CIS & Comerica Partner to Bring Mental Health & Wellness to HISD Students

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Kavon Young (El Centro de Corazón), Sineria Ordonez (Comerica External Affairs Market Manager), Rene Gonzalez (CIS Student Support Manager at Milby HS, founder of WOW), Theresa Bazan (Comerica Retail Regional Director), Joshua Ramirez (Comerica Retail District Manager)

Communities In Schools of Houston received a donation from Comerica Bank this fall of brand new bikes for our students to enjoy! The bikes will go to support the CIS Wellness on Wheels (WOW) program at Milby High School, as well as for CIS at Gallegos Elementary School in Houston Independent School District. El Centro de Corazón, who partners with CIS at Milby High School, connected Comerica Bank with CIS to make this donation possible. When great partners come together to collaborate; students benefit!

From crisis intervention, trauma and mental health counseling to providing basic necessities and other resources to families who may be struggling, CIS helps educators surround students with a community of support. CIS of Houston student support specialists have been called to help more than 125,000 students at campuses in SBISD, Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Houston ISD, Spring ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Southwest Schools and Lone Star Colleges.

The CIS Mental Health Initiative (MHI) began in 2012, and now CIS provides more mental health direct services to students in schools than any other provider of mental health services. There are various components that make up the CIS MHI, including full-time CIS Mental Health Professionals on campuses, mental health partners, and the CIS Mobile Mental Health Team. And now, Rene Gonzalez, a CIS Student Support Manager at Milby HS, launched WOW to improve student mental health. As an avid cyclist himself, Rene believes biking can be a great complement to therapy and started WOW Wednesdays at Milby, where students can talk and ride through their issues after school. Rene’s program has seen incredible results in the overall mental health and wellness of his students, and he hopes to grow the program to support more CIS campuses with Wellness on Wheels. Read more about the WOW bi-annual Community Wellness Ride here.

We are so grateful to Comerica for providing students with a new bikes, and we look forward to many more opportunities to work together to support Houston’s students!

Communities In Schools of Houston (CIS) is an organization that empowers every student, regardless of race, zip code, or socioeconomic background to realize their potential in school and beyond. Working directly inside more than 165 schools across Houston, we support and connect students to caring adults and community resources that help them see, confront, and overcome the barriers that stand between them and a brighter future. Together, we build a powerful change movement made up of peers, students, and alumni committed to building an equitable path to education for future generations.