A new council seeks to connect families and build resilience in the Cummings neighborhood.
Created by the Community Business and Education Leaders last September, it is one of five Neighborhood Family Councils in Salem-Keizer.
“The family council is about bringing families together, relieving toxic stress in family and children,” said Director Eduardo Angulo. They do this through volunteerism and providing funding for Cummings programs.
Recently, the council hosted a resource fair at Cummings Elementary School and 110 families attended. The event featured games, music, and a free meal, with city programs like Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Safe Routes to Schools providing resources for parents. Two new bikes were given to kids as raffle prizes.
“Our goal with events like these is to build resilience in the community,” said Kris Adams, the chairperson for the Cummings council. Once a Cummings student, Adams was nominated for chairperson at the council’s first meeting after feeling “energized by the mission.”
Principal Andrew Kronser learned about the program when Keizer Mayor Cathy Clark approached him last spring.
“I shared with the council our school improvement goals around belonging, third-grade reading, and attendance,” Kronser said.
The council’s first initiative was addressing Cumming’s chronic absenteeism rate.
According to Kronser, many students wake themselves up for school in the mornings because of their parents’ work schedules. These children often miss the bus or sleep late into the afternoon.
Per Kronser’s suggestion, the council bought in Amazon Echo speakers for students missing school to use as alarms.
“That way, they can just say, hey Alexa, wake me up at this time,” Kronser said.
They also funded pizza parties for classes with the highest attendance rates.
Although it is too early to estimate the impact of these initiatives, Kronser said that the absenteeism rate has improved “a little bit.”
Angulo, founder of the Salem Keizer Coalition for Equality, designs these neighborhood councils, beginning with the Hallman-Northgate neighborhood in Salem in 2020. There also are councils active in Keizer’s Kennedy neighborhood and in Salem’s Highland and Washington neighborhoods.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “The council members are the ones who decide what they want to see happening in their community and elementary schools.”
Angulo’s role is to provide support.
Kronser considers the new council essential to supporting the 400 students at Cummings.
“The council is built on this idea that it takes a community – a village – to raise these kids,” he said.
Going forward, Kronser hopes to team up with the council again for a spring event.
“There will be more collaborating, so stay tuned,” he said. The council meets monthly to discuss initiatives, and meeting announcements can be found on its Facebook page.
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