“It’s relationships, not programs, that change children.” This simple mission, expressed by Communities in Schools® founder, Bill Milliken, is at the heart of everything we do at Communities in Schools of the South Plains (CIS). We help kids stay in school. We do that by surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. We do this important work every day, on more than 80 school campuses in 21 school districts, serving more than 8,000 students and their families.
Strong Corporate Relationships Are Key
The cost to provide services to one student is $450. CIS couldn’t provide the life-changing services it does without funding. Grants, Texas Education Association funding, and school district funding cover a good share of our needs, but corporate and individual support is also essential to our mission. Locally, we host two fundraisers—a gala event and the “Peace, Love, Mud” mud volleyball tournament”—each year that are well-supported by the community. It is through soliciting corporate support for the gala that we were fortunate to meet Michael Postar, owner of Affordable Storage and A-Plus Super Storage, both located here in Lubbock.
Michael was deeply engaged with our mission from that first visit and quickly signed his company on as an event sponsor. Soon after, he joined our board, where he has served for the past five years. As a board member, he has consistently looked for ways to enhance our fundraising efforts, and three years ago he found the perfect way by going above and beyond with his corporate support for Peace Love Mud.
For the past three years, the mud volleyball tournament has been held onsite at A-Plus Super Storage. Beyond merely offering a location, Michael has had his team assist throughout the entire event, from mowing the property to digging the pits and providing the water. He even had permanent shower facilities constructed to support the event. In addition to all this, Affordable Storage and A-Plus Super Storage support both of our fundraising events financially as Presenting Sponsor. This corporate partnership has completely raised the bar for our fundraising events and our organization as a whole.
Corporate Engagement Changes Communities for the Better
Michael Postar and his business, Affordable Storage, have been involved in the Lubbock community for many years. In addition to his substantial involvement with CIS, Michael also supports Make-A-Wish of North Texas, UMC Children’s Hospital, and Covenant Children’s Hospital. He began to serve his community to fulfill his passion for helping young people succeed in life. Michael especially believes in the importance of investing in younger generations. “These kids can see opportunity and growth. They just need guidance,” he says. For Michael, knowing how his service has changed someone’s life or impacted the community makes it all worthwhile.
In 2019, with a heartfelt nomination from CIS, Michael Postar’s Affordable Storage was honored with a Get Involved award from the Volunteer Center of Lubbock in the business category, in large part due to his substantial and unwavering support of CIS. Additionally, in the past year alone, Michael has personally given more than 500 hours of volunteer service to CIS. He supports our efforts with his time, talent, and treasure whenever and wherever we need him. We welcome his deep engagement and are fortunate to have Michael Postar and his company in our corner. They bring resources to bear on behalf of CIS that we would not otherwise benefit from. CIS and Affordable Storage-a corporate partnership that works!