What is a Beard Worth?

The answer to this question is A LOT if you're part of Beards for Kids, a fundraiser launched by Gabe Chapman, a Cabrini Connections mentor. This is just one example of a slew of fundraisers that have been started by volunteers, alumni, staff members, and Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection supporters in the past few weeks to try to help us through this holiday season.

Beards For Kids "This holiday season I’m participating in the Beards For Kids 2010 Challenge. I’ll be growing a beard from now until the end of the holidays and have a goal of raising $10 per day for Cabrini Connections. Please help me reach my goal by donating here today: http://beardsforkids.org" -Gabriel Chapman

Santa's Naughty or Nice Charity Pub Crawl "HO HO HO - What better way to feel the joy of the season than to fill yourself with HOLIDAY SPIRITS and give a little something back to the community? For a donation of $10 (or more), you will get the company of some very fine individuals and a big red Santa hat (first 45 attendees)." -Elena Lugo and Melanie Munsey

Matt Golden's Fundraising Page "I have asked family and friends to help me raise $2,000 for Cabrini Connections in the month of December. I have set up a website on FirstGiving and have already raised $270! Hopefully, our contributions can help Charles Hill and other students continue to succeed at Cabrini Connections. http://www.firstgiving.com/mattgolden" -Matt Golden

One Month's Rent Campaign "Please support my cause by contributing an amount toward one month's rent for next year. We have a beautiful 4500-square foot space near downtown Chicago where all of our youth come to meet with their mentors. You can get a good sense of it here as I walk through in this video: http://vimeo.com/16755309." -Bradley Troast

Alumni Fund Page "I graduated from the program back in 1992 and I'm troubled to hear that it is in financial peril and there is the real possibility that it can close. This program was a key factor in my finally seeing what possibilities lay out there for me to be successful... They are currently doing that for so many of the Children of Cabrini and I'm not aware of many programs that do it in a grass root, no nonsense kind of a way." -Isaiah Brooms

Holiday Mapping For Justice Help Mike raise money to support the mapping project at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection

Birthday Wish "I'll be 64 on Dec. 19th, and I hope you'll donate to help me celebrate." -Daniel Bassill

These are each excellent examples of creative, fun, and non-traditional avenues for fund-raising. The wide range of individuals involved in DESIGNING and LEADING fund-raising efforts is also a testament to the various people impacted by an organization like Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. It is great to have so many people adding their voices, passion, and energy to the cause!

At the recent Tutor/Mentor Conference, I listened to a lot of conversations during workshops where staff and administrators of programs expressed that fund-raising wasn't necessarily their forte. A lot of energy needs to be put into fund-raising, but strapped for time and money to pay additional staff, many small nonprofits (like ours) do not have the capacity to have a paid person focusing solely on development.

It is exciting to see how the creative minds of a few individuals are turning everything from going out for drinks on a Saturday night to growing facial hair into both support for the organization's mission and a significant dollar amount to help keep the doors open.

Thanks to the exceptional individuals who are leading these efforts and to all those who are showing their support!

Conference Done, Connections Just Begun!

The Fall 2010 Tutor/Mentor Leadership & Networking Conference took place on Friday and was a huge success with over 100 attendees and 20 workshops. You don't have to take my word for it--here are some reflections from a few conference attendees:

"Great individuals, passionate and inspiring to be here. It reinforces why we do what we do."

"I learned so much today and will be able to apply what I learned in our community."

"I really enjoyed the conference and the networking component. It gave me ideas and resources to walk away with to share with my mentees and organization as a whole."

Watch this conference video made by Bradley Troast, to get a taste for the day's events:

As you can see from this video and the comments of those who attended, the conference was a day filled with energy, new connections, information sharing, and people thoroughly dedicated to tutoring and mentoring programs. It was inspiring to be surrounded by people so passionate about their calling to help youth reach their full potential through quality tutoring and mentoring programs. The attendees ranged from a group of people from East St. Louis who are looking to start their own program in 2011, to individuals who have attended dozens of conferences over the years and who have been in the tutoring/mentoring industry for decades. I was inspired by the expertise of the veterans and the energy and vision of those new to the field.

Although the next conference is still six months away, it won't be long before the staff at Tutor/Mentor Connection begins planning for that conference. Organizing these biannual conferences takes money for space, materials, and catering, but the far greater cost lies in the man-hours it takes to facilitate these events, maintain databases of organizations to invite, and coordinate collaborative events throughout the year. Donations that come in before December 31st will help us this fiscal year as we begin planning for the 2011 conferences. Please show your support!


A big thanks to Dan Bassill, EL Da' Sheon Nix, Toni Pullen, Mike Trakan, and Bradley Troast from the CC, T/MC staff--everyone worked hard and put in lots of extra time and energy to make this conference happen! Thanks team!

November Tutor/Mentor Leadership & Networking Conference

Although I am a Cubs fan and never thought I would enthusiastically blog about something related to the White Sox, I will put my team loyalties aside momentarily. I am thrilled to announce that we have a date and location set for our November 2010 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference.

Friday, November 19th
from 9:00am-5:00pm
U.S. Cellular Field
(home of the Chicago White Sox)

The aim of the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference is to encourage networking, information sharing, and collaboration that helps every tutoring and mentoring program build a stronger “business” of connecting youth and volunteers. Each biannual conference draws 100 to 150 leaders and supporters of volunteer-based tutoring and mentoring programs. Since the first conference in 1994, representatives from over 1,200 distinct organizations have attended as have prominent public figures such as then-Senator Barack Obama and Mayor Richard Daley.

Based on feedback from past conferences and on summer collaboration meetings with program staff and leaders, we have decided to make this conference focus on networking, learning, and collaboration as programs prepare for 2011 and beyond. Although "networking" has always been an important goal of the conferences, we are formatting this conference with a special emphasis on networking between programs.

The focus on networking is also relevant to the Social Network Analysis (SNA) that volunteer Kalyani Misra has been conducting to illustrate programs that have attended past Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conferences, their geographic distribution, and the ways that participants have contributed as speakers or panelists. These diagrams are a tool for us to illustrate the impact of the conference and to evaluate directions we hope the conference may grow (for instance, getting program leaders to attend conferences from regions of the city that have been previously underrepresented). Kalyani's work (including the diagram shown at the left) can be found on her blog.



What to look forward to at the November 19, 2010 conference:

• Training session on how to maximize the conference experience to build your network

• Lunchtime “Topic Tables” will offer time for people to connect for small group discussions focusing on specific topics of importance to leaders, volunteers, and youth in tutoring and/or mentoring programs

• As always, the conference will offer workshops on a range of topics relevant to building strong, innovative, and high-quality volunteer-based tutoring and mentoring programs. A sampling of workshops to look forward to include: training on creative uses of social networking tools for programs, rethinking special event planning and fundraising for tough economic times, and an interactive demonstration by Mike Trakan, GIS map developer of T/MC, on how to build your own neighborhood maps.

• Much more to come! We will update the online agenda in the weeks prior to the conference, so keep checking back!
  

Ways to get involved:

• Register - Mail in your registration now! Online registration forms will be up soon.

• Present a workshop - Submit a workshop proposal form here.

• Share your input - Whether or not you can attend this conference, please complete the Pre-Conference survey to help us in the planning process

• Become a sponsor - Event sponsorships are available at a variety of levels—please contact me at 312-492-9614 for any additional information about sponsorship opportunities and benefits

Happy First Day of School!

For thousands of kids around the country, the day after Labor Day means the same thing: Ready or not...the First Day of School.

I always loved the first day of school. But then again, I had great teachers, my school felt safe, and my parents were able to afford fresh school supplies as I started each September. I had opportunities both inside and outside the classroom that jump-started me on a pathway toward completing high school and then college.

As CC, T/MC President, Dan Bassill, discusses in his recent blog article, improving access to opportunities for youth living in high-poverty neighborhoods takes more than improving schools themselves. Non-school tutoring/mentoring programs play a vital role in giving students networks of adult role models, enrichment activities, and quality academic opportunities catered to their individual needs.

Thus, paralleling the beginning of the school year, tutoring and mentoring programs all over the city of Chicago are starting. This week, Cabrini Connections holds orientations for both volunteers and students to prepare them for this year’s sessions. Similarly, hundreds of programs throughout the city are holding their own orientations, planning tutor/mentor training sessions, matching students and mentors, and preparing their 2010-2011 year of programming.

While schools operate in “districts” that have centralized governance, tutoring and mentoring programs work fairly independently of one another. Although these programs tend to operate along similar annual calendars, tutoring and mentoring program leaders generally plan everything on their own.

When Dan Bassill founded Tutor/Mentor Connection, he realized how much more efficiently and effectively tutoring and mentoring programs would operate were they to share best practices and collaborate in annual efforts like volunteer recruitment and mentor training. He founded Tutor/Mentor Connection in an effort to facilitate increased interaction and collaboration between programs and ultimately, to improve the availability and quality of tutor/mentor programs throughout the city of Chicago.

In the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to witness some exciting conversations take place between program leaders. Last Monday, we held a meeting in our office attended by many Executive Directors and staff of Chicago-area tutoring/mentoring programs. During this meeting, program leaders discussed issues surrounding their programs—issues as wide-ranging as finding operating dollars, wondering what background checks to use for volunteers, and questioning how to use social networking tools to market their programs. Where some program leaders had questions, others jumped in with answers.

These types of collaborations cannot easily be measured in quantifiable terms, but the benefit of sharing best practices amongst programs is readily apparent when sitting in on conversations like these.

As we prepare for the Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference in November, I am excited to watch as leaders work together to the benefit of all programs--and ultimately--to all students involved.

Celebrating a Successful Tutor/Mentor Jam!

Since my mom reads this blog, I better preface this post with a disclaimer: I don’t usually spend Sundays at a bar.

This past Sunday night, however, was a noteworthy exception.

The first annual Tutor/Mentor Jam at Darkroom, a music venue in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood, took place this past Sunday. The event served not only as a benefit concert for Tutor/Mentor Connection, but also as a means for entertainers, bands, and other community members to collectively draw visibility and support to volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in high poverty neighborhoods throughout Chicago.

The night kicked off with a delicious barbecue provided by Man B Que who grilled up mouthwatering burgers, hot dogs, and mushroom burgers.

After everyone’s appetites were satiated, Alexander Webb, a former Northwestern quarterback, played a great acoustic set keeping the audience entranced with his beautiful melodies and soulful voice. His talent and passion for the cause made me proud to be a Northwestern Wildcat!

Soon, the Unusual Suspects went on stage and got everyone on their feet dancing! With fantastic vocals and an excellent horn section, they covered various blues artists that kept people singing and dancing along (the music helped me discover that several of my friends are good swing dancers—who knew?).

Afterward, Trakan took the stage with his band and gave a rock-solid and energizing performance. It was exciting to see Mike Trakan, the T/MC GIS Coordinator and the co-producer of the concert, on stage and in his element. Mike has been working for months to organize this event and he provides a great example of using his passion—music—and his networks—entertainers, musicians, and concert-goers—to draw support and visibility to tutor/mentor programs.

After Trakan, The Black Temple 21 played a lively hip-hop set, then No Hero finished off the night strong.

One of the highlights of the evening was when Brea Adams, a mentor at Cabrini Connections, spoke about her involvement with the program and what keeps her engaged as a volunteer. I got to know Brea’s mentee, Crystal Townsend, this summer so I was excited to hear from the person who Crystal enthusiastically referred to as “SO cool!”

The first Tutor/Mentor Jam was a success—not only because of the money raised, but also (and probably even more importantly) because of the new people that connected to T/MC through the event. I was touched by how many of my friends came out to support the event, and so many staff, board members, band members, and others brought out their networks to collectively show support for tutor/mentor programs for at-risk youth.

Thank you to all the volunteers, bands, auction donors, and event sponsors for making the first T/M Jam a success, and a special thanks to all of my friends who came!

Program Ambassadors

The summer after my freshman year of college, I worked as a waitress for a restaurant in my hometown. It was a new restaurant struggling to build a clientele, and we were severely understaffed. On my first day of work I arrived expecting training, but instead the restaurant manager immediately put me to work waitressing tables—yikes! That entire summer working as a server, I never received training, barely knew the menu, and I did not once taste a single bite of the restaurant’s food. Customers would ask me for recommendations on my favorite menu items and I would always make some unfounded suggestions on the spot (I’ll confess I generally veered people toward the pricier entrées hoping to boost tips). I really couldn’t communicate anything worthwhile to the customers without having sampled the food myself and without more fully understanding the menu.

Generally speaking, one must taste and experience something before effectively explaining it to others. This is no less true in the world of philanthropy. One of the great strengths of having volunteers from so many sectors is that a wide variety of people have “tasted” our program and become ambassadors of our organization by sharing their experiences with their own co-workers, families, faith communities, and friends. When individuals share their passionate commitment to a program with those around them, they too can rally behind the cause.

In my first month at Tutor/Mentor Connection, I have had the chance to meet many people involved with our program: consultants volunteering as mentors, students from DePaul doing tech support for our computer labs, movie aficionados helping students in our film club make music videos, musicians lending their talents for the Tutor/Mentor Jam, and professional event planners helping with our benefits…they each understand the value of tutor/mentor programs precisely because they have witnessed the transformative effects these programs have on youth and adults alike.

Our volunteers effectively make tutor/mentor programs relevant to people in their own industries and sectors. They play a critical intermediary role getting others involved who may not otherwise realize how they can plug their personal passions, interests, or resources into a program for at-risk youth.

The restaurant I worked for several summers ago is now out of business…I am far more optimistic about the fate of Cabrini Connections, T/MC and the other tutor/mentor programs in Chicago. So many people are continuously “tasting” what these programs are doing and then spreading the word along to their networks. The more people we reach with our mission, the stronger we become and the more we can accomplish together. Thank you for doing your part!