kids campaign. this year there are four ways you can help. go to nbcwashington.com and search "community" and click on "backpacks for kids." pick a classroom near you, make a donation to buy specific items. one teacher for example is asking for an easel. you can donate backpacks and school supplies during collection events coming up. donate money securely online or mail a check. there's so many ways you can help all of us help our students. we want to make sure students and teachers get exactly what they need, everything from tumbling mats, for cheerleaders, to composition books, to backpacks, pencils and paper. backpacks4kids or any of the discussion that you've seen this morning, go to nbcwashington.com. search "community." that's "news 4 your sunday." i'm pat lawson muse. "news 4 today" is next.

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og chow leads with high quality ingredients. right now on "news 4 today," i want to tell you about the fast moving fire that forced a family out of their home. we're going to show you the damage and tell you about the clues that investigators are now piecing together. >> a stepfather killed in a shocking discovery. who officers say the suspect did right after the crime that has family members heartbroken >> you ready for it? here it comes. talking about the heat. storm team 4 tracking a sunny stretch an best times you can get outside and enjoy it without the humidity. that's always the key word here in d.c., right? >> it sure is. it's the culprit during the summer. >> it is. we always feel it around here. wlc