"Once in Cabrini Connections...ALWAYS in Cabrini Connections"

The Cabrini Connections' program has over 800 volunteer alumnus and over 500 student alumnus and we truly feel that once you have been a part of the program you will always be a part of the program...and the network. Earlier today, Bradley Troast (Assistant Program Coordinator) and I received a surprise visit from former volunteer Stephanie Rogers and former student Aarion Woods.

Stephanie started in the program as a tutor/mentor in the Fall of 2008, but in the first couple of weeks changed her role and began in the College Zone part of the program where she remained there for a couple of years. During her time as an active volunteer Stephanie not only assisted students and volunteers on a weekly basis, but she also either joined efforts or came up with other projects that assisted with bringing in resources for the entire program. Stephanie remains connected to the program through the internet and by visiting from periodically and by sharing information to the staff, volunteers, and students that are still active in the program. Ms. Rogers also makes an effort to donate to the program.

Aarion Woods joined the program in the Fall of 2008 as well and was paired with, now Board Member, Mike Ozmeral. Aarion faced a lot of adversity outside of the program, but worked extremely hard to be as consistent as possible with his attendance and taking full advantage of program resources. Unfortunately Aarion's homelife and lack of resources forced him to become inactive in the program. But Aarion's strong personality, charm, and his willingness to continue overcome adversity has put in a position where he is now working and taken courses to get necessary certification at his place of employment to move up in the ranks. During his visit today he was all smiles and displayed a sense of pride when talking about what he has been going through...but more importantly how he has overcome those obsticles.

Thanks to first year volunteer, Brian Kamajian, Bradley and I were able to share a great job opportunity at the Wyndham Hotel with Aarion who immediately contacted his good friend AND Cabrini Connection's alumnus, Lawrence Brown, to share the information about the job. Before hanging up the phone both Aarion and Lawrence made plans to travel to the Wyndham on Thursday during the open timeslots to acquire more information about the job opportunities.

Bradley and I definitely enjoyed catching up with Stephanie and Aarion and to hear about all that they have been doing outside of the program, but it also felt good to exchange information and resources as well. This is a perfect display of how the Cabrini Connections' program is one big network and how that network can and should benefit any and everybody that has, is, or will be a part of the Cabrini Connections' TEAM.

Cabrini Connections' Students Are a Hit!!!

This past Tuesday 3 Cabrini Connections' students were standouts at the Red Shoe Review Silenct Auction at UIC. Victoria Rivera, Dominique Curtis, and Marquita Fisher shared their time and talents by performing some select poetry and spoken word at this event. All three of the students did an amazing job!!!

The event took place in a small intimate type of setting, but the energy from the students, the guests, and the hosts of the event was great. Jessica Grant and Namrata Shah not only did a great job with putting this silent auction together, the entire Cabrini Connections' program is thankful for these young ladies selecting Cabrini Connections as the organization where the proceeds from the event will go. There was food, beverages, art, entertainment, and an overall positive event.

The total amount that was brought in from the event has not yet been determined, but should be tallied up very soon. Whether the amount brought in is $100, $1,000, or $10,000...the entire Cabrini Connections' program is thankful and appreciative of the gesture from this group of students from UIC. Hopefully the presence and performances of the Cabrini Connections' students at this event will lead to the guests of the event becoming even more interested in the the program and will lead to further support in the future.

Student's Ready to Showcase their Talent!!!

Dominique Curtis and Marquita Fisher are posing in the photo with Alexi Giannoullias just before President Obama spoke in Hyde Park

On Tuesday November 16th from 4-8pm Cabrini Connections will be teaming up with Namrata Shah and Jessica Grant of UIC's Red Shoes Review to host a benefit event. All of the details are listed here. The actual building location has been determined and the event will take place in Room 121 of the Burnham Hall building located on the East Campus of UIC (near the Morgan and Taylor St intersection). Please call 312-996-7000, and an operator can give directions to Burnham Hall.

Below are a few of the poetic pieces that several of the Cabrini Connections' students will be showcasing at this event. Please take the time to read their work and hopefully their words and feelings will encourage you to make and effort to come out and be a part of this event or support the overall project from afar.

If you can't attend but would like to support this event, please make an online donation here



Abortion
By: Dominique Curtis

Mommy, mommy. Mommy
I call out for you but you don’t hear
Mommy, mommy, mommy
I am filled with so much fear

Mommy, mommy, mommy
I touch you but you don’t feel
Mommy, mommy, mommy
I’m telling you I need you

Where are you mommy?
I don’t know why you’re leaving me
I’m looking at you
But you pretend you don’t see

Mommy how could you do this to me
Don’t you understand I am you’re other part
Mommy you don’t understand
Mommy you have no heart

You were not ready for me
That I understand
But what about what I was ready for
Mommy what about my plans

Who will speak up for those who can’t?
Who will be the voice for those without?
Who will hear the cry’s of the baby?
Who will see the tears of the child?

I see for those that are invisible
I stay for those who everyone leaves
I stand for those who can’t walk
I talk for those with no voice

(95%), are done as a means of birth control
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 126,000

It all starts at home
By: Dominique Curtis

Killing and dying, abusing and abused, raped, hurt and fill with the pain

It all starts at home when mommy tells you, you ain’t s***
And how much she hates you and regrets you
It all starts at home when daddy hits you and beats you
When he breaks you up inside and out
It all starts when hell is the place you call home

The problem is that homes are broken and no one’s listening and no one’s learning
You see everyday we see people lost to the streets
Gun shots missing and piercing the innocence of child
But you see we don’t change because we have become immune to it
The gun shots and deaths have become common nature

See but this starts at home
It starts with the little girl who was raped and abused when she was young
So when boys only wanted her for her body she didn’t know that this was wrong
And when she ended up pregnant at 15
She raised her child while she was still a child herself
And you see she still didn’t understand right from wrong
So she raised her baby girl the same way her mother raised her
Teaching her that her biggest power is between her legs
And that if a man hit her it was ok just deal with it
And the cycle just continues of young girls abused and raped
Blind to the problem in their situation

And see this starts at home
It starts with the little boy that was raised in a home where momma smoked and daddy drank
And daddy was the man he looked up to and followed behind
And so when daddy hit momma it was fine
And he was taught the only way to be a man and be define is by clutching a nine and committing crimes
And so when he got a girlfriend he didn’t see a problem with putting his foot on her face when she didn’t do what he said
Because this is what he was taught and how he was led
And the cycle continues of little boys not knowing how to be man
Blind to the problem in their situation


So you see the problem is
The respect we are being taught is turned and spun
Boys defined by tattoos and guns
Girls walking around with babies like hand bags and accessories
We have babies raising babies
Bad parents raising kids to be bad parents
And so we see kids killing kids and then we become kids killing kids because we don’t know any other way
See when we know better we do better but all we know is our hearts and souls
Which we were taught was define by our body and how many men we slept with
And our guns and how many people we kill
And so we can not change our future until we correct our past

We were never taught that our brain is the best thing to fight with
And our true potential lies in us not with what we have
Our true talents are not material things
And our true beauty is inside

So we need examples of good parents we need teachers
And I think you should have to take a class before you can be a mother
I think you should be a man before you can be a father
Because I find it painful to see the babies beautiful faces
Being brutally beaten and disgraced

See I think it should all start at home
When mommy gives you hugs and kisses
And daddy tells you he loves you
And this makes you feel so special
When your house is finally a place you can call home

I'm From...
By: Marquita Fisher (Quita)

I’m from Chicago and Cabrini Green
Where you hear gun shots
I’m from phony and backstabbing a** friends
Wanting to love and hate

I’m from home to home
Living with my friends
I’m from kids getting raped and beat
Police not doing s***

I from going home and hearing about girl X
I know yall heard about it
How she was raped, beat, and got poisoned

All on the news and on TV
Police lying saying they gone find them

I’m from don’t do that cousin please
To shut up and don’t say s***
I’m from my so called family
Where was they when he touched me

I’m from my so called daddy
Not being there for me
I’m from my mother walking out on me
And I have no place to go

I’m from Bam! A slap to my face
Blood dripping from my lip
I’m from mother sitting there
And not saying s***.

I’m from moving in with my auntie
And Kiera being there for me
I’m from seeing Kiera on Wednesday’s
In our laughter and goofiness

I’m from a place I could call home now
My auntie staying by my side
I’m from a better life now
Sleeping very safely

I’m from get up and get ready for school
6:00 got to get to get up
I’m from “have a good day at school
And be good”

I’m from “Marquita come in the house to eat”
Grandma’s cooking on a Sunday
I’m from who I don’t know?

Melissa Young's 2nd Annual Cabrini Connections' Bake Sale

For the second year in a row, one of our students, Melissa Young, is hosting a Halloween Bake Sale to benefit the Cabrini Connections tutor/mentor program! She came up with this idea all on her own last year and raised over $330! This year her goal is $500. The event will take place at our center this Saturday, October 30th, from 11am-3pm. The address is 800 W Huron.

Ways to get involved:

Bake treats to be sold. You can drop them off during the week or bring them the day-of.
Donate food. Don't have time to bake? Just donate food!

Volunteer the day-of. Last year we had a lot of fun selling at the intersection of Chicago & Halsted.
Drop by, buy a few treats, and bring your friends!

If you are in the area on Saturday, please stop by. It isn't so much about how much money is raised as it is about supporting a student-led project.

This is not only a great project to support by donating treats and/or your time the day of, this is a student led project and an organization that could benefit greatly from your generous donations on a larger scale. Please show your support here if you can't attend but still want to contribute.
Contact at Cabrini Connections' staff if you are looking to get involved.
Thanks in advance!!!

~Cabrini Connections TEAM~

Golf Benefit Success and Beyond!

What started off to be a day that was going to be filled with thunderstorms and damper on our 2010 Jimmy Biggs Memorial Cabrini Connections' Golf Benefit turned out to be a GREAT day! In a non-profit program where fundraising is essential to obtaining the resources needed to keep the program running, the golf benefit is our biggest FUNdraiser of the year and we made the most of the HOT and sunny day!

The team of staff, interns, volunteers, and students got the day started by meeting and greeting the golfers as they prepared for a fun-filled day out on the course. Thanks to 2nd year volunteer Shannon Murphy and her personal team of assistants, the golfers registered without a problem, received all of the information they needed for the day, and were greeted with a smile before heading inside to cool off and grab lunch. We decided to do a little something different during the lunch part of the day. We set up a small display of some of our more select silent auction items to entice our lunch goers to place early bids on the items even before the dinner events...and it worked!!!

After lunch it was time to hit the course!!! Around 1pm all of the golfers got on their carts prepared for the shotgun start. While the golfers enjoyed their day swinging the clubs looking to get a hole in 1, beat the members of their foursome, and/or just network and enjoy the benefit...the CC, T/MC Team spent our time accommodating the golfers and sharing more information about the overall organization. Another GREAT addition to this year's golf benefit was the presence and project of veteran Cabrini Connections' student Melissa Young.

Melissa Young will be entering her junior year at Josephenium Academy and inside of the program she is a member of the Video and Filmmaker's Club. Melissa took on the project of interviewing golfers and guest throughout the day just asking them who they are and why they have chosen to support Cabrini Connections through the golf benefit. Not only was the golfer more than willing to be in front of the camera, but Melissa was so inspired by this project and the experience of the golf benefit she is looking to make a career being behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. Here is a quote from Melissa that she put on facebook immediately following the golf benefit.

"I have a goal and my goal is 2 become a famous video/music producer. I have all these ways I can get there but I could not do it without Cabrini Connections. I had fun out there at the golf benefit. It was hot but we made it through. I had so much fun meeting board members and watching them golf."

The 2010 Jimmy Biggs Memorial Golf Benefit ended with a dinner and silent auction where all in attendance had the opportunity to eat, socialize, network, bid on some great silent auction items and hear some great stories about the organization and why it is so important to support. My wish is that everybody who attended the golf benefit makes an effort to tell just 3 people in their network what they did yesterday and why. Tell them how they attended a golf benefit and how the proceeds will go to assist students with getting into a college and a career, and how they should think about supporting as well!

Thanks goes out to all of those who made this event possible and there are too many people to name, but just know that we definitely appreciate all of the work and effort that went into the event and for all of those who will continue work towards making the program a success. Special Thanks again to tutor/mentor Shannon Murphy for going above and beyond the tutor/mentor role and helping us with this project. GREATLY APPRECIATED! If you missed the opportunity to support or be a part of the golf benefit, our next major event is our Tutor/Mentor Jam and we accept donations all throughout the year. Thanks for getting involved!

Outstanding Attendance Leads to Summer Fun!

The Cabrini Connections' organization is like nearly any other tutoring/mentoring program around the world, the program doesn't work if people are not here. With that being said we aim for outstanding attendance amongst our students, volunteers, and staff and we set a program expectation of 85% or better attendance percentage throughout the year. We just wrapped up our 2009-2010 tutoring/mentoring year and we are proud to announce that we had good number of staff, students, and volunteers who successfully reached that attendance goal!!!

We are extremely proud to recognize 2nd year student Ana Tate for not just reaching the 85% goal of the program but for having 100% attendance to the tutoring/mentoring sessions for the entire year!!! What makes this accomplishment even more special is the fact that she is also enrolled in Video and Filmmaker's Club as well that meets on Mondays. Ana shows her dedication and commitment to the program by attending tutoring/mentoring sessions on Wednesday, club on Monday, and she also stops in on other days to take advantage of other program resources throughout the year. As a result of Ana's perfect attendance she was presented with a very nice bike that was donated by Zoya Kolkin who was looking to honor a Cabrini Connections' student. And we thought Ana Tate would be the perfect person to honor because of her perfect attendance!

Cabrini Connections' also puts in an extra effort to finish the year off strong with attendance by adding a bonus incentive of students with 75% or better receiving an opportunity to participate in the "Great America Getaway." Each year the students get to take advantage of a FREE fun day at Six Flags Great America and their breakfast, lunch, and dinner is covered by Cabrini Connections. This year our veteran students offered suggestions of a different summer incentive and we are exploring a couple of possibilities that should be equally exciting as a day at Great America. We are proud to announce that we had a total of 32 students in the program to earn this opportunity for their exceptional attendance during the 3rd quarter.

The Cabrini Connections staff would like to congratulate and thank each and every student and volunteer who demonstrated outstanding attendance, dedication, and commitment to the program this year. We encourage all of you to continue to lead by example!

The Reason Why We Do What We Do...

The Cabrini Connections' program works to provide resources to ensure that our students are in a career by the age of 25, but there are steps that need to be taken before getting into that ideal career. And one of the biggest steps before that phase of their life is getting into college. Over the past month several of our Cabrini Connections' seniors have been notified that they have received college acceptance letters!!!

Veteran student, Vontesha Stanfield, was accepted in not one, not two, but THREE schools over the past month!!! Ms. Stanfield received acceptance letters from Northern Illinois, Indiana State, and Central State. She is still waiting to hear from two other schools she has applied to and is still in the process of submitting 5 more college applications!!!

Veteran student, Alexis Montgomery, was accepted into Wright College and Truman! She recently had a meet and greet at Wright College and all went very well. And what makes this news even more special is the fact that Wright College was the 1st college on her list of schools to attend!!! She will be visiting Oakton Community College in the near future.

First year student in the program, Megan Caradine, got accepted into Allen University in South Carolina and by December 15th she will know if she was accepted into her number one school of choice, Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. She has also applied to UIC, SIU, and a number of other schools.

The Cabrini Connections' staff would like to congratulate these three students on their accomplishments, but we would also like to thank those who have assisted in making these accomplishments take place; mentors Jen Jozwik (Vontesha), Sandra Lee (Alexis), and Liz Sablich (Megan) for all of their hard work, dedication, and commitment to the success of their students and for assisting with carrying out the mission and goals of the program. THANK YOU!

We would also like to thank the College Zone Coordinators; Stephanie Rogers, Carla Reyes, Katie Nolan, and newcomer Sue Gill! Thank you for your guidance and all of your assistance! And we also would like to thank the parents and family members of the students.

We are truly proud of these accomplishments, but we all know this is just one of the many steps to success, and its going to take more hard work, dedication, and support to get these youth and many more to the next level on their road to success. Please make an effort to be a tutor/mentor, a supporter, and a donor so that we can continue to provide these type of success stories.

~HOPE, BUILD, BELIEVE, AND ACHIEVE~

2009-2010 Cabrini Connections' Captains

Year in and year out in the NFL, there are those players on the team who step into leadership positions because of their play on the field, but also because of they way they conduct themselves off of the field. They serve as role models, subjects of inspiration, and in many cases the 'faces of the organization." And this is just an informal role that these players take, but there is a formal process in which these players are officially selected to be the Team Captains. And if you look closely on game day you will see these leaders because they wear the letter C on their jerseys, and if you catch the pre-game activities you will see the leaders walking to the middle of the field to complete the coin toss procedure before the game begins.

At Cabrini Connections, for the 2009-2010 season, we have just selected our Captains!!! This year we have 6 captains that will be leading our team for the season. Returning to the ranks of captain for the second year in the row are:

De'Sean Hale 12th grader at Wells fifth year in the program

Sean Mayfield 9th grader at Rauner third year in the program

and Savon Clark 9th grader at Lindblom third year in the program who also is our student representative for the entire Region 2(our conference)

And joining the returning captains will be:

Ashaunti Roby 9th grader at Providence St. Mel third year in the program

Victoria Rivera 11th grader at Lincoln Park fourth year in the program

and rookie to the program Israel Dosie7th grader at Andersen first year in the program.

The Youth Leadership Council will meet bi-weekly to discuss policies and procedures at Cabrini Connections. The Council may influence field trip destinations, the tutoring schedule, the points system, and more. They will also devise strategies to increase youth involvement and attendance (particularly in Winter months). And what makes this accomplishment for these 6 students even more special is that they were voted into the position by the coaches (volunteers) and their teammates (other students). We are truly excited to have these 6 students as our chosen leaders for this year and we hope that they can rally the entire team, organization, and the fans into truly believing in the team concept and lead us into victory this season.

Congratulations goes out to Savon, Israel, DeSean, Sean, Ashaunti, and Victoria on being selected as the 2009-2010 Captains of the Cabrini Connections' team!!! Instead of seeing the patch with the letter C in the NFL that signals Captain, these 6 players will have "CC" on their Jersey to represent the leaders of Cabrini Connections.

Veterans on the Team Step Up!

The NFL is not only filled with veteran players and coaches, but league leaders in the NFL are led into successful seasons by the veterans who take on leadership roles on the team. Because of their experience, knowledge, and because of ability to lead on and off of the field, these players and coaches are respected by rookies, players and coaches from other teams, and NFL fans around the world. Veterans such as Tom Brady, Brett Farve, Orlando Pace, Bill Belichick, and many other NFL veterans who have and continue to make their mark in this profession are what some consider to be the pillars of their respective organizations...and to the National Football League as a whole.

The Cabrini Connections' organization has many different veterans that put themselves in leadership positions in our program by using the same strategies as some of the NFL greats. They work on their consistency and dedication to the program, they lead by example in and outside of the program, and they step up and rise to the occasion where the organization needs someone to make a big play.

And we have 3 veterans on the team who have done just that...stepped up! First, I would like to highlight veteran Cabrini Connections' player, Melissa Young. Melissa is a 10th grader and has been in the program for over 2 years. In our program, just like many other program, obtaining the necessary resources to keep the program up and running has been a struggle, and Melissa has stepped up and provided an opportunity to help out our program financially. Two weeks ago, Melissa provided the Head Coach and the Program Coordinator with an idea for a Bake Sale on Halloween Day where all the proceeds will go to the Cabrini Connections' organization. Not only did Melissa sit down and put together an official plan for this event, she has already been putting together a small committee to ensure success of her project. Her project is called "Halloween Trick or Treat Bake Sale" and it will take place at Cabrini Connections on Halloween Day from 12-2:30pm.

Two of our veteran coaches have stepped up as well to assist in the fundraising efforts. Art Club Coordinator, Jacqueline Shay, and veteran tutor/mentor Sarah Randag are taking the lead on a couple of projects on their own.

Jackie, who has been a serving as a Art Club Position's Coach for over 3 years, is in the process of launching a Cabrini Connections Phoneraiser. This project is asking for people to donate used cell phones, inkjets, laptops/notebook computers, ipods, digital cameras, and digital video cameras to the Cabrini Connections program so that we can turn the items in. In return the program will receive financial compensation for the donated items. We are hoping to launch this project in the upcoming weeks.

Sarah Randag, who has been in the program for over 2 years is working towards putting together a Wine Tasting Fundraiser for the program. Sarah is teaming up with the owner of the Cellar Rat Wine Shop here in Chicago, to host a Wine Tasting Fundraiser at that the shop's location on Sunday November 22nd from 5:30-7:30. This event will be open to the first 35 people who RSVP and pay the $25 fee. The Cellar Rat Wine Shop is located at 1811 W. North Ave and more information about this event will be provided in the near future or contact EL Da' Sheon at 312-492-9614.

As the Head Coach of the Cabrini Connections' organization I would like to give a big "pat on the back" to Melissa, Jackie, and Sarah for stepping up and making BIG TIME plays for our team. My hope is that they continue to perform at a high level and that others on the team will follow their lead. We are a team with a lot of history and a lot of pride, and it will take many more on the team stepping up for us to have continued success on our road to a record breaking season and future success.

Savon Clark's Top 10 Reasons to Support Cabrini Connections

There are 10 reasons as to why people should support Cabrini Connections. They are :


1. This program keeps kids off of the streets.

2. This is a productive place where kids can achieve goals.

3. Kids can meet successful adults.

4. Kids can develop a friendship with a tutor/mentor

5. Tutors/Mentor can be role models to the students.

6. The program provides multiple chances to earn scholarship money for the kids.

7. The program provides extra-curricular activities.

8. The program provides special events and guest speakers from time to time.

9. Its a Non- Profit organization.

10.It starts in 7th grade and ends at the end of the 12th grade school year.

Savon's Reflection: The Golf Benefit

The Golf Benefit
by Savon Clark Mentee - Tuesday, 21 July 2009, 10:25 AM

July 16, 2009 was an experience for me. On this day Cabrini Connections held its 14th annual Golf benefit which was a great day overall. The weather was great, record breaking attendance and golfing!! When you put that with great food, you could not ask for much more!! We even had NFL players (Nick Roach & Austin King) come to the benefit. I got the chance to chat with Nick for a bit a he gave me a sneak peek and insiders to the NFL. We got a great speech from Eboni Rivera, a recent graduate from the program. Of course this would not have been possible thanks to all of Cabrini Connections' supporters, the Highland Golf Club, and The Cabrini Connections' Staff.

Reasons Why We Ask for YOUR Support...

This week the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection organization will be hosting our Annual Jimmy Biggs Memorial Golf Benefit at the Highland Park Country Club. And for the past couple of months we have been sending out information about the event and also for donations and support for the event.

And I want to to thank each and every person who has taken the time out to read the emails, the newsletters, the blog articles, and the mailings about the event, but I want to dig a little deeper and show you why we ask for your support. The golf benefit is a fun-filled event in which people come out and golf, socialize, eat, drink, and bid on silent auction items, but all of those actions contribute to an even bigger cause and that the students, volunteers, and staff that make up the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection organization. The golf benefit in July, Volunteer Recruitment Campaign in August and September, and Martini Madness in October etc are all events that creates opportunities for people to come together to discuss the importance of Cabrini Connections and tutoring/mentoring programs in communities throughout the world.

Please take a few minutes to watch these videos, listen to how our students feel about their mentors and the Cabrini Connections' program, and understand that these are the reason why we ask for YOUR support.

http://www.cabriniconnections.net/video/154-cabrini-connections-20089

http://www.cabriniconnections.net/video/104-cabrini-connections-wednesday-night

http://www.cabriniconnections.net/video/103-thursday-night-from-mentees-to-mentors

Will you answer the call?

Charles Hill: Student Reflection

First year student, Charles Hill reflected on year at Cabrini Connections through the our Student and Volunteer History and Tracking System (SVHATS) and I wanted to share this Cabrini Connections' supporters!The Year end dinner was great, I was not expecting to get ""Most Motivated"" award and since this was my first time there,I would love to experience this again next year. I plan on doing more things around Cabrini and to help Cabrini Connections, i'm planning on working more on guitar, maybe next year i'll even play a song. Nice work for Savon Clark a close friend of mine for winning the Jimmy Biggs award. Also Ana Tate who seems great at singing, I think she would be a great help for a singer when I start a band. Also EL Da' Sheon, Chris Warren, Jen King, my tutor Szu Han, you are the ones who have influenced me the most in winning the award for most motivated, without your help in the program I wouldn't be as motivated as I am now. I'd probably be lazy.So I want to say thanks for everything.Anyways, I've had a great experience this first year at Cabrini Connections and I plan on going there for a very long time. Until next we meet, I shall be taking my leave. Good Luck Cabrini Connections staff, mentees, and mentors.

Savon Clark: Working For Cabrini Connections

Well, some of you have seen me do “work” around Cabrini Connections, like putting the little trash cans into the big dumpster cans or something like that, and are probably wondering why I am doing it. Well lets go back to November when the Youth Leadership Council was assembled. I was voted on to the council along with 5 other people, and out of the six of us I was the only one who could represent Cabrini connections at the Region 2 meetings every month. So every since the elections in November, I have been to a Clean and Green event and to the Health Fair with region 2, (which were great events). Region 2 has also given the representatives an opportunity to earn a stipend, but the one condition was that we had to work 5 hours every week at our agencies (or for me that would be Cabrini Connections). That is only a part of the reason why I am “working” around Cabrini Connections.

The main reason why I am doing this work is because it is a good feeling when you have the chance to make an impact, not only in your program, but in the region that your program participates in... it's amazing!!!

2009 Cabrini Connections' Graduating Class

As we head into one of the best events that Cabrini Connections has to offer, the Annual Year End Dinner which will be taking place this year on June 4th, we go into the event with mixed emotions. This is truly a festive event that brings students, parents, staff, board members, volunteers, and guest all together to celebrate the end of another successful tutoring/mentoring year. But what makes this a event with mixed emotions is that we will be saying good bye to the 2009 Cabrini Connections' graduating class!

This year we have 5 seniors who will be, lets say, not leaving the Cabrini Connections' program but joining a growing list of alumni! I've been the Administrative Coordinator of the program for a little over a year, but I can truly say that I have been a witness of the growth and the leadership qualities that these 5 seniors have!

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.

Dominique Dobbs, senior at Lincoln Park High School, rejoined the program this year after taking some time off and has done an amazing job since returning. Dominique is very interested in studying psychology, but at this point is undecided on which college or university she will be attending in the fall.

LaFaye Garth, senior at Sullivan High School, has truly been a standout in the program. For anybody who has interacted with this young lady, you understand how dedicated, committed, and driven she is. LaFaye has been in the program since September of 2004 and progressed in the program very well! Ms. Garth was the recipient of the Posse Scholarship and will be receiving over $30,000 a year to attend California's Pomona College beginning in the fall. LaFaye has also received the Gates Foundation Scholarship that will pay for all of her graduate school expenses as she pursues a career in the nursing field. LaFaye also was on a recent episode of the Oprah Winfrey show.

Angelene Hemphill, senior at Wells High School, has also been doing a fantastic job inside and outside of the program. Angelene continues to strive for excellence inside of the program, but she also assists younger students by being a mentor herself outside of the program. Angelene also balances work as well! Angelene has hopes of attending either Harold Washington, Malcolm X, or Chicago State in the fall.

Eboni Rivera, senior at Kenwood High School, has been in the program since September of 2002 and has been a standout since that first day. Eboni is currently in the Cabrini Connections' Youth Leadership Council, on her school's softball team, and will be attending SIU in the fall! Eboni demonstrates her leadership in the program by assisting with the announcements on tutoring nights and by participating in various projects that the program has to offer. One of the opportunities that Eboni took advantage of and it paid off was the Halloween Essay contest that we provided last fall, and earned a free trip the Navy Pier's Haunted House on Halloween night.

Charles Thomas, senior at CICS Northtown Academy, and although he has a quiet and reserved demeanor, Charles has already begun his career path! Charles is undecided on which college or university he will be attending in the fall, but he does want to study Business once he makes his decision. Charles' goal is to one day be the owner of his own nightclub or a banquet hall. Charles is currently pursuing his dreams by working as a club promoter throughout the Chicagoland area. Charles is getting some hands on experience at an early age that can and will benefit him as he continues on his career path. Charles hopes to use the knowledge he is gaining now, along with getting a degree in business, to one day become a successful club owner!

The entire Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection staff would like to congratulate these 5 seniors for their hard work, decidation, and committment to excellence as they move on to the next phrase in their life. We hope they will continue to be advocates of the program, and encourage fellow Cabrini Connections' alums to do the same. And as we continue to work towards getting more and more students into the program and on track to graduate and become Cabrini Connections' alumni, we need more and more support and resources to make this happen. Please take a moment to think about the value and importance of a great education and tutoring and mentoring and consider donating to Cabrini Connections.

2nd Quarter Perfect Attendance Recognition

The Cabrini Connections tutoring/mentoring quarters closely relate to the grading periods that our students follow in their schools. Our 2nd Quarter, which we consider our Winter quarter, began on Jan 14, 2009 and just ended on March 26, 2009. And for anybody who has lived in an area in the world where it gets as cold as a Chicago winter will truly understand and appreciate the news that I am about to announce.

Through the cold, windy, snowy, and sometimes...below minus 10 degrees and blizzard conditions we had several of our students and volunteers made an effort to beat the elements and attend every scheduled tutoring/mentoring session during the 2nd quarter!!!

The STUDENTS that earned Perfect Attendance Recognition:

Gregory Hatchett

Yolanda Hyles

Angelene Hemphill

Whitney Hemphill

Ashaunti Roby

Cierria Tharpe

The VOLUNTEERS that earned Perfect Attendance Recognition:

Jen Jozwik

Mike Jozwik

Stephanie Rogers

Carla Reyes

Alexandria Hill

Jacqueline Shay

Steve Pawlik

Sarah Randag

We truly want to thank each and every student and volunteer who had perfect attendance during the 2nd quarter, and to all of the other students and volunteers who made an effort to attend the program throughout the entire quarter. As staff we truly appreciate your dedication and commitment to not just the program, but to putting yourself in a position to be something GREAT in life!

~Keep up the great work during the 3rd Quarter as well!!!~

Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays...Cabrini Connections' Style

If you are person who loves sports, then I'm sure it is safe to say that Sportscenter is one of your top 5 shows on television. True, there is sport's radio, the sport's section of the newspaper, Sports Illustrated, but ESPN's Sportscenter is where millions of people turn to to catch the latest in sports. And on Sportscenter the Top 10 plays of the week is what catches the eye and attention of many of the viewers of the show. Where else can you witness the most amazing dunks, deepest home runs, and those unbelievable catches from your favorite college and NFL receivers.

Following 'Top 10 Plays of the Week" segment, Cabrini Connections would like to go one step further and show our fans our "Top 10 Plays of the Quarter." Cabrini Connections program is broken into quarters very similar to the grading periods in which our students follow in their various schools, and we are in our last week of our 2nd Quarter (Winter Quarter). I would like to to take the time now to announce our "Top 10 Plays of the Quarter." And just like Sportscenter, I will provide you, the fans, visual of these fantastic, amazing, and jaw-dropping plays.

(10) Vjekoslav Hlede (eLearning and Technology Coordinator) launches the new and improved Cabrini Connections' website in the month of February.

(9) Cabrini Connections was featured in the Chi-Town Daily News on February 16, 2009.

(8) Several of our players were stars of the "Who Am I" Trivia game that took place during the month of February. This was a educational but fun way for our students and volunteers to learn more about some of the famous African Americans who make Black History Month truly historic. (Raheem Muhammed, Whitney Hemphill, Cazimir Ozuruigbo, and many more)

(7) The outstanding attendance of our mentors and mentees this quarter in comparison to the 2nd quarter of last year. At this time last year the attendance for students was 68% and for volunteers it was 52% and the current attendance for students is 79% and for volunteers it is 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).

(6) Sophomore student Whitney Hempill get 1st place in the Cabrini Connections' "I Have a Dream" project. This project encouraged students to put together and submit either a written piece or an audio/visual piece off how they felt Barack Obama and the new Administration could assist them with making their dreams come true.

(5) Cabrini Connections volunteers, students, and staff support our College and Career month by wearing college apparel during the month of March.

(4) Cabrini Connections' tutor/mentor Mary Catherine Nelson has been the leader of the FUNdraising for Quarters competition for the entire 2nd Quarter. This is a competition in which the Cabrini Connections' volunteers make an effort to spread the word about all of the their involvement in the program to their network, and in return their audience supports the program by making a donation OR find ways to get involved themselves.

(3) January is National Mentoring Month and our students put together videos to express their feelings of gratitude for their mentors being in their lives

(2) Cabrini Connections was featured on Oprah's Angel Network's website.

(1) The number one "Play" of the quarter has not actually taken place. Hopefully in the near and distant future the "Top Play of the Quarter" will be a Corporate Sponsor being willing to support our program by providing us with a donation. Because without more and more Corporate Sponsors and their donations....then not only can we maintain our great players and our overall team, without those donations it will be a struggle to have the overall Cabrini Connections' organization!

Hopefully our 3rd Quarter will be filled with even more "Top 10 Plays" and hopefully YOU will be one of the many people who will assist us with reaching that goal!

http://cabriniblog.blogspot.com/

Read this week's Student and Volunteer Profiles

Each week Chris Warren interviews one student and one volunteer and writes a profile on his blog. This week Mike Hayes and Christian Palacios are featured.

Bringing the "Dream" to Black History Month (Entries 1, 2, & 3 )

The months of January and February have not just been monumental but truly historic with the recognition of Dr. King and with Barack Obama becoming the first African American President in the country's history, and with February being Black History month. Several Cabrini Connections' students, with the assistance of mentors and staff, stepped up and took of an opportunity to share their "Dreams" as well.

As mentioned previously the students had the opportunity to take part in the "I Have a Dream" project where they were asked to submit either a written or an audio/video piece sharing their dreams and how the Barack Obama and the new Administration could assist them with making their dreams come true.

This contest took place in January and the students have already been recognized for all of their hard work on this project. Now we would like to share with you the entries that the students provided. The picture that accompanies this article is actually a picture Yolanda Hyles' entry of her Barack Obama poster board. And her project, along with all of the other student entries have been posted inside of the Cabrini Connections' center for all to enjoy.

~Dreams Do Come True~

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January 27, 2009

Dear President Barack Obama,

There are a lot of things that I would like you to change in America today. First I would like you to stop the war in Iraq immediately because the only thing that it is doing is hurting our economy as a nation. Not to long ago, Mayor Daley of Chicago (my hometown) had to cut back on budgets and didn’t plow over the side streets. I live on a side street and it’s hard for my parents to drive out onto the main street without worrying about ice making the car slip, and cause an accident. Daley cut back because Chicago is broke right now. This is one way on how the economy is hurting me now so please stop the war in Iraq.

Next, I would like for you to now make it a law that all people can vote because right now it is an amendment to the constitution. This would benefit us greatly as a nation.

The last thing I would want you to change is the environment plan so that the people wouldn’t have to rely on the oil that comes out of the earth. This will help the nation because it will cause even more harm to the earth’s ozone layer which results in overall heating of the Earth.

Thank you Mr. President and I appreciate you reading this letter.
Sincerely,
Savon Clark

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January.28, 2009
Dear President Obama,

I am a sophomore attending Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center in Chicago, Illinois. In the past year 34 of my fellow students have been killed and so many kids I can’t even count have dropped out already. These facts make me feel disappointed because they are wasting their lives being on the streets. In order to fix this problem, I think there should be programs motivating kids to stay in school.

These after school programs for young adults and children would give them a place to go after school. Young adults need these programs because the percentage of kids being killed on the streets is rapidly increasing, especially in my hometown Chicago, Illinois.

I think after school programs should include programs such as: music, sports, dancing, tutoring, writing, college prep, and test prep. These programs would be effective because they will keep kids off the streets, motivate them to have higher grades, and give them a higher feeling of involvement in their school.

Much like high school sports, I think the programs should have a minimum grade requirement in order to motivate kids to keep their grades high. While I would like the program to be free I realize that may be difficult, so the program could charge a small, reasonable fee. For students who cannot afford the fee they could pay a lower charge.

Some kids will voluntarily come to the program but for other kids who are not as motivated to come, the program could offer prizes for regular attendance and participating in programs.

These programs would help the city of Chicago by decreasing the number of high school dropouts and deaths. I think it would be very beneficial to all the Chicago Public Schools’ students. Thank you for all you have done in representing Chicago so well and inspiring me to reach for better things for all of Chicago.

Sincerely,
Imann Mitchell

Student Profile Jan 16, 2009

Read this week's student profile. Is this a future President?