Band Together NC Announces Communities in Schools of Wake and Durham Counties as 2014 Nonprofit Partners

RALEIGH, NC, October 28, 2012 (Press-News.org) Band Together NC, a Triangle-based organization that uses live music as a platform for social change, has announced Communities in Schools of Durham County and Communities in Schools of Wake County as its 2014 nonprofit partners. Both Communities in Schools are nonprofit organizations whose mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. The two organizations will jointly partner with Band Together on its annual event that has produced as much as $566,000 in net proceeds for the community.

"We were fortunate to have so many outstanding and deserving nonprofits apply this year. The final choice was a difficult one," said Matthew Strickland, executive director of Band Together. "To date, our growth has been in collaborating with one nonprofit, but we believe that a larger partnership with more resources in the Triangle, working on one common purpose, will create even more impact in the community. Communities in Schools of Durham and Wake counties truly demonstrated how a combined partnership with Band Together in 2014 will be able to make a profound and lasting impact on the lives of so many here in the Triangle."

Proceeds raised at the 2014 event will go to hiring a minimum of six graduation coaches and mentors who will directly serve more than 600 students while indirectly serving 6,000 more students in the Triangle. Analysis by EMSI, one of the nation's leading economic modeling firms, has shown that Community in Schools' model is providing an $11.60 benefit/cost ration to every $1 invested.

"We also believe that through this collaboration with two nonprofits, we can help reduce overlapping services in our community and these partnerships can help us extend our reach beyond just Wake County," said Strickland. "We want to be a leader in the nonprofit collaboration space in our area."

"This partnership will help Communities in Schools of Wake County and Communities in Schools of Durham County continue to push our young people to success, achieve higher graduation rates and build an empowered and able young workforce," said Travis Mitchell, executive director of Communities in Schools of Wake County. "We are truly looking forward to linking arms with Band Together to have an impact in the community in 2014."

With the success of its 2012 concert, Band Together has donated more than $2 million to local nonprofits since its inception in 2001. The 2012 Band Together event helped raise $566,000 for Urban Ministries of Wake County. In 2013, Band Together hopes to raise more than $850,000 for the Band Together partnership with Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities.

Past nonprofit partners have included Urban Ministries of Wake County, Alliance Medical Ministry, StepUP Ministry, The Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood, SAFEChild, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle and more.

For more information about Band Together, visit http://www.bandtogethernc.org, become a fan on Facebook, join their LinkedIn group or follow @bandtogethernc on Twitter. To learn more about our 2014 nonprofit partners, visit http://www.ciswake.org or http://www.cisdurham.org.

About Band Together NC
Band Together NC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization composed of business and community leaders and volunteers from across the Triangle. Since its inception in 2001, the organization has donated $2,034,000 to philanthropic organizations through one mission: using live music as a platform for social change. Band Together's annual concert event is organized and led entirely by a team of more than 500 volunteers.

About Communities in Schools
Communities in Schools is a nationwide network of passionate professionals working in public schools to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. The network works within the public school system, determining student needs and establishing relationships with local businesses, social service agencies, health care providers, and parent and volunteer organizations to provide needed resources. For more information, visit http://www.communitiesinschools.org.