Cabrini Connections

We have Moved! Visit our new blog site.

2010-02-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection Fund Raising Blog has moved to a new site. Visit http://cabrinitmcfundraising.blogspot.com/ and stay involved with our work and our support network throughout the coming year.

Thank you again to everyone who has made a contribution to help us mentor inner city youth toward jobs and careers.

Students say "thank you" to mentors

2010-01-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

View the video. See what our teens have to say about their mentors. Support this work at Cabrini Connections with a personal donation, a grant, or by encouraging others to give.

What makes our non profit unique, is that while we operate a single program, we created the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993 to help every poverty neighborhood in the Chicago region have great volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs. Visit our web site to learn more about how we do this.

Support us with a donation and you will help us with both Cabrini Connections, and the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Cabrini Madness Bracket now public

2010-01-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

Cabrini Connections Fundraising Tournament!! See the Bracket Chart.

In anticipation of college basketball tournament season, Cabrini Connections is starting its own tournament. Each team will consist of volunteers, students, staff, etc. and will compete to raise the most money before the championship game on April 5th, 2010. Check out the information below and start forming your team today!

Sixteen teams have are already in formation. If you'd like to be on a team roster, call El Da'Sheon at 312-492-9614. Or make a donation to the team of your choice and once your name appears on the donor roster, email friends and family to help your team win. Read more.

Guidelines:
5-10 members per team
Must include at least (1) current or former volunteer, (1) current or former student, (1) current or former staff, volunteer coordinator, club leader, or board member, AND (1) person from outside the program (e.g. best friend, spouse, co-worker)

Timeline:
January 6/7 Announcement at tutoring
January 22 Deadline for entry
January 31 Deadline for GiveForward page
March 21 First Cut (Top 8 advance)
March 28 Second Cut (Top 4 advance)
April 3 Third Cut (Top 2 advance)
April 5 Final Cut (Winner chosen)
April 7/8 Awards at tutoring

Grand Prize: Individual trophies and a group gift certificate from Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

Runner-up Prize: Pizza Party

Join a Team. Cabrni Madness 2010

2010-01-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

You're all familiar with basketball, tennis, and other sports tournaments. So, let me introduce you to the Cabrini Madness Fund Raising Tournament.

Right now teams of inner city 7th to 12th grade students, volunteers, staff, and friends are forming to compete with each other between now and April 1, 2010 to see which team can raise the most money to fund the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection operations for the coming year.

The teams will compete on our http://www.giveforward.org/cabrinitmc page. You can see three teams already on the site.

There can be 5-10 "official" members per team. Each must include at least (1) current or former volunteer, (1) current or former student, (1) current or former staff, volunteer coordinator, club leader, or board member, AND (1) person from outside the program (e.g. best friend, spouse, co-worker).

The teams will be reaching out to others, using all of the creativity they can muster, to encourage people to make donations of any size, on the Give Forward Page. Thus, if you want to contribute to the "Guaranteed Victory" team, you'd go to http://www.giveforward.org/guaranteedvictory/ and make your donation using a credit card and/or pay pal. As donations are received, the top three teams will show on the home page for CC, T/MC, and each donor's name will be listed.

Thus, while there are 5-10 official members, each donor is really joining a team by making a donation. And, to help your team win, you can reach out to your own friends, family and co-workers.

This is already generating lots of enthusiasm and team-building at Cabrini Connections. As some of our Facebook friends, alumni and former volunteers join teams, it will do even more. If you'd like to help a team form contact El Da'Sheon Nix at 312-492-9614.

There are already three teams on line, so you can join one today with your donation.

I was recruited last night by two 7th grade girls. You can meet Ana and Ayana and their volunteers at http://cabrinipip.blogspot.com/2010/01/volunteer-spotlight-cassia-overk.html

Our team is called "Give Hope" which is what your donations do to help Cabrini Connections. You can support us at http://www.giveforward.org/givehope/

We'll be providing more information next week and in following weeks, and as each team promotes itself, you'll see some of the talent and opportunities that a tutor/mentor program can make available to inner city kids. We hope that others will help these types of programs be available to kids in all parts of Chicago and in other cities.

Thank you for your 2009 support. Now on to 2010

2010-01-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

2009 Cabrini Connections Holiday Party from Bradley Troast on Vimeo.

Look at the smiles on the faces of the teens and volunteers at the December holiday party. Look at the diversity of adults and kids in the room. How many places in Chicago does this type of connection take place on a weekly basis?

It has happened at Cabrini Connections every year since 1993 because many people and organizations have contributed time and dollars. You can see some of our 2009 donors in these past articles.

This decade was a difficult decade. It started when we lost our original sponsor, and host, the Montgomery Ward Corporation. This was were the tutoring program started in 1965 and where Dan Bassill and many of our leaders learned how to operate a tutor/mentor program. Wards was giving free space, utilities and many services, plus $40,000 or more each year. Since we moved from their in 1999 we've had to pay over $70,000 each year for rent, utilities and building management, just to say close to our teens in Cabrini Green.

The rest of the decade only got worse, financially, that is. The bust of the Dot-com economy, the 9/11 attacks, the earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, and then the meltdown of the last two years have made it extremely difficult to find the dollars needed each year. While we were raising nearly $500,000 in 2000, we've raised an average of about $375,000 each year since, and part of that had to pay for rent and utilities.

Without the help of many volunteers who took on coordinator roles, and many others who've sought out donations, and many who sent financial support, we would not still be here going into 2010.

Yet we are, and we've many smiles and many stories that show how we've helped kids and volunteers connect at Cabrini Connections, while we've also help tutor/mentor programs grow in all parts of t he Chicago region.

We thank everyone who has pitched in to help. We hope that you'll continue to support us as we move into 2010 and the next decade.

Thank you and happy new year.

Happy Holidays - Tis the Season

2009-12-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who made a year-end donation to support Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 2010. I hope you'll read El Da'Sheon Nix's article about how we're reaching out to friends, family, co-workers to ask for help in finding year end donations. Read the Tutor/Mentor blog articles to see how we're trying to build a support system that would make tutor/mentor programs available to more inner-city youth.

Donations can be made at http://www.giveforward.com/tistheseason . You can also just print this form and sending it to us with your donation. You can also use the PayPal Donation form. We even accept donations of securities.

There are many ways to help us help these teens. We hope your spirit is touched by the work we're doing, and you'll do as much as you can to assure that the funds are available to keep doing this in 2010.

This is a list of donations received since December 1. We thank everyone for their generosity during these difficult economic times. Happy Holidays!

Bill Iwami
Kiera Kelly and Ed Madden
James Dohren
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hamilton
Chris Kalabogias
Tom Kittler
Mary Alice Gresham
Karen & Kevin Lobdell
Maryann May
Steve Alley
Henry & Peggy Troast
Gena Schoen
Randy and Sharon McCullough
K. Ryan
Kenneth Goldstein
Marquette Bank
Eric and Jill Schiller
John T. Porter
Thomas E. Keim
Anna Dowdle Harter
Jim and Margaret Morsch
Barbara and Daniel Roos
Mr. & Mrs. Cliff Bregstone
Joyce Dunn
John and Mary-Glynn Boies
Loretta Kaplan
R. Fine, in honor of Ilene and Jay Pomerance
Deanna and Paul Danao
Paul Lukas
Schlomo & Oi Crandus
Melissa Moore
Dick and Carol Wray
Carrie Guenter
Rebecca and Keith Danahey
Richard and Sharon Whyte
Joseph Baird
Barbara V. Goschi
Sean & Lilly Wieber
Melinda Schramm, in memory of Cary Schramm
Larry & Carroll Bross
Ilene Fine & Jay Pomerance
Mayo C. Walcott
Carol Ebel
Jennifer (Pines) Lineen
Grant Brown
Prologis Foundation ($10,000 grant)
Gift in honor of Ilene Fine and Jay Pomerance
Pat Hillmann & Richard Shields
Wayne & Anne Coloney
Jill Allread
Hewlett Packard matching gift
R. Lee Christie
Joan Dowdle
Gerald Deneen
Norma Berke
Artemis Parrish
Tracey McGee
George Vinyard
Chase Peyton
Gift in the name of Mary Esther Schmid and Walter Jones
BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, Inc. ($5000 grant)
Ernest Sammann
Peter Goschi
Christopher and Sarah Franklin
Chris Japhet
Julie and Charles Haapala
Judith and Mark Davis
Ruth Iwami
Russell Vandenbroucke
Robert Huster
Kurt Kittner
Joe Rivera
Mark Hamende
Sue McMillin
Ernest and Dolores Komornicki
Jeff Curto
JellyChicago (Dec. 11 party)
James C. Stephen
The Wintrust Financial Corporation (Grant of $15,000)
The Walsh Foundation (Grant of $5,000)
EcoPhones ($27.50 from phone rebate program)
William M. Criscione
Pauline Narens
William Sullivan
Dr. Scholl Foundation (Grant of $5,000)
The Siragusa Foundation (Grant of $5,000)
Jack and Sari Schoen
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Pines
Michael Heyman
The Royal Order of Experience Design
(see Holiday Card from The Royal Order - play entire version and see support for Cabrini Connections)
Sara Caldwell (founder)
Rep. Constance Howard
Mark Grimes
Christina Jordan
John DeWitt
Claudia Crilly Belucci (first staff at Cabrini Connections)
Andrew Evans
Bill Dunn
Zeke and Elaine Dzugan
Gary & Suzanne Rovner
Inez Marie Welch
Derek Casteel
Gus Constan
Susan Nice
Paul & Ann Witt
Eldon & Frieda Andrews
Michael and June Blood
Mike Ozmeral
Cenan and Patricia Ozmeral
Mike & Vicky Trakan
Mark and Nicole Parrish
Jane L. Cray
Raymon and Jane Hung
Richard and Lucy Gaven
Daniel and Emily Bassill
Pat and Donna Dowdle
John and Jill Levi
John and Suzanne Martens
Charles Ohara
David and Lola Hundley

Thank you to those who are helping in other ways

* JellyChicago for making us the charity to support in your Dec. 11 benefit
* Next Computer World for putting a link to us on your web site.

Tech the Halls Event Supports CC - This Friday

2009-12-08T06:39:00.001-08:00

This is the season when many people are organizing events and raising money for favorite charities. This Friday, December 11, Jelly Chicago is hostin a party at Noble Tree Coffee & Tea

Donations are encouraged for Cabrini Connections. Read more about this event.

Thank you Jelly Chicago. We hope you have a great party. This shows how others are organizing events to raise money for Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. We hope many people do this so we have the funds needed to continue tutoring/mentoring in 2010.

Tis the Season. Happy Holidays

2009-11-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

On the Cabrini Connections blog you can read stories about the teens and volunteers we connect in our Chicago tutor/mentor program. On the Tutor/Mentor Blog you can see maps and graphics that show how urban youth should all have access to high quality, mentor rich programs.

That can only happen if donors reach deep into their pockets this holiday season to fill the stockings of tutor/mentor programs with generous gifts.

Please make a donation to our annual Holiday Fund Raising campaign, either through this on-line portal, or use this form and send your gift to

Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection
800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642

On behalf of everyone who will benefit from your generosity, we thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

From all of us at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, we wish you a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Tutor/Mentor Conference on November 19 and 20. Workshop info will be archived here.

Thank you to the 90 volunteers and 77 students who participate each week at the Cabrini Connections tutor/mentor program in Chicago.

Thank you to the many donors who provide dollars to help us provide these services.

As you give thanks, please consider giving financial support to Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, or similar programs in Chicago or your own community.
Donate Online: http://www.giveforward.org/cabrinitmc

The art work above was created by a Cabrini Connections student during our weekly technology club.

Grants received. Thank you!

2009-11-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

Throughout the year we are constantly researching to find corporate and foundation donors who will support Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. When we find a potential match, we write a letter of inquiry, and if that is approved, we write a proposal.

Then we wait.

We've done this every year since 1993 when we became an IRS approved charity. We've found more than 150 donors who would give gifts of $1,000 or more. Each year there have been new donors.

Then why are we always just a few months from being out of money? Because each year a few of the donors from the previous year are no longer able to give. The reasons are seldom related to the quality of the work we do. It's more that the donor has guidelines that keep it from funding a single non profit for more than one to three years. It can also be that business conditions change for a company. For instance, our primary benefactor in the 1990s, was Montgomery Ward. They went out of business in 2000, meaning we lost donated space, a source of volunteers and business support, and $40,000 per year in funding.;

In total, we lose almost 1/3 of our grant money each year, meaning we need to find new donors just to break even. Thus, since costs for rent, insurance, energy and staff keep going up, we're always struggling to get ahead.

So when we write grant requests to donors from the previous year, or to new donors, we keep our fingers crossed to see who will give.

I'm pleased to say that these donors have given to us in November.

Bank of America Foundation, $10,000
JPMorgan Chase Foundation, $10,000
The Farney R. Wurlitzer Foundation, $5,000

In addition, we have received confirmations that the following foundations will provide grant funds in December:

The Dr. Scholl Foundation, $5,000
BlueCross, Blue Shield of Illinois, $5,000

You can see the list of corporate and foundation donors from the past two years here. We're still waiting with much hope from the requests we've sent to people who gave in December 2008 but who have not yet made 2009 decisions. We're also hoping that others whom we've sent proposals to will respond.

Thank you to all of our donors, and to those who help introduce us to people who make decisions on where to send their funding.

NU vs Illinois - Cabrini Connections Wins

2009-11-17T07:20:00.000-08:00

Northwester alumni and friends donated $1,620 on GiveForward.org and another $$5,943 in funds raised by NU alum Matt Ulrich through the Oct. 25 Charity Hill Challenge, for a total of $7,563. The Illinois total on GiveForward was $1,020, which means NU was the victor on the football field and on the fund raising field.

The real winner is Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. In total, this campaign raised $8,583 and introduced nearly 100 new friends to the work we're doing. Without Kurt Kitner and El Da'Sheon Nix launching this effort in September, we would not have that money.

This week Kurt and El were featured in a few blog articles written by GiveForward. Read them here, here and here.

Fund Raising is an on-going part of the work we do that enables us to offer the programs of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. This graphic is one that was created by students in our tech club, and which will be used in our holiday fund raising campaigns. We have three graphics, and any of our friends and volunteers can use them to launch their own campaign on GiveForward.org, or through other communications. Just ask Dan or Bradley to send them to you.

This week El Da'Sheon and Kurt, and the leaders of GiveForward.org will be hosting workshops at the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference to share their experiences and talk about how athletes and others can take the lead in raising money for their favorite charities.

Finally, on Sunday, Nov. 22, you can Raise a glass for Cabrini Connections! We're having a wine-tasting fundraiser from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Cellar Rat, 1811 W. North Ave. You can still make a donation, even if you cannot attend.

NU vs Illinois on the Fund Raising Field

2009-11-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

El Da'Sheon posted a press release on the Cabrini Blog, as well as an update on the Charity Hill Challenge. Take a look.

If you can pass this on please do.

Illini vs NU FUNdraising Challenge!!! GAME WEEK!

2009-11-10T10:25:00.001-08:00

For the past couple of months the Cabrini Connections’ program has been promoting the Illini vs NU FUNdraising Challenge leading up to the BIG GAME between Northwestern University and the University of Illinois on the football field. And all of the promotions has led us up to game week this week. So as the teams prepare for a great game on the field we are looking for some big fundraising plays off the field.

Currently ILLINOIS is winning.

As of 11/10/09, the Illinois score is $1,000 with $260 in new donations made today!

The Northwestern core is $925. However, the donations from Matt "Chest" Ulrich and the Charity Hill Challenge, are expected to add over $6,500 to the NU fund raising score.

The Illinois team has been working hard to cut costs and stretch dollars at Cabrini Connections. In September Kurt and Steve Miller, both Illinois alumni, were able to get the monthly rent cut in half, meaning a savings of $10,000 to Cabrini Connections, T/MC.

However, that's not cash, or donations from alumni. The big game is Saturday! If you're a fan of either school, or of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, please encourage donations to your favorite team.

Wildcat Fans Go Here: http://www.giveforward.org/illinivsnuchallenge/

Fighting Illini Fans Go Here: http://www.giveforward.org/illinialumsgive/

We're still raising money for our mapping project and there are seven tickets available for the Nov. 22 Wine Tasting event. See more ways to give at http://www.giveforward.org/cabrinitmc or on the Cabrini Connections donations page.

Turn Bad News into Good News

2009-10-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

In my blog today I posted a link to a letter to the editor, titled "Their Blood is on Our Hands" - Rev. Meeks, written by Rev. James Meeks, pastor of Salem Baptist Church, and an Illinois State Senator. This is a powerful call to action.

Each week at Cabrini Connections we have volunteers connecting with inner city kids, with the goal that our kids stay in school and move to jobs and careers, with our help, and don't end up as the subject of one of these bad news stories.

We can't do this without help from donors. We've had many people step forward, but we're far short of our annual budget, and the money we will need next year to keep providing our services.

There are many ways to give and we describe them here.

One campaign that's going on right now is a competition to see if alumni and friends of Northwestern can raise more money for Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection than can alumni and friends of Illinois.

As of 11/5, NU has$925 points (dollars) raised.

You can donate to the NU team at http://www.giveforward.org/illinivsnuchallenge/

As of 11/5, Illinois has $740 points (dollars). Help the Illinois team at http://www.giveforward.org/illinialumsgive/

You can also sign up to attend the Holiday Wine-Tasting Fundraiser from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Cellar Rat, 1811 W. North Ave. Even if you can't attend, you might make a Thanksgiving donation to this event and start celebrating your holidays early. See more at http://www.giveforward.org/ccwinetasting/

We started putting events on the GiveForward site in late August, and already we've raised over $61,000. This site enables anyone to launch a fund raising campaign, celebrating a birthday, a holiday, a run in a marathon, etc.

We hope more and more of our volunteers, and friends, will do this, helping us build a much larger network of support to keep kids headed toward a positive future instead of a newspaper headline.

Soldier Field Charity Hill event - thanks to all!

2009-10-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

A great group of people ran up and down a sledding hill near Soldier Field on Sunday to get some great exercise, and raise money for Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Julie and Scot Hamilton brought some friends and went up and down that hill at least 30 times each. Julie has been a volunteer, board member, fund raiser, and even a staff member, in the 13 years since she first became involved while a graduate student at Northern Illinois University.

Brandy Kimminau, a second year volunteer, also ran the hill. My son Jacob, age 12, went up a few times. I watched and cheered. This shows that there are many ways to support Cabrini Connections.

The event was organized by Matt Ulrich, and the TWR Organization (Train with Ron Personal Trainers). Most of the runners were people who train with Ron. We hope we've raised some needed money and we hope a few of these people will begin a journey of involvement, just as Julie, Scot, Brandy and Jacob have.

These journeys can last many years, and lead to many new experiences and relationships that enrich the lives of youth, and the adults who become involved as volunteers.

Thank you all for giving your time, energy and dollars.

If you'd like to support on-going events, go to the Cabrini Connections donor page, or GiveForward.org page.

Doing Good is Good for Business

2009-10-23T11:08:00.001-07:00

This is a report published this year that shows how consumers value businesses who have social benefit strategies. The message is "good citizenship creates trust".

I encourage every volunteer and leaders who supports Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, to read this, and share it with people you work with, went to college with, or who are leaders of local and national corporations.

This provides reasons why businesses should be strategically involved in supporting our work, instead of responding with small grants when they have the interest, or the money, or when we fit their funding guidelines.

When we have this involvement we no longer focus on the money to do the work, but the good work we can do with the resources that are being provided.

Charity Hill Challenge, This Sunday, 10/25

2009-10-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Former Indianapolis Colt Looks to Support Cabrini Connections!!!

What: A charity workout! TWR will host our second “Hill Challenge”. The “Hill Challenge” consists of walking or running up and down a sledding hill as many times as you can in one hour. There will be a minimum $25 dollar donation fee. You are also encouraged to find sponsors to raise additional money. We suggest passing along this info to family/friends/businesses, etc. They can sponsor you per hill or give a flat donation.

Why: Proceeds and pledges will be donated to Cabrini Connections: an after school program dedicated to helping underprivileged youth become extraordinary adults (All proceeds are tax deductible).

When: Sunday October 25, 2009 at 9:30a.m-11a.m.

Where: The sledding hill behind the Southeast end zone of Soldier Field.

Who: TWR clients and any friends, family members, peers, or colleagues who would like to get together for a great workout and raise money for a great cause!!!

Details: Minimum donation of $25 dollars will allow you entry to Soldier Field Hill Challenge plus you will receive a complimentary t-shirt!!! The winner of most donations will receive one Train with Ron personal training session!

Directions: The location of the hill is at the intersection of Museum Campus & Waldron Drive, Chicago, IL 60605. It is just southeast of Soldier Field by a few hundred yards.

As many of you may know from last year, street parking is not the best option. We advise you to either take public transportation, a cab, or use the parking garage.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Visit www.transitchicago.com for public transportation directions. Use Museum Campus Drive & Waldron Drive as your end location.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: If you are planning on carpooling or driving yourself; exit 18th street from Lake Shore Drive, follow the sign that says “North Garage Field/Shedd Parking”. There’s no stop sign when you turn left into the parking garage. Waldron is your second and LAST stop sign before you turn left into the parking garage. The parking lot is basically under the north end zone of Soldier Field and costs $14.00.

TO GET DIRECTIONS VIA GOOGLE MAPS: Visit www.googlemaps.com; use Museum Campus Dr & E Waldron Dr, Chicago, IL 60605 as your destination.

After the hill run please feel free to join us at Murphy’s Bleachers in Wrigleyville: 3653 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60613-4303, (773) 929-7061. We have tables reserved and drink specials will be available.

If you have any questions please email or call!

Matt Ulrich
Director of Operations
Train with Ron
847.571.2069

This is just one way to help raise money for Cabrini Connections.

Check out the Illinois vs Northwestern Fund Raising Challenge. Before the big game in November, which group of alumni can donate the most money to Cabrini Connections. Can they win the game on the field, and in the donation competition?

Donate to Northwestern Team. Current score $755.

Donate to the Illinois team. Current score $450

Thank you all for your help in making Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor a reality for inner city youth.

$10 Donation, 10 Invitations - America's Giving Challenge Challenge

2009-10-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Parade Magazine announced the 2009 America's Giving Challenge, in which non profits who recruit the most donors, people giving $10 or more, can win a grand prize of $50,000, or daily prizes of $1000.

This money would be a big help at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, so we're inviting all of our friends, volunteers, former students, peers, etc. to help us win.

Our strategy is to encourage $10 donations, and 10 people recruiting. Thus if 100 people each recruit 10 more, and they recruit 10 more, they each are raising $100, and increasing the chances that we win.

Our second challenge, is to encourage donations to be made on FRIDAYS only. Thus, tomorrow, and next Friday, and the Friday after that, if we concentrate our donating, we have a better chance to win the daily prizes, even if we can't win the overall grant prize.

Here's our Facebook Page where you can make your donation.

More Ways to Support a GREAT Cause

2009-10-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

Again, a special thanks goes out to all that supported the Martini Madness event in one way or another!!! Events like that are not only fun for all that attend, but it provides an opportunity share the "Cabrini Connections' story" with more and more people that can lead to more fans, supporters, and donors.

The mission to continue looking for the necessary resources to make this organization work is not done by a longshot. There are more and more fundraising opportunities for you and others in your network to support. Some ideas may catch your interest and some may not, but knowing and understanding that the big picture is supporting tutoring and mentoring for youth and entire communities that can and will benefit from your support.

On October 25th former NU and Indianapolis Colts lineman, Matt Ulrich, is hosting the 2nd Annual TWR Soldier Field Charity Hill Run to raise funds for the organization. Last year, this event took in nearly $8,000 and they are looking to bring an even larger amount for 2009.

At the beginning of the college football season, Kurt Kittner and I launched the Illini vs. NU Fundraising challenge. Both former college football players, who are directly involved with the Cabrini Connections, T/MC organization, we decided to turn our competitive nature into competing in fundraising. While Kurt is looking to get fellow Illini alums to support the program, I am reaching out to my fellow Wildcat alums to do the same. We will continue this challenge until the BIG game on Nov. 14th. Currently we are leading the challenge $755 to $350 after to big donations by former NU basketball player Jason Burke and football star Billy Silva.

On Halloween Day current Cabrini Connections' student Melissa Young is hosting her very own Halloween Bake Sale. She is looking for people to assist her in donating items for sale, to help out with running the event, AND FOR ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WITH A SWEET TOOTH TO COME OUT AND PURCHASE SOME TREATS!!!

Beginning this week Art Club Coordinator Jackie Shay will be launching a Phoneraiser that will last throughout the year. And we are looking for everybody to turn in old cell phones, ink cartridges, iPods, digital cameras an video cameras to the Cabrini Connections' staff. So instead of letting these items pile in your closets, you can donate them to the program and assist in raising funds for the organization.

Another veteran volunteer to the program Sarah Randag, has teamed up with the owner of the Cellar Rat Wine Shop to host a wine-tasting event on Sunday November 22nd. This event will take place at the Cellar Rat Wine Shop from 5:30-7:30, cost is $25 per person, is open to the first 35 people who pay, has a theme of "Wines That Go Well with Turkey," and all proceeds will go to our program!!! If this sounds like an event that you are interested in you can RSVP today!!!

As you can see there is a lot going on in and around the organization, and that is great news. Goes to show that people are really looking to keep the up and running, and more importantly people are thinking about how important this program is to the youth, volunteers, parents, staff, and alumni that has been touched by this program in one way or another.

We THANK YOU ALL for your support!

Thank you, Martini Madness supporters

2009-10-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Last night was our annual Martini Madness event, organized by KarenLobdell, Julie Hamilton, Melissa Moore, Toni Pullen, and many friends.

We had a great turnout, and more than $10,000 was raised from donations, raffle prizes, and tips to our great volunteer Martini makers.

Martini Madness will continue through January 31, 2010, with a goal of raising another $10,000 in the campaign site at http://www.giveforward.org/tmcmartinimadness/

We can double was was raised last night if friends who attended encourage others to match their donations, and if friends who were not able to attend, send in their own donation.

Thank you all.

Fund Raising Supports Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection

2009-10-01T15:21:00.001-07:00

This is a photo from our first week of tutoring for the 2009-10 school year at Cabrini Connections. Your donations enable us to fill these seats with teens and volunteers and work to keep them filled throughout the school year.

This week's events:

Friday, October 9th: Join in for our Annual Martini Madness Benefit. While we have a sign up on the Cabrini Connections web site, we also have a donation page on GiveForward.org. Thank you to Grant Brown for your sponsor donation. Thank you to Melissa Moore, Karen Lobdell, Julie Hamilton, Toni Pullen, and others, for your donations, and for taking the lead in organizing this event. The campaign on Give Forward will continue until January 31, 2010, with a goal of raising $10,000!

Sunday, October 11: Nicole White and Nick Infusino will run in the Chicago Marathon. Family, friends, and Northwestern alumni have already donated over $2,600 to support Nicole and Nick's run in the Chicago Marathon.

Another campaign is Mike's Map-a-Thon. He's trying to raise $5,000 by October 15 to fund the maps he makes to mobilize volunteers and donors for Cabrini Connections and every other tutor/mentor program in Chicago. Friends and family have already contributed $1,867.

Another campaign is the contest between Northwestern University and University of Illinois Alumni, to see which group can raise more donations by the time of the annual football game in November. As of 10/6/09 Northwester is leading Illinois by a donation score of $655 to $350. You don't need to be an alumni to support Northwestern, or Illinois, in this contest.

October 25, 9:30 am: 2nd annual Solider Field Charity Hill Challenge El Da'Sheon reports that already 100 people have signed up to run the hill. All proceeds go to Cabrini Connections. You can learn more and sign up yourself here.

Saturday, October 30, at Cabrini Connections - Halloween bake sale, organized by students and volunteers.

Sunday, November 22, Holiday Wine-Tasting Fundraiser, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Cellar Rat, 1811 W. North Ave. This is being organized by Sarah Randag, a volunteer tutor/mentor at Cabrini Connections

We have a variety of fund raising efforts going on to help us raise the needed money. Last Friday a group of volunteers and friends held a "Save Cabrini Party, and raised $232. Other volunteers are organizing events, such as a "phoneraising campaign" let by Jackie Shay and the Art Club Volunteers.

El Da'Sheon Nix wrote a story telling of two volunteers and one student who are organizing fund raising activities.

Of course, you don't need to make a donation through one of these on-line forums. You can mail your gift to Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection at 800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642 or call us at 312-492-9614 to discuss other ways of giving, or of raising funds.

With your help, we won't end up with an empty room, without teens and volunteers.

Thanks to everybody who has donated so far to Nicole's marathon fundraising!

2009-09-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody, Nicole, the Tutor/Mentor Connection coordinator here. I just wanted to let everybody know that on Friday September 25th, we reached our initial goal of raising $2000 for Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection by running the Chicago marathon. However, times are still tough and Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection needs your help more than ever. That's why we have increased our goal amount to $3000, which we hope to raise by Sunday October 11th. You can make that a possibility by donating at our FirstGiving site or by writing a check payable to "Cabrini Connections and mailing it to:
Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection
800 W. Huron, First Floor
Chicago, IL 60642

I would also like to thank all of Nick Infusino and my friends and family who have donated thus far:
- Carla Reyes
- Steve Gorodetskiy
- Mardel Chinburg
- Peter and Barbara Bergreen
- JoAnn Stevenson
- Jean Vinson-White
- Mike White
- Dan and Peggy Erickson
- Maryann May
- Nina Nashif
- Kari Wergeland
- Fran Fritzmann
- Bill and Nancy Guerry
- Ralph and Pam Infusino
- Anna Ashbaugh
- Nicole Keogh
- Matt Cohlmia
- Carlos and Elisa Reyes Monterrosa
- Claire Walker
- Erin Infusino
- Sveta Trivino
- Katie Infusino
- Eric and Sally Kemmler
- Laura Eckstein
- Sarah Randag
- Kathryn Lee
- Gloria VanMilligan
- Scott and Julie Holman
- Sam and Toni Pace
- Emmy Moore
- Karen and Jeremy Clay
- Jim and Nancy McCready
- Jim and Gaby Infusino
- Tom and Janet Heinonen
- David Yeh
- Virginia Farkas
- Ron and Suzy Crasilneck
- Lila Schwartz
- Jack Prior

Some of these are family members, some of them are family friends. Some of them are co-workers, some of them went to Northwestern with us. Some are even volunteer tutor/mentors at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. Most of them live outside of Chicago but think that helping an at-risk child succeed in life is important enough that they donated. I am inspired by each and every one of these people who stepped up to the plate and helped out. Hopefully you will find them inspiring too and find it in your hear to donate.

Tips for non profits surviving the recession

2009-09-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

This article, posted on the RSM McGladrey blog, offers suggestions that non profits might follow to survive these difficult economic times. At Cabrini Connections many of our volunteers and leaders are putting in extra effort and in the past few blog articles we've been pointing to these. I hope you'll all take ownership of these ideas, so that we not only survive, but thrive, as we head into 2010 and 2011.

2nd annual Solider Field Charity Hill Challenge Supports Cabrini Connections

2009-09-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

TWR will be sponsoring its 2nd annual Solider Field Charity Hill Challenge Sunday October 25, 2009 at 9:30am. The event will be located at the sledding hill behind the southeast end zone of Solidier Field. The challenge is this.... how many hills can you run or walk in one hour?

Last year TWR raised almost $8,000 from this event. This year TWR is raising money for Cabrini Connections!

A minimum donation of $25 dollars and will include the hill workout and a complimentary t-shirt. If you're going to participate, why not do what Nick and Nicole did when running in the Chicago Marathon, and find sponsors to raise additional money for Cabrini Connections. Pass this information along to family/friends/businesses, etc. They can donate to sponsor you per hill or give a flat contribution. ALL proceeds will go to Cabrini Connections and are TAX DEDUCTIBLE (pledge sheets are available at TWR).

This event is not limited to TWR clients please invite co-workers, friends, and family!! If you would like to be involved or donate please contact Matt Ulrich, Director of Operations, Train With Ron at 847.571.2069 so he can get the proper number of shirts printed out (you can also sign up at TWR). You do NOT have to be in stellar shape to participate in this event. Although it is a "run" you can walk or even cheer others on! Almost 50 people ran last year and TWR wants to increase that to 100 this year!!

Learn more on this Facebook page.

Support these fund raising events!

2009-09-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Martini Madness, October 9th. Encourage your company to make a sponsor donation at http://tinyurl.com/CCEvent-MartiniMadness

Thank you Henry and Peggy Troast for sponsor donation.

You can also make donations to support Martini Madness at http://www.giveforward.org/tmcmartinimadness/

Illinois leading Northwestern in Fund Raising Challenge.
The fund raising score is $350 to $255 in the on-line contest? Contribute to Illinois Team here. Contribute to NU team here.

Nicole and Nick's Fund Raising Marathon - raised $1,531 so far
http://www.firstgiving.com/nicolewhite3

Help Mike Raise Money for T/MC Maps - raised $1,542 so far
http://www.giveforward.org/mappingforjustice/

Donations received this week:

Stephanie Rogers
Lakeshore Editing
Stephanie McSwain
Isaiah Brooms
Mark Miller, Miller Insurance Co.
Steve Kaplan
Mildred Bonds

Raising Funds to Continue Tutoring/Mentoring

2009-09-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, Cabrini Connections hosted volunteer orientations for new and returning tutors/mentors. These were better attended than any of the orientations I can remember in past years. Why? Because El Da Sheon Nix has now been lead coordinator for 1 1/2 years. His work has created better organization and continuity, and a stronger "team" of people working together. The new year can only build on this.

However, without donations, that's not going to happen. Here's a video that you can show to friends and coworkers, where students ask for their donations.

We've been in a cash crunch for about four months, but only recently has it gotten to the point where we missed part of a payroll last week. Because of this, many more people are responding with donations. I've listed them here, and here. Below are people who have sent donations in the past few days.

In memory of Christos, who loved and wanted to help children in need, by The Georganas Family
In memory of Bob Carr, by Karen and Kevin Lobdell
Allen Anderson
Kathleen Cheevers
Scot and Julie Hamilton
Jane Ann Curto
Pat and Paul D'Amore
Jesse White
William Barry
Dennis and Betsy Kohan
Jefrey N. Curto
Jeffrey Diemand
Allen Tyson
Carolyn Grunst (for the Northwestern vs Illinois competition. This gift is for the NU team)

Another way everyone can help raise dollars is through workplace fund raising campaigns. Companies like Abbot, Microsoft, Sargent Lundy, Allstate, etc. enable workers to designate which charities they pledge their money to. If you know people in these companies, encourage them to give to Cabrini Connections.

We're also listed with Community Shares of Illinois, in the workplace campaigns they organize, and with the Black United Fund of Illinois, in the campaigns they organize. So their are many ways to pledge weekly payroll donations to us. A gift of $1 a week adds up to $52 for the year! It makes a difference.

Thank you all for your help, as volunteers, advocates and donors.

HSBC North America Supports eLearning & Technology

2009-09-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

On Friday Cabrini Connections received a $35,000 donation from HSBC North America to support the HSBC Computer Technology Center at Cabrini Connections, along with our elearning, mapping and Tutor/Mentor Connection networking. HSBC began providing this support 2005 and much of the technology on our web sites, and in the center at 800 W. Huron, is a result of their continued support.

We've also received more donations from current and former volunteers and friends of Cabrini Connections. Since I last posted, we've received gifts from

William Barry
Scot and Julie Hamilton
Kathy Cheevers
Lois Proger
Patrick McGrath
Paul and Pat D'Amore
Carol Secor
Samantha Steinberg
Robert Thomas
Elizabeth Coulson
Jane Ann Curto

You can see a list of additional donors, and add your own contribution, in these fund raising campaigns

* Mike's Map a Thon

* Illinois VS Northwestern Alumni Challenge. See Illinois. See Northwestern.

* Nicole and Nick's Run in Chicago Marathon

Don't Forget, You can also make a donation to the Martini Madness benefit.

Read about the struggles of non profits, and the role of enlightened leaders.

If we are to overcome these challenges, and grow to meet the many needs of inner city youth, we need everyone who has been part of Cabrini Connections, or benefited from the Tutor/Mentor Connection to say "If it is to be, it is up to me."

Why Did you Donate to Cabrini Connections?

2009-09-04T09:15:00.001-07:00

Nicole White started a discussion on Facebook, asking donors to tell why they support us. Please add your own comment.

Northwestern vs Illinois, on the Fund Raising Field

2009-09-03T11:33:00.001-07:00

If you're a University of Illinois alum, or fan, visit this link and help your team win this challenge with alumni of Northwestern University.

If you're from Northwestern, or a Wildcat fan, you can support your team by making a donation at this link.

Follow this competition on the Cabrini Blog, which will end on Nov. 4 when the two teams meet on the football field.

Do your trash talking on Facebook, Linked in and in your business and social circles.

Who will win? The kids and volunteers who benefit from the services of Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Many are stepping forward to help

2009-09-02T12:49:00.001-07:00

I encourage you to read the article El Da'Sheon Nix wrote about scoring a last second touchdown to win a football game. That's a "hail Mary" pass, and we need to score some big points to stay in the tutor/mentor game.

We've already had some people step forward with ideas for raising new funds, and we've had several people make donations as a response. Here's the list of people who have sent donations since yesterday.

Jacqueline Shay
Tami Wielgus
Karen and Kevin Lobdell
Peter Quigley
Cara Smith
Alexandria Hill
Amy Proger
Nicole Sutton
Gita Rao, former lead coordinator, and now in NYC
Carla Reyes
Matt Cohlmia

And there's more!

Friends and family of Nicole White and Nick Infusino continue to donate to support their run in the Chicago Marathon http://www.firstgiving.com/nicolewhite3

Friends and family of Mike Trakan continue to donate to Mike's Map-A-Thon.

Our landlord has agreed to cut our rent in half for the next four months! That's a savings of $2500 a month!

Thank you all! Watch this blog for more "Hail Mary" news.

Remember, this is not the beginning of the end. It is the beginning of a new beginning.

Tough Times for Non Profits. Meeting the Challenge.

2009-08-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

On the Tutor/Mentor Connection blog I posted a couple of articles showing how non profits across the country are facing difficult times. Read them here, and here.

The only way to overcome this challenge is to find more people who will donate to your cause. Thus, I'm pleased to see how the fund raising events organized by Nicole White and Mike Trakan are attracting some donors.

Nicole and Nick Infusino are running in the Chicago marathon, and asking friends and family to make donations to support them. Their goal is to raise at least $2000, and they are already at $711. Thank you to everyone who has already sent a check or made a pledge.

Mike Trakan created a Map-a-Thon page to ask friends and family to help fund the map making we do. At this link is a map Mike created that is hanging in the Hyde Park Hair Salon, where President Obama gets his hair cut when in Chicago. It's intended to get the attention of the customers, and the media, who come in to the Salon. Mike's goal is to raise $5000 by mid October, which is the quarterly cost for our map making. $125 has been donated at http://www.giveforward.org/mappingforjustice/

Finally, Karen Lobdell, Julie Hamilton, Melissa Moore, Toni Pullen and others are organizing a 4th annual Martini Madness event, which will be held on October 9th at THE STORE, in Chicago. While ticket sales and raffle tickets will help us raise needed money, our real profit will come from those of you who make sponsor donations of $250 or more.

These are just a few ways our volunteers,leaders and staff are reaching out to help Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection stay in business. If we can keep doing that then alumni like Michael Akins will be able to find us and post messages like this on Facebook:

Hi my name is Michael Akins me and my three sister was a part of cabrini connections. I started in the small building when i was like in 5th grade. I met alot a great people and done alot of great things with the tutoring program. I am glad that i had the chance to experience everything that i did with the program from the dance group that i was in to the video production that i was a part of. Just saying thankyou to Dan,Gina and of course Jimmy who is no longer with us today.

4th Annual Martini Madness Raises Funds for Cabrini Connections

2009-08-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Join friends,co-workers, fellow volunteers at the 4th Annual Martini Madness Benefit, to be held, October 9, 2009.

If you cannot attend, please make a donation to help Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection help inner city kids and volunteers connect in one-on-one tutoring/mentoring and group learning and enrichment. Use Pay Pal, or this form.

Sponsor donations of $250 and above will be shown below, as they are received.

THANK YOU!

Each One, Reach One. Create your own fund raising event.

2009-08-18T06:35:00.001-07:00

Each One, Reach One, is the fund raising strategy of Cabrini Connections. If each of our volunteers, students, alumni and leaders just reached out to one person and recruited them to be a donor, we'd dramatacally increase the flow of resources and the stability of our organization.

Did you know that you can raise money for Cabrini Connections by running in a marathon, or by celebrating a birthday, or special event? This graphic shows the Cabrini group page at http://www.giveforward.org/CabriniTMC/. This is a web platform that enables anyone to create a fund raising event, and to ask friends, co-workers and family to give their support.

Nicole White and Nick Infusino have used http://www.firstgiving.com/nicolewhite3 to ask friends to support them as they run the Chicago Marathon. Their goal is to raise $2,000 for Cabrini Connections. Nicole and Nick have sent 50 letters and countless emails to friends and family, and already some are responding with donations of $24 to $104.

We have more than 90 active volunteers every year, with more than 300 alumni volunteers receiving this email every two weeks. More than 500 people are in our Facebook group. More than 800 adults have been tutors/mentors since 1993. More than 500 teens have been involved for one to 7 years in Cabrini Connections. We're connected to many more who were part of the Montgomery Ward program as far back as 1973.

This is an army. We just need to find a way to release its full energy, with many individuals and groups organizing events that raise $100 to $1000 to help us pay the bills and keep Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection in business for the coming year.

Please do all you can to find people in your family, work, alumni and social network who will make donations or become benefactors. This makes it possible for others to be volunteers.

Create Your Own Fund Raising Events to support Cabrini Connections

2009-08-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

We've set up a group page on the GiveForward web site which you can find at http://www.giveforward.org/CabriniTMC/

Give Forward is a place where any friend, volunteer, student can create their own fund raising event and recruit donations to support the work we do at Cabrini Connections and in the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Here's some tips for using the site.

Many people who are running in marathons, are raising money for charities. If you do, you can use this space to raise money for Cabrini Connections. Many people who are getting married, or celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, also are setting up charity pages, asking friends and families to recognize them by supporting a cause they believe in.

We hope that over the coming year dozens of Cabrini Connections friends will set up their own events, and use this site to help us keep our services available to current, future, and former students and volunteers.

Can you help?

2009-08-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

I posted a story on the Tutor/Mentor Blog this morning that I hope you'll read, and pass on to others.

One way you can help, is to be a sponsor of Nicole White and Nick Infusino, as they run the Chicago Marathon and raise money for Cabrini Connections. Read more.

I hope that you can make your own donation, but more importantly, I hope you'll encourage people in your own network to become investors in our mission.

Fund raising for success - tutoring/mentoring in 2009-10?

2009-07-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

I encourage you to read this blog article written by Richard Marker, who advises funders and philanthropists how to give more wisely and strategically, as an independent philanthropy advisor and also as a professor at NYU's Center for Philanthropy.

Marker writes, "The questions that funders should ask when looking at a grant request is not “how little” is needed to pull off a project but rather what is necessary for a project to succeed."

Thus, as you look at my sign, asking for donors to help fund the 2009-10 program, I encourage you to think about how much you want us to help kids in poverty connect with mentors and tutors, not just for one year, but for the many years it takes for a youth to become an adult, with a job, and starting a career.

Please become our partner in this process by providing the financial resources needed to operate Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Thank you.

One $5,000 donation at a time

2009-07-27T06:24:00.001-07:00

After the July 16th Golf Benefit I wrote how it would take donations of $5,000 each from many different sources to keep the bills paid each month as we struggle with this terrible economy.

This week we've received the first of those donations, a $5,336.70 contribution from Whole Foods Market, which was the result of the bag recycling program run at five Chicago stores from April through June 2009. Every time a customer brought in their own bag for groceries, they could designate a 10-cent donation to Cabrini Connections! Thank you Whole Foods Market and your customers!

We've also continued to receive donations from veteran volunteers. Gita Rao, who was administrative coordinator from 1999 through 2001 send a donation of $300 from her father with a note saying, "My parents are in the U.S. for the summer and wanted to send something to Cabrini Connections before they headed off to Bangalore."

We've also received donations this week from:

Rachel Dziallo, former volunteer who has just moved to Austin, Texas
Lan Eng and Dan Bassill made donations via Facebook Causes

These donations are greatly appreciated and much needed. Please help us find our next $5000 donation. Help us find donations from friends, family, former students and from veteran volunteers.

Thank you Whole Foods Market!

Jimmy Had a Dream. It's up to others to make it a reality.

2009-07-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

The annual Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit is named in memory of Jimmy Biggs, a young man who grew up in Cabrini Green with the help of the volunteer tutors/mentors of Cabrini Connections. Jimmy became part of the tutor/mentor program when he was in 2nd grade. He graduated from high school in 1995 and became part of the Cabrini Connections staff.

Jimmy championed the goals of Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Jimmy had a personal goal of recruiting 100 CEOs and "people of influence" to be his personal mentors and his partner in bringing resources to Cabrini Connections and similar mentoring-to-career programs throughout Chicago. Jimmy was working toward this vision when he died suddenly in August 2000. Because of the friends and "people of influence" Jimmy met at the annual golf benefit, the event is named in his honor.

At last Thursday's golf benefit more than 120 people gathered for golf, dinner, a silent auction, and networking. One of the guests was Tangela Smith Marlow, who was in Cabrini Connections the same time as Jimmy, and has now finished college and is a successful businesswoman.

Among the guests we had business executives,lawyers, pro football players, and many others who have the potential to be one of the 100 leaders who make Jimmy's vision a reality.

How does one get into this club? Write a check for $5000 and send it to Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, 800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642.

Everyone at the golf dinner, or the annual year end dinner on June 4th, was able to see for themselves how much our current students and alumni value what Cabrini Connections offers.

All you need to do is look in the mirror, and look in your network. If you have the financial ability to be one of Jimmy's 100 leaders, please send your check this week, or sometime in the next six months.

If you don't have the personal capacity, but know others who do, then introduce them to Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection, and ask them to join Jimmy's Club. If you can't write a $5,000 check. Write a $2500 check. If 100 leaders take this role each year we can stabilize our funding, and dramatically expand the impact we have on current and former students, and on helping similar programs grow in other neighborhoods.

I was not able to stay for the dinner, because I caught some sort of flu bug, and was running a 103 fever by the time the dinner started. That meant that our other volunteers, staff, and board members had to fill in for me. Think what that means.

Everyone needs to be an owner, not just Dan, Ray, and a few others. I read a book titled The Spider and The Starfish (given to me by one of our volunteers) and I've posted a link here.

This is the concept of leaderless organizations, or movements, where many people take responsibility for the success of the enterprise.

Anyone reading this, or looking at our web sites, or who attends an event like the Golf Outing, Year End Dinner, or Tutor/Mentor Conference, can take the same responsibility that I've taken for 30 years. When that happens we'll recruit Jimmy's 100 leaders, and we'll do more to help the kids and volunteers who are part of tutor/mentor programs like Cabrini Connections.

Golf Benefit July 16.. Back Story on Signed Sports item

2009-07-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection golf benefit is tomorrow at Highland Park Country Club. We have exceed our goal for players, with 25 foursomes. We've also built a great list of items for the dinner and silent auction.

The value of an autographed item grows when there is a story to go with it. Each of the items below has a "back story" written by El Da'Sheon Nix during the past year. I encourage you to print these to give authenticity to the value of each of these items.

Northwestern University female basketball standout, Nadia Bibbs and NBA star Antoine Walker were able to get autographs from Bobby Simmons, Gilbert Arenas, Devin Harris, Tracy McGrady, Luther Head, Will Bynum, Juwan Howard, and Larry Hughes. Read story.

Football signed by 2009 members of the New York Jets. Marquice Cole who was a standout player at Northwestern University, enlisted team mates to sign this ball. Read story.

#79 Trai Essex, of the Pittsburgh Steelers and former Northwestern University star, provided this football out of his personal collection. See story.

Visit this link to see the complete list of foursomes, some of the players, sponsors and donors supporting Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection through the golf benefit.

We hope that everyone who attends becomes one of the 100 leaders that Jimmy Biggs was trying to recruit before he died. We need this support as we move into August and the 2009-10 school year. If you'd still like to send a donation, please use the pay pal feature on the golf web site, or mail your donation to Cabrini Connections, 800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642

We are a 501-c-3 non profit with FEIN of 36-3893431

Thank you everyone for helping us connect inner city youth with tutors and mentors!

Golf Benefit offers Trim from Obama's Barbershop, more

2009-07-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

While you're playing golf next week at the Jimmy Biggs Memorial Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit, you can also get a "trim" from one of the barbers at the Hyde Park Hair Salon where President Obama gets his hair cut!

The list of players and sponsors for next Thursday's, July 16, Golf Benefit is growing. Thank you everyone who has signed up.

New donations received today include

Grant Brown, Cabrini Connections, T/MC Board of Directors, 19th Hole Sponsor

Ilene Fine, Donna Pareti, Mike Mazzuca, CC Veteran Volunteers, Contest Hole Sponsor

Nick Roach, Chicago Bears, dinner

Cliff Rago, RE-MAX 2000, hole sponsor

In addition, we continue to receive donations for the silent auction:

World Wrestling Tickets (4) to the Summer Slam Tour event on Aug. 15 at the Peoria Civic Tickets

Notre Dame vs Nevada Football Tickets (4) for Sept. 5th game

6 Tickets to any 2009-2010 Red Orchid Theatre Production

Mini Outing! Two Foursomes @ Sportsman's Country Club, $400 value

Foursome at Olympia Fields Country Club, value $800

Wilson's NFL Football Autographed by Pittsburgh Steelers - Value $325.00

NY Jets Superbowl III Football Autographed by 2009 NY Jets players - Value $275

Autographed items from rock band Styx

Cubs vs Sox Sept. 3 Game, 2 VIP Tickets

This is just a sample of the list of Silent Auction items. Come to the dinner on July 16 and you will walk away with some great bargins!

Edgewood College Visit made possible by your donations

2009-07-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today is the beginning of the 2009 Edgewood College 3-Day Visit. About 20 graduate students from the college, along with faculty leader Tom Holub and Courtney Moffitt, are here for 3 days of interaction with Cabrini Connections teens. This is the 11th year of this partnership. This video was made last year. Here are blog articles from past years.

We're able to host these visits because donors have provided the $5,000 it takes each month to pay the rent. Others have provided additional funds for utilities and liability insurance. Others have provided money to pay the staff who lead Cabrini Connections and make it possible for Tom and his students to come here.

This won't continue without the help of donors who will step forward to help us pay these expenses in July, August and throughout the rest of 2009 and 2010. While myself and our board are reaching out to people in their own networks to ask for help, I encourage anyone who reads this and who values what we do, to reach into your own networks to help us find donors, and benefactors, so there will be a 12th Edgewood College visit in July 2010.

One way to help is to donate to the Golf Benefit, being held on July 16. Here's the registration page. Here's the roster of players, sponsors and donors through today.

If you don't golf, come to the dinner and silent auction. If you'd like to help in a different way, visit our donor page on the Cabrini Connections web site.

New donations received week of 7/6/09

Ed Madden, foursome for Golf Benefit

Matt Stefan, hole sponsor for Golf Benefit

Pat Dowdle, Dowdle Solutions, hole sponsor

Walt Vincent, golf (1); Walt also donated United States Proof Coin & Currency Collection, Value $350,for the silent auction

Austin King, golf (1)

Tangela Smith Marlow, dinner (1)

If you'd like to meet and discuss ways to help raise funds, call Dan Bassill or El Da'Sheon Nix at 312-492-9614

Changing Lives...While Having Fun!

2009-06-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

Subject: Changing Lives...While Having Fun!

On Thursday July 16th, Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection will be hosting our annual Jimmy Biggs Memorial Golf Tournament at Highland Park Country Club. If any of you are golfers, put together a team of four and you can play in our tournament, which benefits tutoring and mentoring programs throughout Chicago.

If you like to drink and eat, then you should come to the dinner, which starts around 6pm. You can bid on a variety of prizes in our silent auction and get to meet some very special celebrity guests who have plans to attend this year's event.

We are still accepting silent auction items as well, so if you would like to donate something, let me know! And if you just can't come out to support, donate anything...you can still play a huge role by passing the information on to others in your network.

See complete roster of players, donors, sponsors through today

See Silent Auction List as of today

Just added:

Kurt Kittner, Board of Directors, hole sponsor

Bill Kane, foursome
Bill also donated Four tickets to Notre Dame vs Nevada, Sept. 5 game and 4 tickets to an Aug. 19 Sox vs Kansas City game for the (silent auction)

Park National Bank - hole sponsor

US Lending and Finance LTD, hole sponsor

Telander Construction Co., 3800 W 38th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60632, 773-927-5200, hole sponsor

American/Jebco Corporation, hole sponsor

Tami Wielgus - Dinner

Marko Fragassi - Golf (1)

Law Office of Scott B. Wolfman, golf donation

In addition,

We have received a $1000 donation from Nicor!

Susan Garver, a CC volunteer, held a party with friends and raised $210

Thank you all!

Chicago Bears' Orlando Pace to play in July 16 Golf Benefit

2009-06-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

Orlando Pace is one of a growing number of professional and college athletes who are taking notice of Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Two of our volunteers, Kurt Kittner and Zak Kustok, both have NFL experience and were star Quarterbacks in college.

Thus we're please that we've been told Olando Pace will be golfing with us on July 16 at the annual Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit.

We've also been informed that QDI Strategies will be a Birdie Sponsor and bring a foursome. Steve Bassill, brother of CC, T/MC president Dan Bassill is heading this company.

This week:
Melissa Moore, a member of our Advisory Council, and Eby-Brown, have become "Contest Hole Sponsors ($500)" for the July 16 Golf Benefit.

Donations received from:

C.J. Sichta, Jr., Acacia, IWU alum
David Hundley, Jr.

Thank you all!

See the most updated list of golfers, sponsors, dinner guests.

If you sign up now, you can play in this event and meet NFL star, Orlando Pace!

American Imaging Management becomes Eagle Sponsor of July 16 Golf Benefit

2009-06-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Good news! American Imaging Management has become an Eagle Sponsor ($2,500) for the Jimmy Biggs Memorial Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit on July 16, 2009.

Read about how volunteers from American Imaging Management did a service project with Cabrini Connections in April 2009. We hope that our bonds with this company and its associates continues to grow!

See the complete list of golf players and sponsors

Not much sleep if you lead a small non profit

2009-06-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

It's Monday morning, and last night was a bit rough. Payroll is due Thursday, and we have just received a new bill for General Liability insurance. I woke up at about 4am and spent the next two hours worrying about where the money would come from.

Fortunately my mail contained a July 16 Golf Benefit Birdie Sponsorship payment of $1500 from Carol and Bruce Ebel, along with a dinner donation from them as well. Carol is a member of our Board of Directors, and president of a small manufacturing firm, Janler, Inc. She's also the current president of the Tooling & Manufacturing Association. Thus, she has her hands full with work and professional responsibilities, but still makes time to help find the dollars it takes for Cabrini Connections.

We also received $250 from US Bank, as a sponsor donation from their branch at 745 N. Milwaukee Ave, for the May 28 and 29 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference.

And Mark Fragassi sent in his check to be a player in the July 16 Golf Benefit.

It all adds up, and we're covered for this week's expenses.

Yet, we have these expenses every month. We've had them every month since we started Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993.

Our commitment to the 7th graders who join us is that we're going to do everything we can to help them stay in school, get a high school degree, then continue to the next level, so that by age 25 they are starting a job and career. The only limits to what we achieve are what our volunteers and donors are willing to do to help us.

In many ways this is like parenting. The kids don't always make steady progress toward these goals. Parents don't kick kids out when they are not doing well in school, or get in trouble with social issues. They find a way to pay their family expenses and continue to try to help their kids.

Cabrini Connections has the same challenge, each week we not only need to find a way to keep kids and volunteers together, and support their interactions, but we also need to find donors who will make large and small contributions to help us pay the fixed expenses.

This chart illustrates that nearly 30% of the cost of Cabrini Connections is rent, utilities, general liability insurance and other fixed expenses. Of the remaining 70% payroll is the major cost. Without generating regular revenue to cover these expenses, week to week, month to month, and year to year, we cannot stay connected to our kids, and we can't keep our commitments to them.

Thus, the work our volunteers (tutors, mentors, board, advisory council, friends) do to help find donations, is critically important.

Yet, in this economy, it has never been more difficult.

Chris Warren has been writing some articles about cause related marketing, and I encourage you to read these. We recruit volunteers who already hold jobs in various industries because they can model a wider range of career opportunities than our normally held by parents and neighbors in high poverty areas.

Furthermore, as volunteers bond with kids and understand the strategy, we believe they can educate their companies, and industries, in cause marketing and other strategies that support all tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago region, not just Cabrini Connections.

We're not there yet. But the work we've done with the Lawyers Lend A Hand Program at the Chicago Bar Association since 1994 illustrates that a group within a business sector can form, and take on a role of raising revenue and recruiting volunteers for tutor/mentor programs in many locations.

If we can create leadership in other industries who take on this same role, we can generate operating revenue from many sources, and not loose so much sleep every night worrying about paying the bills.

It's hard enough keeping the kids and volunteers involved.

July 16 Golf Benefit Roster ! Thank you all!

2009-06-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

We have 25 foursomes registered which exceeds our goal to have a minimum of 20 groups. We also have a growing group who just plan to attend the dinner and take part in the Silent Auction. We'll look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.

There is still time to donate and have your name and company web site listed as a golf sponsor for the coming year. Visit http://www.cabrinitmcgolf.org to register and see the silent auction and sponsor list.

July 16 Golf Benefit - registered through 7/15/09

Wintrust Financial, Event Sponsor

Steve Miller, co-chair of the Golf Benefit, is bringing five (5) foursomes!

American Imaging Management, Eagle Sponsor! Foursome will include Brandon Cady (President), James Chow, Boris Spevak, and Joel Cesario

Carol and Bruce Ebel, Birdie Sponsor (includes foursome)

QDI Strategies, Birdie Sponsor, foursome of Steve Bassill, Jeff Clark, Karl Beide and Pat Kilroy

MB Financial Bank will be a Birdie Sponsor, with foursome led by Karen Perlman

Grant Brown, Cabrini Connections, T/MC Board of Directors, 19th Hole Sponsor

Bill Kane, foursome
Bill also donated Four tickets to Notre Dame vs Nevada, Sept. 5 game and 4 tickets to an Aug. 19 Sox vs Kansas City game for the (silent auction)

Chris Schuba, Shuba's Harmony Grill, foursome

Cabrini Volunteer foursome - Jen and Mike Jozwik, Mike Hayes, Mike DiClaudio

Ray Dowdle, Steve Strang - foursome

Ed Madden, - foursome

Julie & Scot Hamilton - golf (1) and dinner (part of foursome)
Stephen R. Tetro - golf (1)

Garett O. Gilles, foursome

The Rodriguez Family - foursome and hole sponsor

IWU Acacia foursome - Andrew Giordano, Anthony Algmin, Andrew Krantz, TBD

Andrew Pillsbury, Paul Ordynski, Patrick O'Toolen and Matt Luzadder, foursome

Mike Ozmeral, Reyes Holdings, LLC, foursome

Miles Taub, Project Lifeline, foursome

Mark Fragassi, golf (2)

Russ Iwami - golf (1)

Walt Vincent, golf (1); Walt also donated United States Proof Coin & Currency Collection, Value $350,for the silent auction

Don Bohling, tutor from 1988-92, golf (1)

Chris Warren and Raymond L. Paul, golf (2)

Austin King, golf (1)

Eby-Brown, http://www.eby-brown.com, has joined as a Contest Hole sponsor

Melissa Moore, Cabrini Connections Advisory Council, Contest Hole Sponsor

Ilene Fine, Donna Pareti, Mike Mazzuca, CC Veteran Volunteers, Contest Hole Sponsor

Kurt Kittner, CC, T/MC Board of Directors, Hole Sponsor

Cliff Rago, RE-MAX 2000, hole sponsor

Matt Stefan, hole sponsor for Golf Benefit

Pat Dowdle, Dowdle Solutions, hole sponsor

Daniel and Emily Bassill, hole sponsor

American/Jebco Corporation, Hole Sponsor

US Lending and Finance LTD, hole sponsor

Telander Construction Co., 3800 W 38th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60632, 773-927-5200, hole sponsor

Park National Bank, hole sponsor

Leo Sheridan, Advanced Group of Companies, hole sponsor

Karen and Kevin Lobdell - hole sponsor

Kathleen Griffin, Attorney - hole sponsor

Billy Criscione - Dinner

Nick Roach, Chicago Bears - dinner

Tami Wielgus - Dinner

Tangela Smith Marlow, dinner (1)
Tangela is one of the students who participated with Cabrini Connections from 1994 until she graduated from high school in 1997

We make our profit from the event through sponsor donations, starting with the $330 hole sponsor donation. Please ask clients, family, co-workers to make a donation at this level. Groups of two or three volunteers can pool donations to sponsor a hole as Donna Pietro and Ilene Fine have done for the past two years.

Thank you for your help.

Cause Marketing Part II (Sunday Funday)

2009-06-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Our Public Interest Program Fellow, Chris Warren just published the second post in a series about cause marketing at Cabrini Connections, The Tutor/Mentor Connection. Read it here and post your comments.

Cause Marketing

2009-06-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Our Public Interest Program Fellow, Chris Warren, just wrote a post about Cause Marketing on his blog. Check it out here! He'll be following it up throughout the week so stay tuned!

Tee Off for Cabrini Connections. July 16 Golf Benefit

2009-06-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Last week we posted an appeal for "stimulus funding" and this is a list of new donors to our list since then.

Golf Outing Silent Auction:
Autographed Football from New York Jets - see article

Autographed Football from Pittsburgh Steelers - see article

July 16 Golf Benefit - Registered and paid 6/8 to 6/15

Chris Schuba, foursome
Cabrini Volunteer foursome - Jen and Mike Jozwik, Mike Hayes, Mike DiClaudio
Russ Iwami - golf (1)
Ray Dowdle - foursome
Julie & Scot Hamilton - golf (1) and dinner
Stephen R. Tetro - golf (1)
Garett O. Gilles foursome
The Rodriguez Family - foursome and hole sponsor
Karen and Kevin Lobdell - hole sponsor
Billy Criscione - Dinner
Don Bohling, tutor from 1988-92, golf (1)
IWU Acacia foursome - Andrew Giordano, Anthony Algmin, Andrew Krantz, TBD

We have several other pledges for groups, but these have not registered and paid yet. Visit http://www.cabrinitmcgolf.org to sign up.

Year End Dinner Donations - Thank you!
We are still receiving donations as a result of our May mailing and June 4 Dinner.

From June 8 - 12 we received donations from:

Gary and Tracie Miller
Constance Gilchrist
Anthony Pashos
Mary Pat Kane Reilly
Tyrone Ross
Autum Sharp

In addition, we received a generous grant from the Ronald H. Ringer Foundation

Thank you all for helping bring stimulus dollars to Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection

Can you provide private sector stimulus funds?

2009-06-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated our annual year end dinner with more than 200 parents, volunteers and students. It was the type of event that puts tears in your eyes and cements the commitment I have to keeping this program going.

However, while the government is making all kinds of money available through Federal Stimulus Grants, these dollars won't do much to help keep small programs like Cabrini Connections in business. They are funding 'add on' activities, rather than operating dollars that pay the rent and keep current people employed. While there will be a quick turn around, most of those spending time writing grants, won't get funded, and won't know results until September or later.

If you have a rent bill, or payroll, due this week, and don't have money to pay, a government grant won't help.

However, our volunteers, leaders, parents and alumni can help. If you can send a donation, even $5, please do. If you can introduce us to a corporate sponsor, or individual donor, who can make larger gifts, please take this role.

Last week's dinner celebrated work done every year since the fall of 1992 when Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection was created. Every year we have had to find volunteers and donors to help do this work.

If we are to continue into the future, more people will need to share in the responsibility of finding the money than just Dan and the Board. The word community was used often in last week's dinner. We are a community.

We need help from everyone in the community to find the dollars that keep Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection available to Chicago kids.

Got an idea? Email me at tutormentor2@earthlinknet or call 312-492-9614

Dinner Celebration Tonight

2009-06-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

More than 200 people are expected to attend tonight's celebration of the 2008-09 school year of Cabrini Connections. We'll post photos and stories in the next few days.

Over the past month I've created a list of donors who have responded to our May appeal for contributions. We thank everyone who has given and hope that as you look at these pictures and celebrate with us, you'll help us find more of the dollars we need to offer this program.

Donors of 6/1 to 6/5...

Peter Nam, alumni volunteer
Ali Faraj, Board of Directors
Eileen Steffel
Garett Gilles and Will Bloom, Board of Directors
Dieter Schmitz & Megan Boyle
Shepard, Schwartz & Harris LLP
Autum Sharp, volunteer tutor/mentor

We also received

* a $1,000 matching gift donation from the GE Foundation.
* a $1,500 contribution from the MB Financial Bank Foundation

Thank you!

Celebrate history of Cabrini Connections

2009-06-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

This video was created by students and volunteers of Cabrini Connections, a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program serving 7th to 12th grade teens living in the Cabrini Green area of Chicago.

I hope you'll enjoy this, and see how the work of thousands of volunteers and youth over more than 40 years have led to the program we operate today, and the way we support the growth of similar programs throughout the Chicago region, through the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

If you can make a donation, or become a sponsor, please become part of the village who help raise these children.

Thanks for your help!

2009-05-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks I've posted a list of donors who have responded to our Year End Dinner Request for Donations. Two weeks ago and last week 30 donors sent in contributions. Additional donors all sent contributions for the July 16 Golf Benefit.

Thank you!

This week we have received donations from:

Michael and Susan Hayes, CC Volunteer & Board of Directors
Gabriel and Beth Rodriguez, Board of Directors
Mark Miller, Miller Insurance Co.
Michael and Sue Anne Parrish
Terry Smith (IWU - Acacia)
John and Mary-Glynn Boies
Julie and Scot Hamilton - Board of Directors
Joseph and Margaret Flanagan
Audrey Glover - Volunteer from 1970's at Montgomery Ward!
Steven and Lisa Friedland
Thomas Abendroth & Terri L. Mascherin
Grant Brown - Board of Directors

In addition, we received a generous gift from The H. Earl Hoover Foundation

In addition, Anthony Algmin has donated 6 tickets to Cubs/Sox game on June 17. If you would like to bid for these, email your bid to tutormentor2@earthlink.net. I'll accept bids until June 14. Anthony is another Acacia/IWU supporters

Please add your name to this list. More than 700 volunteers have been part of Cabrini Connections since 1993 and several thousand more were volunteers with the Montgomery Ward program, since 1970. If we can find donations of $25 to $500 from just 20% of these people we can offset some of the grants we may not receive due to changes in the economy. We can keep Cabrini Connections in place for our 7th grade students to move through high school to college and careers.

Hope, Build, Believe & Achieve

2009-05-20T06:40:00.001-07:00

Our Cabrini Connections students chose "Hope, Build, Believe & Achieve" as the theme for the 2009-10 school year.

As we end this school year we've sent out appeals to friends, family, co-workers, former volunteers and others, asking them to share as much of their wealth, time, and talent as they can to help us keep Cabrini Connections available to our teens, volunteer and alumni.

Our supporters are responding. Last week I posted a list of donations received from 5/11-5/15.

This week I'll share those we receive from 5/17-5/22.

Thank you all!

Ellen Nielsen
John Pellouchoud & Kristyna Driehaus
Karen and Kevin Lobdell (Board of Directors member)
Paul & Ruth Mc Mahon
Bella J. Kim
Robert F. Hirsch
Julie Bordo
Peggy and Te-Hsu Ma

If you have not yet sent a donation, you can use this PayPal link to contribute.

Tuesday was the annual Share A Meal Day for Community Shares of Illinois. This event raises visibility for the workplace fund raising campaigns organized by CS-IL, and raises some money for member agencies and CS-IL to do their work. Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection (CC, T/MC) staff hosted at several locations and have had some great stories to share.

EL Da'Sheon Nix was at Camille's Sidewalk Cafe, 400 N. LaSalle, early in the morning. As he tells the story, "No one was there, but me. A couple of guests came into the cafe' but left quickly with their 'to go' orders. Then this one guy, Mr. Monroe, came in. As he sat down, drank his coffee, and read the newspaper, I introduced myself, but he was waiting his breakfast, so I backed off. I noticed that he was looking at the sport's section and I asked him if he was a sport's fan and asked how he felt about Orlando Pace being traded to the Bears. After I shared with Mr. Monroe that Orlando Pace visited the Cabrini Connections' program less than 3 weeks ago," he looks up and says, "tell me what your organization does". After talking for a while he said "looks like you do good work" and agreed to donate $100 to Cabrini Connections!!!

Tutor/Mentor Programs like Cabrini Connections are needed in all parts of the Chicago region, not just in Cabrini Green. Through the Tutor/Mentor Connection we maintain a database of more than 200 different programs and we organize events, like the May 28 and 29 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference, to bring programs together to help each program get the ideas and dollars and volunteers they need to help kids in their own neighborhood. I hope you'll help spread the word to build attendance (and sponsor dollars) for the next conference which is at the end of next week.

Donations Received, 5/11-15/09

2009-05-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

In order to continue Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection from year to year we must find donors who make large and small contributions.

With the economy as bad as it is, it is more difficult, so we want to thank those who have responded to the different appeals we've sent out in the past couple of weeks.

Thank you all!

Donations received 5/14 (in order of receipt)
Barbara Goschi
Anna Quinlan
Jeffrey Diemand
Tami Wielgus (volunteer)
Cynthia Wilson
Mike Ozmeral (volunteer)
Stephanie Rogers (volunteer)
Linda Wielgus
Amy Proger, (volunteer)
Peter Fazio, Jr
Scott Wolfram (former volunteer)
Michael Maddock
Charles O'Hara
David Perkins (Acacia, IWU)
Stan Dewalt (Acacia, IWU)
Dr. & Mrs. John Ovitz
David and Maggie Hundley
David and Lola Hundley
James Chrones
Peter Brandt
Joan Dowdle (former volunteer)
Joey Molenda (former volunteer)

Thank you Robert Lassandrello for your generous donations to support Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection.

July 16, 2009 Golf Benefit Donations. Wintrust Financial Corporation is our first Event Sponsor ($5000) for this year's benefrit.

Foursomes who have registered and paid this week:

Andrew Pillsbury, Paul Ordynski, Patrick O'Toolen and Matt Luzadder

Mike Ozmeral, Reyes Holdings, LLC

Individuals who have registered and paid this week:

Don Bohling, former volunteer from 1988-90, signed up to golf.

Don't forget, you can also just attend the dinner and silent auction (open bar) at the Golf Benefit.

Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference. Baxter International has purchases a full page in the conference program ($500).

Each of these contributions help us cover the expenses of offering Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection to Chicago youth. Please add your own donations to help us do this work.

Support the Annual Rummage Sale of Winnetka Congregational Church

2009-05-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

One of the donors who helps Cabrini Connections is the Winnetka Congregational Church, in Winnetka Illinois.

They raise money to fund community organizations through an annual rummage sale. This year's event will be Thursday, May 14 from 7am to 3pm. It will be held at the Winnetka Community House, 620 Lincoln, Winnetka, IL.

Call 847-446-0675 for information.

If you're able to take advantage of this, please do. All proceeds go to social services groups like Cabrini Connections.

Thank you!

Cabrini Connections 2009 Seniors

2009-05-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Cabrini Connections' graduating class consist of Dominique Dobbs, LaFaye Garth, Angelene Hemphill, Eboni Rivera, and Charles Thomas, and they all have different plans as they continue on their path to a career by the age of 25.

Read more on the Cabrini Blog.

Can you make a donation to support this program for the coming year?

Say I DO and support a charity

2009-05-06T13:51:00.001-07:00

Are you getting married, but already have a full supply of dishes, household appliances, etc. Do you want to do something socially beneficial to mark the start of your new union? Maybe you want to do something that assures a brighter future for the offspring that will come in future years.

I received a donation this week that came to us because one of our former leaders, Gita Rao, was married this spring, and she decided to encourage friends to visit the I DO Foundation and consider giving a gift to Cabrini Connections to honor her wedding.

We've had a few volunteers support us with wedding gifts in the past, but this is the first time I've found a web site that acts as the matchmaker in this process. Thank you Gita and friends who have chosen to help us with their donation.

If you have wedding bells on the horizon, maybe you can help us this way, too.

Share A Meal - Help Build workplace Fundraising

2009-05-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, restaurants in Chicago and suburban locations join with generous diners like you to raise money in the 6th Annual Share a Meal with Community Shares. Dining out that one day at a participating restaurant helps 80 local community groups make a difference right here in Illinois every day.

Every diner becomes a donor. Here's how.

On May 19th, enjoy a great meal and have fun with friends, family or co-workers at one of the participating restaurants near you. That restaurant then donates a portion of the proceeds to Community Shares of Illinois and its member organizations. You may designate a portion of your bill to a specific member charity

Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connections is a member of Share A Meal of Illinois, and our staff and volunteers will be hosting diners at the following restaurants. Why not come in and Share A Meal with them!

* Blue Sky Bakery & Cafe, 4749 N. Albany
* Curio Cafe, 3400 N. Lawndale
* Camille's Sidewalk Cafe, 40o N. LaSalle Street
* The Celtic Knot, 628 Church Street, Evanston

We hope that the Share A Meal helps people think of ways they can donate to non profits like Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, so that when the workplace fund raising campaigns come up in their company, school, government office, etc. they will remember to look for us when they pledge their support.

A weekly donation of $1 is less than a cup of coffee, yet it adds up to $52 a year. If 500 people make such pledges it could cover the cost of the part of the staff, or rent that keeps Cabrini Connections working.

2009-05-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

What actions are needed to assure that all of the young people who join Cabrini Connections in 7th grade are finishing high school in six year, then starting jobs and careers after another six years of college, vocational or military experience?

Please review this pdf, which illustrates the challenge, and vision, we have of supporting current and former members of Cabrini Connections, and the Montgomery Ward/Cabrini Green Tutoring Program, which started in 1965.

Read the blog articles on networking, and that talk about the work we do.

Think of the role YOU can take of introducing people in your own network, to the information we post on our web sites that shows ways people in business, education, religion, public health and other sectors can support the journey of kids through school and to jobs, via organized, volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs like Cabrini Connections.

Your donations of time, and money, make this possible. Please contribute today.

Thank you Schiff Hardin LLP

2009-04-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

We have received our first sponsor donation for the June 4, 2009 Cabrini Connections Year End Dinner. It is from the law firm of Schiff Hardin, LLP, and supports future CEOs and Leaders.

Please ask your company, law firm, or professional group to add their own donation to celebrate the work of the students and volunteers who have been part of the 2008-09 Cabrini Connections and help us continue this effort in 2009-10. Thank you Schiff Hardin, LLP!

Connections for Life. Donors make this possible.

2009-04-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Staying Connected - Rebuilding Cabrini Connections on the Internet

During the past month I have re-connected with the following Cabrini Connections student alumni: Monique Allen, Dashay Bell, Maurice Kirkman-Bey, Monique Kirkman-Bey, Rahsaan Martin, Tawanna Blake Ross, Timothy Purdis, Alberta Duff , Demetris Smith, and Tramaine Montell Ford .

I also connected with former volunteers Bruce Boynick, Aimee Runyon and former Cabrini Connections leaders Gena Schoen and Claudia Crilly Bellucci

Some of these students were part of Cabrini Connections in 1994 through 1998. Others are more recent alumni. They are all connected to Cabrini Connections, each other, and a growing number of adults who don't live in poverty, and may not even live in Chicago, because of the work we've been doing for the past 16 years.

This illustrates how much potential we have for building networks that work during adult lives, when it's even more important to have friends who can help you with jobs, health, family and other issues that we all struggle with every day. I hope you'll all make an effort to be part of this community, now, and in the future. Read about how we can use the Internet to keep kids and volunteers connected
http://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2009/04/building-long-term-networks-of-support.html

Every year since 1992, when we formed Cabrini Connections, I have been reaching out to friends, family, college fraternity brothers, and other people I have met, asking them to make financial donations to support the program.

We're a non profit organization. We depend on charitable donations to operate. We have needed this money each year. We need to ask each year for new donations, to fund that year's work. If we did not do that, and if many had not responded, we would not have the connections that I'm making on Facebook and that so many others have built because there is a Cabrini Connections.

More than 700 volunteers and 500 youth have been part of Cabrini Connections since 1992. Many more volunteers and Cabrini Green residents were part of the Montgomery Ward - Cabrini Green Tutoring Program, which was started in 1965, and from which Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection originated.

Many of these volunteers are already taking the role defined by this graphic. They are the RED dot, reaching out to people in their own network, asking for donations each year.

We need more people to take this role. We need your help now, in May and June, 2009.

However, we will still need your continued help in 2010 and 2011. That's the only way we can build the on-line connections between all of you that can help each of you in your adult lives.

Please visit the donor page at Cabrini Connections and find a way to offer your financial support, and to help us find the donors we need to continue this program.

Thank you from myself, and from all of those who have been connected because of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Cabrini Conenctions Recognizes Mike Kolberg

2009-04-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

“The theme for National Volunteer Week, commemorated April 19-25, is "Celebrating People in Action." The theme captures the meaning behind this signature week – honoring the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities.”

Continuing with "Celebrating People in Action" at Cabrini Connections this week, I would like to recognize 2nd year volunteer Mike Kolberg. Mike Kolberg started here at Cabrini Connections on Arpril 3, 2008 and has been making his mark on the program every since. Mike is currently matched up with Cabrini Connections' student standout, Savon Clark, and they have truly been a perfect pair from the start.

During the summer at Cabrini Connections, students and volunteers have the opportunity to utilize the program space and all program resources to continue on the positive track, and Mike and Savon took advantage of that opportunity nearly every week of last year's summer. Mike Kolberg assisted Savon with his algebra in an attempt to be prepared for the upcoming school year.

Mike, has also taken an active role in our fundraising efforts by simply supporting the work of students and by attending nearly all of our major fundraising events. Mr. Kolberg most recently attended Cabrini Connections' Art and Film Festival that took place on April 4th and purchased not only some student produced art work, Mike also purchased the This is What I Know dvd that was created by the students from the IYP Club.

Mike has and continues to be a standout volunteer in the Cabrini Connections' program and continues to find ways to assist in our fundraising efforts, as we continue to work towards provided the necessary services for the youth and volunteers that participate in the program.

For these reasons, I would definitely like to recognize Mike Kolberg!

National Volunteer Week: Fundraising

2009-04-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

We are proud to say that many of our volunteers have stepped up throughout the year with their fundraising efforts, but there are 3 volunteers that I would like to recognize now. First year tutor/mentor John Knight has thought outside the box with his fundraising by putting together a fundraising event of his own, where all of the proceeds went to the Cabrini Connections' program. John hosted an event at Krem nightclub in December, and as a result of Mr. Knight's efforts the Cabrini Connections' program received a little over $1200. and Mr. Knight is currently in 3rd place in the FUNdraising for Quarter's competition in relations to the GRAND prize.

Another volunteer that I would like to recognize, and who is currently in 2nd place, is Mary Catherine Nelson. M.C. was able to solidify the Cabrini Connections' organization as the beneficiary of her company's holiday giving during the month of December. Several students accompanied a staff to M.C.'s place of business to promote the program and to tell the employees why their funds are needed for programs such as Cabrini Connections. As a result of M.C. Nelson and this opportunity during the holiday season, Cabrini Connections' received $1,630.

Lastly, I would like to recognize the current leader in the FUNdraising for Quarters competition and that is non other than veteran volunteer, Allen "AJ" Tyson. Mr. Tyson has been using his extensive knowledge of the Cabrini Connections program and his overall understanding of the importance of program such as our to get people in his network to support the program. AJ has been working with his student in our program for a couple years and they continue to build a strong, lifelong relationship. As mentioned, AJ is in first place in the FUNdraising for Quarters competition and has brought in a total of $1825!!!

Thanks so much John, M.C., AJ, and all of the other volunteers who have contributed to our fundraising efforts. Without you, there is not us! Keep up the great work of spreading the word and bringing in those needed dollars!

ReBAG, and Remind Your Friends!

2009-04-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods Market has launched a bag recycling program and during April, May and June, the charity that benefits from customer recycling at five Chicago stores is CABRINI CONNECTIONS.

Bring your bags back when you shop, and you can have 10 cents per bag donated to support our work. Now I've told everyone for years that I would stand on my head, or do anything else, to help find the money needed to assure that Cabrini Connections can continue to connect kids and volunteers.

With this recycling program, you don't need to do that. You just need to tell your friends and co-workers to shop at Whole Foods and ReBag for Cabrini Connections.

This is not only a way to raise some money. It's a way to build a whole network of new supporters for tutoring/mentoring. I was in the Whole Foods store on Canal Street last week. I had some great wings and took home some fresh flowers. It's a huge store! Hundreds of shoppers are going to the cash register and what do they see? The Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection logo.

That's the type of corporate advertising we hope will be duplicated by many companies. Every time someone looks at this we hope they are reminded to go on Google and look up "tutor mentor". When they do, they will find our web sites, and they will find Cabrini Connections.

However, they will also find our new Interactive Program Locator, which will enable customers from each of these stores to shop for what tutor/mentor program in the North, West, or South parts of Chicago they want to support with their time, or dollars.

If you can enlist your faith group, your fraternity, your company, or your sports team to find a way to raise money for Cabrini Connections or other tutor/mentor programs, and point to the Program Locator, each event will complement each other event. In total we'll raise much more attention, and recruit many more volunteers and donors, than we can with each program just promoting their own efforts.

I hope you'll make an extra effort to do this, just as I'm doing. Together we can make sure kids at Cabrini Connections, and kids in other neighborhoods, have tutor/mentor programs as we go into the 2009-10 school year.

Help Spread the Word!

2009-04-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

I've been receiving more and more invitations from consultants who are offering seminars and workshops to help non profits learn to raise money in tough times.

It's been tough times since 1993 when we created Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Sometimes, I think the only one making money from these seminars are the people offering them.

Why? Because the donor pool is not growing.

This picture shows teens and volunteers at Cabrini Connections being coached in using technology by our eLearning Coordinator. On the eLearning blog you can see how we're trying to coach teens and volunteers to use the technology to find problem solving information on our web sites, such as homework help, career resources, leadership and service ideas.

Three sections that I'd like our volunteers, leaders, and donors to learn to use are:

a) challenges facing non profits

b) research articles on poverty, high school drop outs, education, illustrating the need for kids in high poverty to have extra learning and mentoring supports

c) fund raising and marketing blogs - with loads of ideas for how non profits, and their volunteers, can raise money

If you are a volunteer, alumni, or someone who believes in the power of tutoring/mentoring, I encourage you to consider your own donation to Cabrini Connections, and become an evangelist to enlist 2 other people each month, to add their donation.

If you'd prefer to make a donation as a sponsor of an event, or as part of your fee to play in a golf outing, please support the July 16, 2009 golf benefit. You can use the Pay Pal button on the sponsor page to make your donation, or to register a group.

Without your help, all of the fund raising workshops in the world will not make us more effective in finding the donors needed to help Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection keep the lights on and the rent paid.

Help Cabrini Connections, and the Environment, One Bag, One Dime, at a Time

2009-04-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods Market has selected Cabrini Connections to be the beneficiary of a new program designed to help our community partners raise needed funds.

The One Dime at a Time program provides an incentive to Whole Foods Market customers to eliminate single-use plastic bags and develop stronger communities all at the same time.

At the register, customers will have the option to receive a 10 cent per bag refund as cash back off their receipt or they can choose to donate it to that month's selected charity organization.

During April, May and June, 2009, Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, is the charity of choice for five Whole Foods Market stores located in the Chicago Downtown area. These include the

Lakeview Store - 3300 N. Ashland, Chicago, Il
South Loop - 1101 S Canal St # 107, Chicago, IL‎
Lincoln Park - 1000 W North Ave, Chicago, IL (new store location will be 1550 N Kingsbury St, Chicago, IL)
Gold Coast - 30 W Huron St, Chicago, IL‎

Tell your friends about this. Every customer who goes to Whole Foods Market during this time frame will be a potential new volunteer or leader at a tutor/mentor program in Chicago, or at Cabrini Connections. Some may even become grant makers who direct corporate and foundation dollars to tutor/mentor programs.

Thank you Whole Foods Market!

Arts and Video Festival Connects Students and Volunteers with the world

2009-04-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday evening the Cabrini Connections Art and Video Festival drew together more than 100 friends, volunteers, students, parents and supporters of Cabrini Connections.

Some were people we've not seen in a while, like Claudia Crilly Bellucci, who was one of the first people on staff at Cabrini Connections in 1993. She was a volunteer from the early 1980s. We've now connected on Facebook, and through Claudia's network we're re-connecting with others who were part of Cabrini Connections in the past.

Others were family members. I was surprised to see one of my wife's cousins who attended the event because another family member, Lisa Hung, spread the news about the Festival to the family network.

Another family member was El Da'Sheon Nix's Mom, who came in from Ohio for the week. She was really a "MOM" in the way she took charge of food and beverages and cleanup at the end of the event.

In addition, several of the parents came to see the new documentary video, title This Is What I know: Our Lives, Our Truths, Our Stores, and see the art that their kids had been working on. You can see part of the video, and other videos, http://www.cabriniconnections.net/video.

We don't know how much money was raised from selling art, or from donations, but while the bidding was going on, El Da'Sheon was in touch, by cell phone, with one of his buddies on the Pittsburg Steelers, who was bidding on the 2009 Art Club Mural.

This just shows how our event in Chicago was connecting our kids and volunteers with the world. If you take on a role of network building, you can help us build connections with people in your own network. Some will use our ideas to help build tutor/mentor programs in their own communities. Some may become tutors/mentors with us, or with other programs. Hopefully some will become benefactors, making long-term donations that assure that we can continue to offer Cabrini Connections to students and volunteers for many years to come.

You can send donations to Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, 800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642 or you can use this form to make an on-line donation.

Arts and Video Festival, this Saturday, April 4

2009-03-31T07:55:00.001-07:00

Plan to attend this year's
Arts and Video Festival

The Cabrini Connections Arts and Video festival will be held at the Palette and Chisel Art Institute, 1012 N. Dearborn in Chicago, on Saturday, April 4 from 5:00 to 10 p.m.

There will be a silent auction and raffle. Art will be sold, including the 2008 Peace Hands Mural and the 2009 Mural shown at the left.

In addition, the Cabrini Connections Video Club—Innervision Youth Productions (IYP) will present the documentary called *This is What I Know* and make copies available for sale at $15 each.

The 30-minute documentary reveals student perspectives on Cabrini Green and the current redevelopment of the Cabrini-Green public housing neighborhood in Chicago. The youth interviewed each other as well as family, friends, community activists, high school teachers, urban policy professionals, and a developer to help them tell their story.

See photos of Peace Hands and 2009 Mural, that will be shown and sold - click here.

Silent Auction list - click here

Members of the Cabrini Connections Board of Directors have pooled their donations, to become a $1,000 level sponsor for the Art Festival. We hope others will add their own contributions.

For instance, if volunteers and supporters of Cabrini Connections, can enlist teams from their company, faith group, or family network to do the same, we can raise enough money to cover one month's rent and utilities, or pay the annual insurance fees that allow us to operate.

Please share this pdf invitation people who might become potential sponsors and donors: http://www.cabriniconnections.net/images/PDF/artfest09.pdf

To make a donation using our Pay Pal form click here.

FUNdraising for Quarters: 2nd Quarter Winner!!!

2009-03-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Cabrini Connections’ FUNdraising for Quarters competition consists of Cabrini Connections’ volunteers making an effort to spread the word about the program to those in their network. Our volunteers share their experiences and the overall goals of the program to family, friends, coworkers, and/or others who support those who are working to better the lives of our youth.

As a result of our volunteers spreading the word and with other creative ideas from the volunteers, financial support is brought into the program. And part of this competition is that the volunteers who bring in the most support are rewarded with a variety of gifts at the end of our quarters. The Cabrini Connections’ staff is proud to announce that Thursday tutor/mentor Mary C. Nelson is our FUNdraising for Quarters winner for the 2^nd Quarter. M.C. Nelson was able to bring in a total of $1630 during the second quarter and will receive:

1. A Webster’s Wine Bar $60 gift certificate that provides her and a guest the opportunity to take part in one of the Wine Bar’s wine tasting events. Wine Bar's monthly "wine tastings" where an expert on a featured region's wines comes in with 15-20 (or so) different bottles from a region of the world, and sets up stations for tasting. The bar's resident sommelier is usually in attendance, and it is a social occasion... people sign up - almost like a class. I hear it's a lot of fun and pretty informative. There are usually hors d'oevres and cheeses and finger food too!!!

2. A 3-month FREE Family Membership to the Lakeshore Athletic Club!!!

~Congratulations Mary C. Nelson~

Top Ten Achievements of past 3 months

2009-03-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

El Da'Sheon Nix has created a TOP TEN list showing achievements of students, volunteers and staff during the 2nd quarter of the 2008-09 school year.

For instance, at this time last year the attendance for students was 68% and for volunteers it was 52%. Attendance for the same period this year shows students at 79% and volunteers at 82.9 %.

Check out the STATS section on the Cabrini Connections' website. With several of our students and volunteers who have made an effort to attend every tutoring/mentoring session of the quarter. (Mentors/Volunteers: Alexandria Hill, Mike and Jen Jozwik, Sein Lui, and Sarah Randag. Students: Gregory Hatchett, Angelene Hemphill, Whitney Hemphill, Ashaunti Roby, Breonca Hyles, Yolanda Hyles, Akeim Phipps, Cierria Tharpe).

Take a look at the rest of the TOP TEN list on the Cabrini Blog.

Art Festival Update - Silent Auction

2009-03-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

The Cabrini Connections Art Festival will be April 4th at the Palette & Chisel Art Academy, 1012 N. Dearborn in Chicago.

Art created by our teens, such as this painting, will be shown and sold. Part of the money will go to the teen artist. Part will go to provide funds to support Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection and help us make arts, technology and mentoring available.

Thus, we hope you'll attend, and that you'll send donations even if you can not attend.

In addition to art being sold, we will have a silent auction. Some of the items for auction include:

Chicago Cubs tickets (2)
Webster's Wine Bar - Wine Tasting - $60 value
Kitschn River North, $25 gift card
Palette & Chisel - booklet of 10 studio passes ($85 value)
Cub's Pitcher, Ryan Dempster, 8x10" autographed photo, $25 value
Karyn's Cooked - $50 gift card

More items will be added to this list as they are confirmed. Thank you to all of the businesses donating silent auction items and to every one who sends in donations of "cash" which area really needed to help pay the rent!

Cabrini Connections featured on Oprah's Angel Network site

2009-03-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

We're honored and excited to have a story about the work of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection to be featured on the Oprah's Angel Network web site. I hope you'll look at this, and add your own comments telling how you've been part of Cabrini Connections, or helped by the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Then, I hope you'll also contact the people at your company, or a friend's company, or your faith group, or family foundation, and ask them to send their own donation, or a grant application, to help us fund the work we do.

No donor provides more than a small percent of the funds needed by any tutor/mentor program in any given year. Visit our donor list for 2008 and you'll see many who have given big and small donations. This is an orchestra. Some have more talent, and a bigger capacity to help than others. However, all are needed, this year, and every year.

Our teens are 7th grade when most join us. This means it will be six years before the 7th graders are finishing high school, and another 4 to 6 years before they are in their mid 20's and beginning to become established in jobs and careers. Because of the negative influences of big city poverty, which grow stronger as kids grow older, we need to provide continued mentoring, tutoring and career coaching for each youth for many years.

In fact, we say, "once in Cabrini Connections, always in Cabrini Connections". What we mean by that is that when you are born into a family, in a wealthy neighborhood, or a poor neighborhood, you are part of that family until you die.

Depending on the community where that family lives, and where you are raised, the network of adults, and variety of learning experiences, will be far greater for most kids than it is for kids living in urban poverty.

A tutor/mentor program like Cabrini Connections builds connections between inner city kids and volunteers who don't live in poverty. The longer these kids and volunteers stay connected, the more they can benefit. Thus, our efforts to build a Cabrini Connections on Facebook, Ning, or Linked In, or in other portals is part of an effort to keep members of this family connected to each other, no matter where they move to in their adult lives.

If we can do this we end the isolation of poverty, and create a network of support that mirrors what other kids in more affluent areas are born with.

We cannot do this without sustained financial support from an orchestra of donors. While we are trying to find these donors, our web sites and your networking, helps them learn to find us, and find others doing similar work in other neighborhoods.

Stories on high profile web sites like the Oprah's Angel Network site give a big boost to this effort. However, they are just one very talented and influential member of the orchestra of support we need to build for volunteer-based tutoring and/mentoring.

Please help spread the word and build the orchestra.

Make a donation today.

FUNdraising For Quarter: 2nd Quarter

2009-03-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

As the 2nd Quarter begins to come to an end, the FUNdraising for Quarters competition for 2nd quarter is fastly approaching its conclusion. During this quarter we have had several volunteers step and really get the word out about Cabrini Connections and work towards getting donations for the program in various ways.

Thanks to our GIS Mapping Coordinator Mike Trakan and to a Cabrini Connections supporter Jason Phillips, we have our FUNdraising For Quarters prizes for the 2nd Quarter. This quarter we will be giving out a package for 2 for a wine tasting event courtesy of the Webster's Wine Bar and a 3-month FREE Family Membership to the Lakeshore Athletic Club.

Our current FUNdraising leader for the 2nd Quarter is Mary Catherine Nelson at $1630 was able to spread the Cabrini Connections' word to her coworkers around the Christmas holidays and as a result she was able to bring in the total mentioned to the Cabrini Connections' program so that we can continue to provide the services that our students deserve.

Thursday night mentor Ilser Aleem, as part of her job with Wrigley, is working towards getting a cash donation for the program because of the volunteer hours she has provided here at Cabrini Connections. Ilser has also gone one step further with working towards bringing in more donations to the program by putting together a 'Spare Change' drive in which all of the change that is collected from a group in her network will be donated to Cabrini Connections!

Here are a few of the many ways in which the Cabrini Connections' volunteers are spreading the word about Cabrini Connections and all that we do within our program, and as a result of their efforts donations are being provided. Here are a couple more ways in which the volunteers, staff, and other supporters and fans of Cabrini Connections can spread the word and bring in the financial support needed in order for our students, volunteers, and the overall program to be successful in the near and far future.

Support the Art Festival (http://www.cabriniconnections.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86:cabrini-connections-art-club-&catid=42:learning-and-enrichment&Itemid=88)

Support the Golf Benefit (http://www.cabrinitmcgolf.org/)

Or...simply visit the website (http://www.cabriniconnections.net/) and give....

Whole Foods Lends Their Support

2009-03-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

In an effort to help us raise funds for Cabrini Connections and The Tutor/Mentor Connection, Whole Foods is hosting a fundraiser called, "One Dime At A Time",for the months April, May and June, whereby each time a shopper brings his/her own grocery bags to a Whole Foods store, a dime will be donated to our organization. There are 5 Whole Foods stores participating and Dan Bassill and I will be presenting information to the Whole Foods staff the morning of March 31,2009 at their 30 West Huron Street store in Chicago. We would like to thank Katherine Melenovsky, Whole Foods Marketing and Community Relations Specialist for making this possible.

Toni

Cabrini Connections Art Festival, April 4

2009-03-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

While the media are talking about strategies for stopping violence and improving school outcomes, Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection is on the ground doing battle to compete for the attention of teens living in high poverty neighborhoods so they connect with tutors/mentors and positive learning during the non-school hours.

Mike Trakan of the T/MC wrote an article responding to the SunTimes editorial of this week. I encourage you to read it. I also encourage you to read El Da'Sheon Nix's article on teamwork.

Then look at the art on this page. It was created by teens and volunteers who meet each Monday evening at Cabrini Connections. The top mural is 4'x5' and was created during the past year. The bottom mural is about the same size and was created last year. These and other art will be available for sale, along with donated art from local professionals, during our annual Art Festival, which will be held from 5pm to 10pm on April 4, at the Palette and Chisel Art Academy, 1012 N. Dearborn in Chicago.

You can support the arts and mentoring activities of Cabrini Connections by attending the festival and purchasing this art, or by making a sponsor donation to support our work. The sponsor form pdf is here. Learn more about Cabrini Connections and the Art Festival.

If you become part of this team you have a direct impact on the kids at Cabrini Connections and on the efforts of the Tutor/Mentor Connection to help these types of programs operate in more parts of Chicago. If we increase the number and variety of volunteers in different tutor/mentor programs we expand the number of people who are personally involved with the problems of poverty. This is an essential part of the solution.

Recognizing Heros - The Giraffe Project

2009-03-08T10:04:00.001-07:00

One of the recognitions that I've been most honored to receive is being nominated to be a Giraffe in 1997 by the Giraffe Project. Through this recognition, Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection has received other types of support, such as being recognized on the 1999 Montel Williams TV Show with the Publisher's Clearing House Good as Gold Award, and a $10,000 gift.

At this link you'll find articles and interviews featuring Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, such as this article in the Chicago SunTimes from Saturday, March 6.

As you review this Cabrini Connections Fund Raising blog, we hope that the articles we point to and the recognition that I've received provides reasons for you to add your own donations of time and financial support to help us do his work. We can all be heroes.

Donation from Winnetka Congregational Church. Thank you!

2009-03-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection received a generous donation of $4,000 today from the Woman's Society of the Winnetka Congregational Church. We really appreciate it.

The money for this donation is raised each year through a fantastic Rummage Sale. The 2009 Sale will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2009 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m at the Winnetka Community House, 620 Lincoln, Winnetka Illinois. Call 847-446-0574

The maps we create show that there are many faith based organizations in the high poverty areas of Chicago and the suburbs where tutor/mentor programs are needed. The donation from the Winnetka Congregational Church illustrates how congregations beyond poverty can raise money that helps tutor/mentor programs operate in inner city neighborhoods.

We thank the good friends at the Winnetka Congregational Church for their donation, and hope that others in other faith groups throughout the region will duplicate their efforts in 2009 and beyond.

Tech Woes show need for Stimulus Funds

2009-03-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

For the past three weeks Cabrini Connections has had major problems with our internet and internal computer network. Vjeko wrote about last week's problem on his blog.

This week we had a power outage on Sunday that burned out the hard drive on our server (we think). We've not had access to internal shared files or the Internet since Monday (today is Wednesday). If this happened in most companies, the IT department would have the tools and talent to fix this quickly. In fact, such problems might not have occurred because of preventative steps taken.

While we have a creative technology strategy to connect our kids and volunteers with each other and the world of learning and problem solving that is open to them via technology, we don't have adequate funds to cover all of our other expenses, and the additional cost of professional IT support.

It would cost of $300 per month for a service contract to have IT support 24 hours a day. That's $3,600 per year. Business hosting solutions cost as much as $200 or more a month. We're paying $50 a month to the company hosting our Cabrini Connections, SVHATS and Tutor/Mentor Institute sites.

You get what you pay for (or don't pay for).

It's important to have regular tech support, but it's even more important to pay staff salaries, rent, insurance, electric bills, and other expenses that we also have each month. Especially as we face the potential of reduced revenue from fund raising due to the impact of the economy on donors.

We've been able to get by with volunteers, and with the knowledge our IT coordinator can bring. But some of this is beyond what our volunteers and staff can support.

That's why your help is so important. There are more than 5 million adults working in the Chicago area. Our donor list is under one thousand people each year. Thus, there are thousands of people who have never been asked to make a donation, who might give $50 or $100, or even more. If your current and veteran volunteers , and student, tell the story of how they have been involved, these people will get to know us, and some will make the donations needed to cover the costs of making this program available to kids and volunteers.

We do events throughout the year, such as the Golf Benefit in July, the Dinner in June and the Art Festival in April. These give people an opportunity to make sponsor donations of $100 to $5,000 which add up to quite a bit of revenue throughout the year.

You can even make donations through workplace fund raising at your school, government office, or company. Here's a list of other ways to help.

Please tell your friends about what we do and how they can help. You don't need to be in Chicago to be part of the network supporting groups like ours helping inner city kids.

It takes a village to raise a child. In every village there are bankers and investors.

2009-02-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

I encourage you to read the Cabrini Blog and the Mapping for Justice Blog as well as the Tutor/Mentor Connection blog, to find stories of tutoring/mentoring and what Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection are doing to help volunteers connect with kids in well-structured, long-term programs, that lead kids through high school to college and careers.

The graphic on this page illustrates that it takes people from many different business, civic and social sectors to help kids grow up. We take this for granted in more affluent communities where community wealth and human capital gives kids momentum and social and emotional support as the grow up. As Mike illustrates in his Mapping for Justice articles,kids in poverty don't have these same positive supports and have many negatives that other kids do not face.

While these other blogs show how people can use their time and talent to help tutor/mentor programs help kids, this blog focuses on the dollars that need to be invested by many different people, at Cabrini Connections, and many different places, to make sure tutor/mentor programs are available and have the flexible resources to meet the different and constantly changing needs of kids and volunteers in each of these programs.

I use this front page from a 1992 Chicago SunTimes editorial following the shooting of 7-year old Dantrel Davis as a constant reminder that unless everyone accepts this as their own responsibility, nothing will change for kids living in poverty neighborhoods of Chicago.

Please send a donation today. Consider becoming a sponsor for one of the events we organize, such as the July Golf Benefit, or the Tutor/Mentor Conference. Support the Lawyers Lend A Hand which funds tutor/mentor programs. Or give directly to one of the other programs in the city.

Keep giving. Use the web sites and blogs to remind you of why you are giving and what your money is being used for.

It takes the bankers and investors in a village to keep the economy going.

Tee Off for Cabrini Connections. Save the Date! Be a Sponsor!

2009-02-19T10:02:00.000-08:00

Help raise the dollars needed to keep Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection connected to youth in inner-city Chicago. Have fun at the same time!!

The 2009 Jimmy Biggs Memorial Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit will be held on July 16, 2009 at Highland Park Country Club. At http://www.cabrinitmcgolf.org you can see the list of sponsors from last year, and read about the vision Jimmy Biggs had for building a network of 100 business leaders who support tutoring/mentoring with time, talent and dollars.

Kurt Kittner, a member of the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection Board of Directors will again co-chair this event. Here's a pdf that shows how Kurt is trying to mobilize volunteers and donors for all tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago region.

You can be one of those leaders with a sponsor donation, or by becoming part of the leadership committee that organizes the golf benefit. Or you can recruit some buddies and play in the golf outing. We know the economy's tough, so if you register a group and pay by June 15 the fee will be $700. If you register and pay later the fee will be $800 for a group.

Event sponsor fees range from $5,000 to $330. Donations are welcome in any size! There will be a dinner and silent auction and lots of fun for all.

Don't wait until June to decide that you want to help. Be the CHANGE that President Obama calls for. Become a sponsor and a donor and send your contribution today. Here's a form you can use.

Here's the direct link to the PAY PAL form on the Golf web site.

Jessica's First Night at Cabrini Connections

2009-02-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

LaJuan Garcia: New Cabrini Connections' Volunteer...

There are kids with bright futures. I have seen this personally at Cabrini Connections Tutor and Mentor Program. It’s amazing how many kids in this program are dedicated to and enthusiastic about their education. I was really inspired. The kids spend about an hour and a half doing their homework alongside and with the help of their tutors and mentors. I had the privilege of working with a young lady by the name of Jessica who showed motivation and was dedicated to doing her homework. Although having friends in the program Jessica remained focused on her studies and even when it was time to go she made sure to finish the work she started. It is extremely gratifying to me to know that I was able to help Jessica but even more meaningful that she accepted my help. I hope I made an impact on Jessica enough for her to return to the program because I definitely saw the potential in her.

I would like to emphasize the importance of keeping programs like Cabrini Connections available for students like Jessica. Such programs keep students off the streets and into their studies. Cabrini Connections needs the financial help of anyone willing to give it. Donations of any amount are appreciated.

One of the many ways you can help Cabrini Connections or students like Jessica is by taking part in the annual golf benefit and here's the link www.cabrinitmcgolf.org/

Thanks for your support

Stimulus Package for Cabrini Connections and similar programs

2009-02-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

As our elected leaders are debating how to spend $800 billion, I want to encourage you all to read El Da'Sheon's Blog about TEAMWORK.

While El Da' Sheon uses a sports apology to talk about the roles many people need to take to help kids in poverty connect with tutors/mentors who help them through school and into jobs, I sometimes use a military anology.

I wrote about the graphic above in an article last summer. It shows how generals use maps to determine where the enemy has strength, and how this triggers a planning process that not only distributes troops to where the enemy is located, but builds a supply chain to make sure our troops are well fed, have good weapons and training, and are replaced by others after one year on the job.

The infantry on the front lines of a tutor/mentor program are the men and women who volunteer time to be here each week working with our kids. However, without a sophisticated support system, or supply chain, these volunteers, and our students, will not have the on-going support they need for many years to go from 7th grade through 12th grade then through college or vocational school to the point that our volunteers can help them find job interviews .... IF they are still connected.

We use maps to illustrate that Cabrini Connections is just one program in a huge city where hundreds of programs like Cabrini Connections need to be supported by well trained staff and well equipped facilities.

In this graphic the red dot represents the members of the team that El Da'Sheon is writing about. Every day you can pass on messages to the people in your network that tell them how important it is to support volunteer based organizations, and how they can provide big and small donations, to help Cabrini Connections and other programs do this work.

If you think of this in contest of the Stimulus Package in Congress, support for a program like Cabrini Connections keeps people employed, builds future workers and reduces the costs of poverty, and can create new jobs if additional money can be found to pay for the extra people Cabrini Connections and hundreds of other programs need to support the troops in existing programs, or to create new programs where more are needed.

One painless way to build this support is to create a workplace fund raising campaign in your company or organization, or to select a tutor/mentor program like Cabrini Connections if you already have such a campaign.

In workplace fund raising your contribution comes out of your pay check each week. Thus, if you pledge $1 dollar (still less than coffee at Starbucks!) that weekly contribution adds up to $52 dollars at the end of the year. If one thousand people do this, that is serious support that can help us stay in business and innovate new ways to influence what kids do.

This is a group activity, but it takes each of us to be the CHANGE, or the leader, who says "if it is to be, it is up to me."

Help us find this stimulus for tutor/mentor programs.

Donate now at http://www.cabriniconnections.net/donate/donate_online.asp

Facebook Article about Tutor/Mentor Connection

2009-02-05T07:51:00.001-08:00

A new article has been written about the Tutor/Mentor Connection. It is posted on Facebook, where it can be read by thousands of people. You can view it at http://theloop21.com/blogs/how-connecting-people-increases-power

At the same time, we have created videos where students tell how important their mentor, and Cabrini Connections, are to them. You can see these at http://www.cabriniconnections.net

The stories from kids show how important an organized volunteer-based tutor/mentor program can be. The work of the Tutor/Mentor Connection seeks to assure that such programs are operating in every poverty neighborhood of Chicago. The article on Facebook shows how this is being shared in cities all over the country.

I hope you will use this as ammunition in your efforts to enlist individuals, companies and foundations to make 2009 gifts and sponsor donations of $5,000 to $50,000 so that we have the money needed to do this work the way it needs to be done.

If each one of you can enlist at least one new donor or sponsor during spring 2009, we will weather this economic storm and move into the 2009-2010 school year with strength and the resources needed to continue this work.

Thank you for your help.

Dan Bassill
President
Cabrini Connections
Tutor/Mentor Connection

Students Give Feedback

2009-01-31T16:29:00.000-08:00

During Jaunary students of Cabrini Connections recorded messages for their volunteers. You can see these at the home page of our web site.

I hope you will view these and see how important tutoring/mentoring and Cabrini Connections are to these teens and that you will send a donation to support our efforts.

Visit http://www.cabriniconnections.net/donate to learn more of how you can help.

FUNdraising For Quarters Update(as of 1/27/09)

2009-01-27T12:26:00.001-08:00

As we continue to move forward with our FUNdraising for Quarters project we just wanted to update everybody on where we are currently.

This is our 3rd week of our Winter Quarter of our tutoring/mentoring sessions and there are 3 Cabrini Connections' volunteers who are leading the charge early on:

-Mary Catherine Nelson (Thursday mentor) is in 1st place with a total of $1,630

-Anonymous (mentor) in 2nd place with a total of $1,000

-Mike Ozmeral (Thursday mentor) is in 3rd place with a total of $125

We would like to thank our Top 3 earners AND all of the other Cabrini Connections' volunteers for their efforts in spreading the 'word' about Cabrini Connections to the people in their network in an effort to further support what we do!

Through the efforts in the contest we have received over $7,000!!!

~Thank You~

Who is in your network?

2009-01-27T10:16:00.000-08:00

This is a graphic created on Facebook, showing people who are connected to me and Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection.

The pink area represents fraternity brothers from the Acacia chapter at Illinois Wesleyan, who have made donations totaling more than $60,000 since 1992. Some have been volunteers who helped us launch this organization. Some have been tutors.

The blue area represents volunteers who have been tutors and mentors, and staff. Many have roots at Northwestern University and so that shows as a part of my network. On our NU Ning page we're trying to build a network of Northwestern support for tutoring/mentoring.

Just above the blue section are photos of several of our alumni who have connected with us on Facebook. We want to see this section grow because we need to support our alumni where they live and where they are now raising their own kids and we need them to support what we're doing to help them and other kids living in inner city Chicago.

The green section to the left represents people in Chicago who are part of other tutor/mentor programs, or part of knowledge networks who we are connecting via our web sites with each other, and with the kids and volunteers at Cabrini Connections. You can even see two of my nieces in the light blue section just above the green area.

These represent just a few of the thousands of people that I've connected to Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection since 1993 and who are providing time, talent and dollars to help us do our work.

As we head through 2009 and beyond, I encourage each volunteer, leader, student or friend to map their own network, and work with a purpose to share information that encourages members of these networks to provide the donations of time, talent and dollars we require to do this work.

While the economy is a disaster, there are millions of people who are still working and who are willing to make donations of $25 to $100 if asked. There are thousands of affluent people who still have millions of dollars in wealth, even if they have seen this wealth depleted in the past year. We had four donations of $30,000 to $59,000 in 2008 and can received more donations like this, if you reach through your networks to find these people.

When Obama says "it is up to us" I think he means that each of us needs to learn to mobilize our network into an army of support for social change and economic prosperity.

Who is in your network?

Obama provided the inspiration. You provide the time, talent and dollars!

2009-01-21T09:28:00.001-08:00

If you were inspired by the election of President Obama, and are looking for ways to make a difference, take time to inventory all of your assets. What are all of the ways you can get involved? Not everyone can be a one-on-one tutor/mentor. Yet, every volunteer-based tutor/mentor program needs a variety of talents to assure its success. And every program needs an on-going flow of flexible operating dollars.

As you are thinking about how to help, take time to understand the issues and where you can get involved. Form a discussion group at your place of worship, your school, your company, or civic/social group. Draw from information on the Tutor/Mentor Connectin web site and use it in weekly, monthly and ongoing reflection, discussion, and action-planning.

Then do something every day, with your time, your talent, and your dollars, to help one or more tutor/mentor programs connect with kids, and stay connected in ways that lead kids to careers. With your help, we can even create a future president.

To make a donation that supports Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, send checks to 800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642, or use our on-line donation form.

Thanks to Cassina

2009-01-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

This blog was originally created by Cassina Sanders, who joined Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection in a fund raising, marketing, public awareness capacity in March 2008. All of the articles written through January 5, 2009 were written by Cassina.

Effective January 9, 2009, Cassina has left this organization to pursue other opportunities, and we wish her well in her efforts. Fund raising responsibilities will be continue to be led by Dan Bassill, President, CEO, and other members of the organization's staff, board of directors, and volunteer leaders. Chris Warren, will help with spring events, such as the July 16 Golf Benefit, and the annual year-end dinner, to be held in June.

You can meet members of our staff by reading their blogs. The Cabrini Blog, is primarily written by El Da'Sheon Nix, administrative coordinator of Cabrini Connections. The other links on that page point to blogs written by others on staff and by volunteers. The Tutor/Mentor Blog is written by Dan, and the Mapping for Justice blog is written by Mike Trakan.

All of these blogs show why people should be involved in tutor/mentor programs like Cabrini Connections, where and how they can be involved, and why they should provide donations to support the work we do at Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Articles posted here will be contributed by a variety of writers, all with a common goal of expanding the resources needed to help us help inner city kids connect with volunteers, learning, jobs and careers.

I hope you'll be a frequent reader. I encourage you to give Cassina a big "thank you" for her role over the past 9 months. I hope you'll help us find these resources.

Dan Bassill
President
Cabrini Connections
Tutor/Mentor Connection

Thanks for help with 2008 Fund Raising!

2009-01-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the help of many volunteers, board members and friends we raised nearly $20,000 from our December Holiday Fund Drive. If you have not given, it's not too late. Click here to make a donation.

In addition, we received grants from the following corporations and foundations ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 each.

Oprah's Angel Network
SunTimes Judge Marovitz Lawyers Lending a Hand to Youth Program
Polk Bros. Foundation

Additional grants received in December, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Foundation
BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, Inc.
Hewitt Associates Foundation
ProLogis
Dr. Scholl Foundation
Schwarz

In total we raised more than $443,000 in 2008 vs $437,539 in 2007. In-kind donations in 2008 were $23,100 vs $44,000 in 2007. See the complete corporate and foundation donor list.

As we enter the middle of January, we start from the beginning, in the efforts throughout 2009 that will generate this same level of revenue to support our operations in the coming year. We have no pledges or promises. Which means we must do good work and hope that 2008 donors will support us again, while introducing the work we do to new donors, who will provide dollars to replace those 2008 donors who do not repeat.

It takes a village of volunteers, leaders and donors to help Cabrini Connections keep its doors open each week supporting the growth of kids from 7th grade to high school graduation, and through college or vocational school, to jobs and careers.

While we support this process in one neighborhood, through the Tutor/Mentor Connection, we aim to help kids in all high poverty neighborhoods have access to similar programs.

We thank all who volunteer time and talent to tutor/mentor kids, and to organize activities at Cabrini Connections. We thank everyone who helps raise the money needed to do this work. Please continue to tell the story of your involvement and our vision. Together we can raise funds needed in 2009 and beyond, and innovate new and more effective ways to influence the decisions and learning habits of the kids who have become part of our family.

Sell Back to Give Back

2009-01-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

One of the examples I gave to our volunteers when we started our FUNdraising for Quarters Competition back in September was to possibly sell items on eBay and give a portion of their proceeds to the cause. Because I've never sold anything on eBay (I'm working on it!) I couldn't go into much detail. In the meantime while I work up my eBay nerve, I've found two stores I now swear by; Once Upon a Child and Elliott Consignment. Both are consignment shops where you can sell back clothes, shoes, children's toys and items for a small fraction of what you paid for it. Now, I don't sell back everything to these stores. I actually have a three-part sorting system: To sell, to donate, too used to donate.

In my work at Cabrini Connections I do a lot, countless hours in fact, of research on everything from development opportunities, grants, event ideas, webinar training and basic article searches that might help me do my job more effectively. I have recently found this one (to follow below) on How to Generate Cash After the Holiday Season by Jennifer Openshaw. Please take heed, now that the holidays are done, that people and organizations who are needier than you are everywhere. Cabrini Connections fits that bill in two-fold. We are an organization that tailors to needy, at-risk youth, mentoring them to be better students and model citizens. Raid your closet today. Yesterdays Ferragamo Pumps could be box lunches for more than 75 at-risk students next month. I am donating another $15 (half of what I got from selling back my son's summer clothes) to the cause. Imagine if 100 more of you gave $15, too?

Enjoy the read. Source link at bottom.

Just a few months back, before it became so ridiculously cold, I bought a gorgeous purple coat in a consignment shop. It was a designer coat, in perfect shape, and I swear it should’ve cost about $1,000. But for $150 I bought what had been someone else's coat, and put some additional dollars in her pocket.

Selling used stuff isn't new, but it's the hot thing right now — especially since everyone is worried about their 401(k)s or how to balance out what you spent on holiday gifts without going into debt.

Think about it: Companies are selling assets right and left as a way to get cash and get rid of debt, right? That's something you can do, too. In fact, the typical person has 50 unused items worth $3,000 right in their homes, according to eBay. And more people are buying and selling used: Craigslist, the online classified site, reports a 50 percent growth over the last year and now boasts 40 million unique visitors a month.

Just look around you: your kitchen, bedrooms, garage, the basement. You can easily get rid of the stuff you don't need or haven't used in a while. Think of the tennis racquet that's been collecting cobwebs in the garage, or the clothes you've only worn once (or not at all). Remember, your trash maybe someone else’s treasure. You can get some real dollars for this stuff, lighten up your load, and simplify your life in the process.

Here are a few initial pointers to make sure you're successful:

Take an hour. First, set aside some time to go through the house to look for stuff to sell. Get others involved. Ask what can be sold. If you’re staring something in the face and it hasn’t been used for 3 months, sell it.

Know the value. If you're unsure about what to charge for an item — especially if it might be rare — do a bit of research either at eBay or other online sites, or get an independent appraisal. Lots of legitimate jewelry stores (forget pawn shops) sell used pieces and can give you a fair price.

Where to Sell Your Stuff

Let me give you a quick rundown of some of your different options:

Consignment stores. These stores are easy because you have a salesperson whose sole job is to help sell your stuff. Also, some consignment stores specialize for a more targeted audience, whether for cars, clothes, or jewelry. The downside is that you generally have to split revenues, by as much as 50/50.
Online classifieds. Sites like Craigslist and Kijiji are great because they're free, easy to use and post products, and they get a much larger reach while still being "local." As a result, you don't have to deal with shipping. However, they can be tedious if you have lots of small items to post. Also, your market is still limited — although it's certainly broader than your neighborhood.
Online auctions – As you undoubtedly know, eBay is the player here. The entire world sees your product, and more competition is usually a good thing. Also, if you have a niche item, you can attract connoisseurs. The downsides: You'll pay small fees to post and promote your items, you'll have to set up ads along with a payment method (PayPal or credit cards), and you have to ship your items. This can be time consuming, especially for small items. Alternatively, you can drop your stuff off at an eBay reseller and be done with it— but you'll be giving up about 35% of your revenue.

And keep your ear to the ground: If a lot of your friends are talking about selling their schwag, maybe you're in on the next big stock swing. Publicly traded companies that would benefit from a boon in second-hand sales include Winmart (WINA), which owns second-hand shops across the country, and of course ebay (EBAY). If you take your secondhand earnings and invest in one of these companies, maybe next time you'll be looking to sell your Rolls-Royce, not your old tennis racquet.

http://www.blogher.com/how-generate-cash-after-holiday-season
Jennifer Openshaw is co-founder and president of WeSeed, a new approach to demystifying the stock market for real everyday people. Openshaw is and author of "The Millionaire Zone."

Show your Face, Book a Cause.

2008-12-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

I spent hours out of my weekend training my Causes recruits on how to do more within the Cabrini Connections Causes page. I have challenged our members, now at an impressive 163 total to help us reach a fundraising goal of $2,500. To do this, we would need each member to donate, recruit donations and get the word out in general.

Below is the verbatim message one of my recruits sent out to the four people she recruited. I have removed names so it is easy for you to send to YOUR recruits.

Hey (insert friend's personal name)!

Thanks sooo much for joining the Cabrini Connections cause to help Chicago at-risk youth. Right now, the Cause has a fundraising goal and is asking each of us to donate at least $15. If we raise at least $2,500 a company is going to match us! This would be a $5,000 donation to help the program mentor more than 75 at-risk youth. Can you please join me in being one of the first few to get this goal underway?

Thanks again for joining and please visit the cause from time to time to see what they are doing in the community.

Thanks!

(insert your name here)

We, the staff need to make sure we contribute more than just recruits to the Cause. We do this day in and day out, recruitment of eyes to our program. We need to show the public, our Facebook friends, and our recruits that we don't only work here but actually support it as well. I sent a note to 60 of my most promising friends asking them to contribute. With that note it touched on how Cassina has donated $10 to the Cabrini Connections cause. Can you help too? If all of them at LEAST match my meager donation, that's $600 toward our fundraising goals. The staff has to be the example. It is because of this, I am asking each full-time and part-time staff member to donate at least $25 total to the cause by January 8, 2009. If I were recruited to a Cause by someone who had not donated to it, it would make me leery to give my own money. We must show we are just as committed. We don't just WORK here, but we support and believe in it.

To use our Program Coordinator's store analogy: we, as investors, have to put money into the store if we want it to make money. Other investors look at what's been done in house, first, before they decide to take a chance. If you are a staff member, a volunteer, or even a student of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection and should you need help reaching out to your recruits, friends who are not apart of the cause or convincing people to join Facebook to give back, let me know. I can help you with that.

Show your face! Give to the cause.
facebookers, visit and join our Causes page.
Need a facebook page? Go here.

Cabrini Connections Volunteerism Makes Us Proud

2008-12-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS, AJ!

It pleased us to award our longest-running volunteer as the first winner of the FUNdraising 4 Quarter (F4Q) contest. AJ worked hard, raising $1,675!! We thanked him with the first quarter prize of an autographed Chicago Bulls penant, signed by sophomore forward Joakim Noah!

With the close of the first quarter, comes strong hope for the new year. In September, we challenged each of you to help spread the word about what we do with our students every Wednesday and Thursday and all week long, in hopes of helping to fundraise for the program. I cannot express to you how proud it makes me and the rest of the staff that you have answered the call for help. As a result of your efforts you've raised more than $4,600 through the F4Q. Nearly 25 of you have made a donation on your own behalf, had someone else write a check on your behalf, attended an event, hosted an event and even got your places of business involved and for that we thank you!

Because of the monies you raised we are able to really go all out for the kids for a holiday party, plan field trips and get speakers to come out... but also do all the day-to-day things that keep a business running like keeping the phones connected, and the heat on in below-freezing weather, and continuous updates to the program that make the children and you want to keep being dedicated. Thank you.... a million times thank you.

There is always an opportunity to get funds in these doors, we (myself included) just often overlook them or don't see them. We thank you from the bottom of our heart for your dedication to mentoring at-risk youth. Especially Cabrini at-risk youth. Your commitment means the world to us AND the kids.

We have 83 active volunteers on the roster... just imagine if we had full participation from each mentor, volunteer coordinator and club coordinator? Our impact would be immeasurable. I know several of you have spoken to me in detail about future plans to raise and some of you have checks on the way... please keep me posted letting me know how I can assist you in any way. I am here not only to offer ideas and encouragement, but also my expertise and support, if needed.

As you all spend these next four weeks of break re-energizing yourselves for second quarter, take time to brainstorm ideas (fundraising and development or otherwise) that will help this program succeed. Respond to EL's inquiry on SVHATS on ways to improve the program. Every improvement, redesign we make to Cabrini Connections is helping the chances that some Corporation, Foundation, CEO, President might fund us in the future.

Quarter two is already off to an amazing start with a $1,000 ... thereby makin our total thus far *drumroll* $5602.75! Let's continue to build that number... and see if we can bring in 15,000 by year-end dinner!!!

Have a very safe and happy holiday season.... we appreciate your time, your commitment and patience... and we appreciate YOU.

Happy Holidays from the Marketing, Fundraising and Public Relations Committee. See you in The New Year!

(Tutoring sessions resume January 14-15)

Happy Holidays and Rock on!

2008-12-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone who made it out to the holiday party and benefit concert Friday, December 12. While we did not have
the affirmative RSVP turn out we were expecting, I was really excited about the event and those faithful supporters who came out had a great time. Between this event and the December 5 event at Krem, you can expect more of what you ask for. More fun events that still reflect the mission of what it is we are trying to do here.

These events create the awareness necessary to get our stories told because the awareness is more widely spread than the event itself. If we can get five people who commit to attending every event to care about the mission of our organizations to tell someone they know and make a donation to the cause imagine the impact we could have!

These events also give us the necessary press and public mention to bring more people together twice a year for our Leadership & Networking conferences. Face-to-face networking pushes us leaps and bounds over direct mail, marketing collateral, blogging and any other non-direct method. So we are happy to invite you out to our events, to a tutoring session on a Wednesday or Thursday night so you can meet the people who support us, the students who love us, and the staff and volunteers who are beyond dedicated.

With our holiday mailer out in the atmosphere, we are hoping the two events mentioned above get us off to a good start as 2009 rolls in. If you were at one of the events and want more information, please don't hesitate to contact me for more information.

This on-going process needs you.

Thank you to the Schuba's staff who offered their venue, their staff and their drink tickets to make sure each of you had a great time. Thank you to the bands who volunteered their musical talents. You were all so great! Eastside Ramblers brought the jazz that made us boogie into comfortable. Black Collar brought the conscious beats and words that made us think. Trakan made us understand why we're here doing this reminding us audience members why Cabrini Connections is such an important cause for our youth and thanking us for coming out to support something so meaningful. Howling Poppies closed the show magnificently with tunes so smooth, I had to double check that my coworker was on drums and not some super rock star... soon come Chris, soon come. :-)

To all who had the mind to attend, but life got in the way, we missed you! Please take the time to make your presence and care known and felt by still contributing at least the cover price: $30 to helping at-risk youth. We were missing 25 people who RSVP'd that they were coming. If all of you gave $30, that's $750 more dollars to ensure we keep this program goings strong.

Thank you for everything... see you in 2009 with more events, more outreach, MORE CHANGE.

Stony the Road We Trod.

2008-12-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Since volunteer recruitment time, we have been fortunate enough to bring in and retain some great, hardworking, passionate volunteers who believe in our mission and want to help us by not only volunteering their time, but their collective minds on how to help raise money.

As you know, we have had a intense competition heating up amongst our volunteers through FUNdraising for Quarters, and I am pleased to know and announce that the competitive nature is luring over several volunteers heads and they are showing and proving. From word of mouth marketing to Mary Kay parties, our vounteers are getting the word out about WHY one-to-one tutoring and mentoring is not only needed in the City of Chicago and beyond but why it's absolutely NECESSARY for the betterment of our youth.

Mike O., our Thursday night mentor has crept ahead into second place with a $400 total with the majority given as outside donations from his network. Learn more about how to use your network to your advantage too.

AJ is still not to be outdone... with a total of $1,625, it's going to take some overtime from other volunteers to catch him before this quarter ends in two weeks. The winner of the first quarter prize (an autographed pennant from Chicago Bulls forward Joakin Noah) will be awarded on December 17 or 18, depending on which night the volunteer attends. BUT not to worry, there are THREE more quarters to dominate to tally up your numbers in hopes of winning the grand prize: two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the U.S.!!

On behalf of the staff here at Cabrini Connections, I want to thank each of you for your hard work... Together you all have raised a total of $2,779 and the determination is higher than ever. "Stony the road we trod," but together with creative minds, enthusiasm and drive, we can raise the necessary dollars to keep this program and Tutor/Mentor Connection (the program that continues to connect all the other programs like ours) alive and well fed. We depend on you... and thank you.

Just Another Friday Night?

2008-11-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

We are drastically trying to up our event quotient and we're starting in December to bring in 2009 with the best intentions to DOUBLE our fundraising and development efforts.

To that regard, Friday December 5, 2008 Cabrini Connections Volunteer John Knight (member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.) is throwing a soiree at Krem Lounge in Lincoln Park located 1750 N.Clark. The event will have a top-shelf open bar, plus appetizers from 8-10:30 pm.

$35 donations will be accepted at the door. All proceeds go to Cabrini Connections. Come out and have a nice time on Friday, in the name of charity. Call me at Cabrini Connections for more info, if necessary. 312-492-9614

The Friday AFTER that, we are hosting our holiday party and BENEFIT CONCERT at Schuba's located 3159 N. Southport. Yes, on Friday, December 12. we're rocking out from 6-9 p.m. raising money for the programs and spending some good holiday time with our volunteers. We'll have performances from a rock band, indie rock, hip hop and some hot covers... perhaps a funky Christmas song with some audience participation, who knows where the night will take us.

$30 gets you your entry fee, a hot show and includes one stiff drink... the perfect way to celebrate before you buckle down for Christmas. Again, all proceeds go towards helpin us continue our work here at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Come out and kick it with the staff, our volunteers, our supporters and board, as we have fun while raising money in the name of charity: Cabrini.

We promise, we won't even tell people you're doing a good deed. Unless you want us to! :-)

Leaflets in Action

2008-11-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

My colleagues and I hit downtown Chicago today as we braved the weather to leaflet in front of the Metcalfe Federal Building as apart of driving in donations from workplace giving.

While we got mixed emotions from early morning federal workers, several seemed interested in what we're doing within Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection through either Community Shares or the Combined Federal Campaign. Which leads me to believe we will have a better workplace giving turnout coming in next year. But this means continuing to tell the story and pushing for the cause.

Through our story, we can increase our donations that come in from corporations through workplace campaigns. Workplace fundraising campaigns are a great, non-intrusive way to help Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Today we were targeting people who classify as "federal employees." Which means if you work for any government agency (USPS, FAA, any state university, SEC) you can donate to us via the Combined Federal Campaign (#20937 @ the tip-top of page 21). But now with the beauty of Community Shares of Illinois (CSI) you can contribute through workplace giving from ANY company that offers it. Even through United Way you can choose your own charity! Feel free to write us in. Both you and your co-workers can designate pledges to Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection and in many cases employers will match your contribution.

We understand that these are tough times to raise money and tougher times to GIVE, so we need to work harder and reach further than the normal thought process of fundraising and delve into development. Workplace giving is a small step in creating those relationships. And it is something we can all participate in.

Learn about workplace fundraising and other ways to help at http://www.cabriniconnections.net/donate/other_ways.asp
The options are there, please do what you can.

Sleigh Bells Ring! Cabrini's Listening.

2008-11-10T13:17:00.001-08:00

Since volunteer recruitment time, we have really tried to utilize the resources in which we seldom looked as fundraising and development outlets. Now that recruitment time has subsided, we're fully staffed from a volunteer and child perspective, and the weather is starting to chill... we look toward the holidays.

As I work on hopefully our most successful holiday mailer ever, we realize we will be sending these out to several people who may be unemployed, or very fiscally challenged. To ask to be added to the Christmas list this year is a challenge and perhaps rude, but we still hold strong in the belief that every LITTLE BIT helps. Even a $15 donation is $15 more than we had before we cashed your check. Take it all in when you receive your mailer. We are asking you to think OUTSIDE of the sleigh (read: box).

Holiday Party, Anyone?
We are having our own holiday party and benefit concert December 12 at Schuba's which you are more than welcome to come to, but in these tough times, perhaps your company would be interested in gifting what it would cost to throw the holiday party to a certain charity like Cabrini Connections or donating half of what is normally spent on the party and cutting back some this year.

Volunteers Stepping Up to the Challenge
Our volunteers have really taken on a competitive edge to raise money for the program in FUNdraising for Quarters. Here are some of the fabulous things some of them are doing.

John Knight, is hosting an upscale party at KREM Friday, December 5, in which he negotiated that all of the proceeds go to the program. He is also gracious enough to let each volunteer who attends get a portion of their ticket counted toward the competition. See John and I at announcements Wednesday and Thursday for more details. In the meantime, SAVE THE DATE.

AJ Tyson is kicking butt and TAKING NAMES! He is leading the pack with $1,625 raised with $1,500 of that coming from word-of-mouth marketing techniques and getting people in his network to write checks on his behalf. EL Nix and I couldn't have been more excited to see the determination on the faces of so many volunteers to BEAT AJ. We were each approached by several of you saying you were going to TOP that. And we appreciate it and look forward to it!

Frances Kwee, who works for Motorola is looking into her companies GIVING PRACTICES and has offered to submit us as a possible charity this year.

One of our long-time supporters, Nick Infusino, is running a marathon and raising money through a http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif page and donating all the proceeds of his hard work to the program. Are you a running machine? Thinking about running your first 5K , 10K or marathon? Why not make it for our cause like Nick?

Alumnae volunteer, Courtland Maddock is nominating us as a charity of choice for the Kellogg Manager's Ball. A monetary donation is made to every charity chosen.

There are a plethora of things YOU can do too. Be inspired by one of your fellow volunteers who are doing everything they can THINK of and thinking of Cabrini Connections in the process.

As you decide what to do with your Christmas money, remember that their are thousands of at-risk youth across the city who could use a mentor, positive role model, and engaging activities in their lives. We provide that.

Please support Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection this holiday season.

T/MC FALL Leadership & Networking Conference

2008-11-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

October 30, 2008
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cassina Sanders
312/492-9614
www.tutormentorconnection.org
cassinaz.cabrini@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EXPANDING COMMUNITY NETWORKS OF SUPPORT FOR YOUTH THROUGH VOLUNTEER BASED TUTORING AND MENTORING PROGRAMS
**A one day networking and information sharing conference that helps participants draw volunteers and financial support to tutor/mentor programs operating neighborhoods with high poverty, poorly performing schools, and high drop out rates.**

November 21
Hosted by The Chicago Field Museum

Chicago – Education researchers are beginning to look at the community supports that help some inner-city schools perform better than others and volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring programs are recognized because of the way they connect youth in a highly segregated, low-income neighborhoods with a range of adults and experiences beyond that neighborhood.

The annual Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference focuses attention on volunteer based tutor/mentor programs as an important strategy for education reform, violence reduction and workforce development. The conference is a place to connect many different public and private sector organizations that are engaging volunteers in organized learning, mentoring and tutoring programs. Workshops and panels will share strategies for recruiting and retaining volunteers, building public awareness and raising money, as well as evaluation and program improvement.

Among the speakers will be representatives of The Chicago Field Museum, and leaders of volunteer based tutor/mentor programs such as The Bridge Youth & Volunteer Services, Your Way Outreach Community Services, Alternatives, Inc. and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley. According to conference coordinator Nicole White, “the conference is bringing together program leaders from around the Chicago region, and we hope to attract representatives from businesses and churches who are responsible for encouraging volunteerism in their organizations.

The entire conference agenda and roster of speakers can be found at http://www.tutormentorconfernce.org.
_more_
For an entire day of workshops and networking participants are charged a $60 registration feel prior to the day of the event. Walk-ins will be charged $75 at the door. Scholarships and Group Rates are available upon request

IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Please call Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection or visit the center website at www.tutormentorconnection.org for more information during the school year.

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The Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) is a program of Cabrini Connections dedicated to improving the availability and quality of comprehensive, long-term, volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in high-poverty areas of the Chicago region and other large U.S. cities through an ongoing, dynamic exchange of ideas. The Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) first held the conference in 1994 after a survey of Chicago area programs revealed that more than half had little or no contact with other programs. Based on positive response from the first conference, T/MC decided to host a second conference in the same year, which attracted nearly 200 attendees. For more information about Tutor/Mentor Connection, visit http://tutormentorconnection.org.

Cabrini Connections is a one-on-one tutoring and mentoring program serving 7th through 12th grade students living in Chicago's Cabrini-Green public housing project. Each student is matched with a volunteer tutor/mentor that they meet with weekly at our site. In addition, students are invited to participate in special activities and after-school clubs. To find out more about Cabrini Connections or Tutor/Mentor Connection, visit http://www.cabriniconnections.net.

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Yes We Can!

2008-11-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

With the most historic election finally over, we can all take a moment to rejoice, rest and recover, but only a moment. Now, the real work begins. I cherish this moment for many reasons, but perhaps the most relevant to this blog is to show what can be done with just an inkling of hope, a lot of hard work and amazing amounts of fundraising and development.

President-Elect Obama was clear in mentioning that a lot of the credit goes to those of us who gave to his campaign in one way or another so he could actually run for the office. We experience the same here, at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. We can not be here without the philanthropic help from corporations and foundations, word-of-mouth marketing, workplace giving, and donations in-kind. It is because of extreme generosity we are now entering our 16th year, with our largest paid staff to date, helping children reach careers with the help of one-to-one tutoring and mentoring.

Every Wednesday and Thursday, several children come to our center to meet with professionals who volunteer their time and hearts to our youth and our organization. Throughout the next couple months we will be hosting events to plan for the next year, accommodate our new staff and administration and mold ourselves to the changes ahead. I will personally be examining the strengths of our organization, our weaknesses and threats and capitalizing on any opportunities presented.

I have learned so much from a fundraising standpoint while being here and am looking to continue my growth in that regard. I am learning to turn marketing opportunities into fundraising opportunities. From a development standpoint, I am learning to differentiate the two. I admit I had them misconstrued.

"In fundraising, you make do with what you have. You keep the organization going and out of debt. In development, you start with what you have and you help it grow." -Anonymous

I have been attempting to fundraise for the past eight months, now I know I need to be working on the development of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. That's where you come in. The high school drop out rate is through the roof and our country is the only industrialized nation where today's young people are less likely to finish high school than their parents who had harder times even getting into school. We've gathered some resources on improving graduation rates, through tutor/mentor pairs and engaging activities for our youth so that they may not only graduate but enter into a chosen career path. Isn't that something worth fighting for? Isn't that something worth contributing to?

Our doors, numbers, information is always open to you. Donors and funders alike are always welcome to come in and visit us, see what we do, meet our CEO, our kids, our volunteers and find a way to help us make a difference. Call me and schedule a visit today and let us repair the family dinner table as a missed opportunity, and let our future excel.

We.Can.