Charitable Giving Down - But the Need is Still There!

A friend of mine who works for an arts non-profit in New York City posted this New York Times Article about how charitable giving was down last year. This is not surprising with the downturn in the economy. However, this year, 2009, is probably going to be even worse since charitable giving seems to reflect the economy in the current year.

So what does that mean for organizations such ourselves and others? We're going to have to work that much harder to make sure the lights stay on, the rent is paid, and that the students we serve have a safe place to come through the summer and into the coming school year. Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection just held two amazing events. The first, the May Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference, which had over 120 people who work with youth from places as varied as Mississippi, Virginia, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arizona, and of course Chicago and the rest of Illinois come together to learn and network. The other one was our year-end dinner, which hosted over 200 students, their families, volunteers, and alumni. These two events were truly a celebration and we hope that the people who attended these events are compelled to help our organization and other organizations like ours out in the coming months.

So what can you do? Even a donation of $20 can contribute to paying the rent or keeping the lights on here at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. Also, keep abreast of future events that we are hosting. Our Jimmy Biggs Memorial Golf Tournament is going to be held Thursday July 16th at Highland Park Country Club. You can put together a group of yourself and three other friends and play for $700 if you register on the website before June 15th (after June 15th it's $800). If you can't get a group together, but still want to play, it's $175 for a round of golf. And, if you don't golf but want to help kids succeed, you either sponsor a hole for $330 (even more cost-effective - you can sponsor a hole with a group of friends, splitting the cost!), donate an item for our silent auction, or just come to the dinner that evening!

I also hope to keep everyone updated about fundraising events held by other programs as well in the coming months. In times like these we have to stay optimistic and positive about funding, but we also need to be proactive. If you want to help out with fundraising and grant-writing, leave a comment and we'll get back to you. Thanks everybody!

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More Great Tutor/Mentor Conference Comments

Yesterday I was finally able to go through the workshop and conference evaluation forms from the conference. Here's what more people had to say:

"The keynotes were excellent!"

"Thank you! [The conference was] very helpful!"

"Loved [Northwestern School of Law] as the site and the openness of the participants"

"All over [my] rating is excellent for the event. Map workshop [was] very good."

Also, another e-mail:

From a panelist who has attended the previous two conferences as well: "I’ve been wanting to email you and Dan and congratulate the both of you on another very successful conference. As always, all the workshops I attended were well worth the trip to Chicago."

Hopefully, all of these positive comments will motivate people to get the word out so we can bring some sponsorship to the November Conference.

Until then, if you're interested in getting involved in the tutoring and mentoring community by either offering your time or money, and want to know what it's all about, please come to our tutoring program, Cabrini Connections' Year-End Dinner today, Thursday June 4th from 6-8pm at Cornerstone Community Center, 1111 N. Wells. Students, Volunteers, and the students' families will be honored for all of their hard work this past year and in the previous years. It's a wonderful tribute to the impact our program has on these students and volunteers.

People's Comments about the May 2009 Tutor/Mentor Conference

Every Tutor/Mentor conference, we give out a survey for people to fill out about what they thought of the conference. Usually, we try and take note of people's comments calling for improvements as well as the comments that are more positive. Of course, we use the positive comments for any marketing we do for the next conference.

Anyway, I have yet to look at the evaluation forms from this May's conference, but I have received several e-mails in my inbox over the weekend from participants telling me what a great time they had:

From a first-time attendee: "I learned a lot and had a great time. Excellent job!"

From a panelist: "I just wanted to thank you for the invitation to present. [Your organization did] a masterful job coordinating the event. "

From an attendee, who came all the way from Arizona for the conference: "I just wanted to write and thank you for all your work and preparation for the Tutor Mentor Conference. We had a great time and were able to glean much from the more experienced programs."

Anyway, hopefully there will be more positive comments once we get our evaluation forms back. Still, it's good to know that people enjoyed the conference so much, they were compelled to e-mail us!

The May 2009 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference

This May 2009 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference marked our 31st conference and our 15th year of doing conferences. For me, it was my third May Conference and my fifth conference overall.

Every conference has been different - my first May Conference was in 2007 (photo at right), just after I had been hired on at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. I'm so glad that I went to the conference because I learned so much in those two days and met people from other programs at that conference, that I still collaborate with today. I was just beginning to grasp the concept of what tutoring and mentoring was and what the conference was all about and everything was new and overwhelming for me.

The November 2007 Conference (photo at left) was my first conference as an actual employee at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. I was given the task of leading a panel about volunteer recruitment and was so nervous. Fortunately, Alex Cornwell of Chicago Lights at Fourth Presbyterian Church and Erin McPartlin of Cabrini-Green Tutoring were kind enough to serve on the panel and share their wisdom and expertise. We had a really good discussion in that panel and I made a lot of great connections with people who I had not worked with before.

The first conference that I was mostly in charge of planning was the May 2008 Conference (photo below).I remember how stressed I was going in to that conference. The main thing I learned was that no matter what technological or logistical difficulties there were, people still were having a great time learning and networking.

The November 2008 Conference (photo below) was significant in that I learned the power of this blog. Because my friend Julie Nygaard, who works at the Field Museum, reads this blog, she helped me through the necessary steps to secure the Field Museum as our site for the November Conference. I also learned how to bring people together in panels showcasing their strengths and knowledge, because we only had one day to do the conference and we wanted to expose participants to a wide range of views and experiences from different programs.

Finally, there was the May 2009 Conference (photo below). Overall, I'd say this was my favorite conference by far. There was a wonderful positive energy that flowed through the conference, despite the background of a troubled economy. I had more people come up to me and tell me what a great time they were having, how much they were enjoying the speakers and workshops, and how grateful they were that there is a conference like this so people can come together and work together to help at-risk youth succeed.

If you catch a theme about what my thoughts were coming out of all five of the conferences that I attended, it probably is something along the lines of building networks of people who you can collaborate with in the future. In a nutshell, that's what I think the conference is all about. If you go to the Tutor/Mentor Exchange, you can read articles about all kinds of issues relating to starting and maintaining a quality tutoring and mentoring program. One of the many sections in the site relates to collaboration and capacity building, which is what the conference is all about. There you can read about "building networks of purpose," which I think is one of the major accomplishments that everybody who attends the conference comes out of the conference with. Especially in tough economic times like these, people needs a strong network to rely on, to learn from, to grow with, and to give back to themselves. I hope that everybody who attended the May Conference felt that their network of purpose grew and strengthened and that they felt energized and hopeful about their programs going into the summer.

I can't wait for the November Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference, which will be held Thursday and Friday November 19th and 20th at Norris University Center at Northwestern University, in Evanston, IL. Even though that's six months away, planning and collaborating is starting now. If you would like to help out with the November Conference, please leave a comment on this post and I'll contact you about what you can do to make the November Conference a success!

Come to the Cabrini Connections Year-End Dinner!

As the Tutor/Mentor Connection Research and Networking Coordinator, I reach out to other tutoring and mentoring programs and find out more about them - what they're doing right and where they can improve. However, one of the things I miss about my time as the Assistant Program Coordinator, during my Northwestern Public Interest Program Fellowship is interacting with our Cabrini Connections kids. That's why I love supervising the art club, and events such as our Year-End Dinner.

This Thursday June 4th, you too can meet our amazing Cabrini Connections kids at our Year-End Dinner. It's from 6-8pm at Cornerstone Community Center, 1111 N. Wells, Chicago, IL. At the year-end dinner, we will be showing a video about what Cabrini Connections is all about. The video was made by our Student Advisory Council and includes interviews with Dan Bassill, our President and CEO, Cabrini Connections alumni, Cabrini-Green community members, and longtime volunteers. Enjoy!

Another great Tutor/Mentor Conference

It's June 1st, which means the May 2009 Tutor/Mentor Conference has come and gone. Overall, I'd say it was a great success, with many people commenting on what a good time they were having, what great connections they were making, and how helpful and interesting the workshop and speakers are. Our three new interns from South Korea took photos during the concert, which are shown below in the slide show. Enjoy!

Find more photos like this on Tutor/Mentor Connection