We Present to YOU, the 2011 Cabrini Connections' Golf Benefit

I would like to start off by saying that, WE SURVIVED!!! With temperatures reaching, if not peaking, 100 degrees yesterday, we successfully hosted our 2011 Cabrini Connections' Golf Benefit at the Highland Park Country Club. This is an annual event hosted by the organization to not only raise funds for the organization, but to also provide an opportunity for participants to network, advocate for the program, celebrate program highlights, and to HAVE FUN!
After the early morning registration, the participants headed inside to cool down and to have some lunch before the shotgun start at 1pm. Around that time we had nearly 70 golfers in the carts and ready for fun in the sun on the greens. The participants enjoyed a fun filled day out on the course, all while trying to stay hydrated and out of the sun as much as possible. But even with the heat, I'd say that all that took part in the event had a GREAT day!

As the sun began to die down and the golfers completed their rounds, the Cabrini Connections' staff, students, and volunteers headed inside to set up for the evening events of food, drinks, and the silent auction. I think EVERYBODY enjoyed this part of the evening, especially with the air conditioning included! This is the part of the evening when everybody had an opportunity to not only cool off, but to network, hear from the Cabrini Connections' Board Members, students, and myself, as the new Executive Director of the organization. And with being in this role less than a full week of hosting the biggest fundraiser of the year, I'd say it was a success.

Thanks to all of those that contributed by being sponsors, volunteering to help with the behind the scenes work the day of and the preparation leading up to the event, the GREAT staff at the Highland Park Country Club, and a VERY VERY SPECIAL THANKS to staff member Toni Pullen, the 2011 Cabrini Connections' Golf Benefit was a lot of fun. Although we did not hit the financial numbers that we had hoped for on the day of the event, we feel the actual event can and will lead to further financial support in the near and distant future. The Annual Golf Benefit, like many of the other FUNdraising events that take place in the organization looks to hit great numbers the day of, but we hope that what takes place as a result of the actual event is what will lead to future support. Hopefully everybody that was present at the event enjoyed their experience and will find ways to not only continue supporting the organization, but will share their experiences and the program to those in their network, so they too will consider being a supporter of the organization.

If YOU would like to know more about the Cabrini Connections' program please visit the website and hopefully you too will become a FAN of the Award Winning...CABRINI CONNECTIONS' PROGRAM!

NFL Star, Barry Cofield, Calls for Support for the Annual Golf Benefit

Northwestern University alumni and starting Defensive lineman of the New York Giants, Barry Cofield, will serve as the official Spokesman of the 2011 Cabrini Connections' Golf Benefit. After completing a very successful 2011 Year End Dinner, we are on to the next major event in the organization, the Annual Golf Benefit. The 2011 Cabrini Connections' Golf Benefit will be held Thursday, July 21, at Highland Park Country Club. This is one of the most important fund raisers of each year and we are looking for this year's event to be THE BEST one ever, and Barry and the Cabrini Connections' TEAM could use your help?

Mr. Cofield is a huge fan of youth and GIVING BACK to the community, and he has been a fan and supporter of the Cabrini Connections' program for several years now. In 2008 the Superbowl Champion Barry Cofield supported the Annual Golf Benefit by donating an autographed jersey to the silent action. And since that date, Barry has continued to follow highlights of the program and has continued to support the program in a variety of ways. After a recent visit to the program's facility in April, Mr. Cofield has since joined the Advisory Board and accepted a request to be the 2011 Golf Benefit Spokesman. Barry said, "I'm passionate about working with today's youth in order to make the future brighter, Cabrini Connections' is dedicated to the same goal and they are the best at what they do!"

Don't forget to visit the golf website and join the New York Giants', Barry Cofield and the Cabrini Connections' staff, by seeing how YOU can support the 2011 Golf Benefit and the Cabrini Connections' program. Barry Cofield recently stated that he will be in attendance at the golf benefit and is looking forward to assisting with the success of the event and with obtaining the necessary resources for the Cabrini Connections' program to be successful.

Barry Cofield at a Charity Basketball Game in Sandusky, OH.

Cabrini Connections to be featured on Groupon!

We are excited to announce that Cabrini Connections is going to be featured on Groupon.com with a G-Team campaign for three days, June 7-9! Launched in November of 2008, Groupon is a website that features unbeatable daily deals - 50 to 90% off - on the best local goods, services and cultural events in more than 500 markets and 46 countries worldwide.

G-Team is a community outreach initiative within Groupon that brings communities together to do good, have fun, and make an impact. G-Team has been working in Chicago to help mission-driven organizations like ours raise money and raise awareness, channeling the collective buying power of Groupon followers and our local supporters.

We need your help to make this a successful campaign...

1. Subscribe to Groupon (http://www.groupon.com/subscriptions/new) in Chicago before the campaign launch
2. Check the daily Groupon e-mail to view our campaign, which will be featured along the right hand side of the main deal and under the list of daily deals
3. Support the campaign with a pledge and spread the word to friends and family, encouraging them to do the same

Thank you for your support! Read and share the full announcement on Bradley's blog here: http://bit.ly/k9UZNu

2011 Cabrini Madness Season Recap

A Look Back on the 2011 Cabrini Madness Season!!!

After a very successful 2010 Cabrini Madness debut season, the Cabrini Connections’ program was back at it and geared up to have an even better 2011 season. And a successful season it was!!! With many new and familiar faces, with some new creative ideas and concepts, and that returning competitive edge…the 2011 Cabrini Madness season served to be a great source of program advocacy and financial support for the same GREAT cause…CABRINI CONNECTIONS!!! So take some time and let look back at what was the 2011 Cabrini Madness FUNdraising Tournament

Cabrini Madness Season: February 7th-April 4th, 2011

Number of Team: 13

Number of Participants on Roster: 126

Students (39) Volunteers (46) Staff, Coordinators, Board Members (19) Outside of the Program Members (22)

Cabrini Madness FUNdraising Events:

-Team 5D’s

Game Day Event

-Boom Goes The Dynamite Teen Party/Dance at Cabrini Connections Bowling Night at Timber Lanes

-Cabrini Loyalty Bake Sale & Guessing Contest Happy Hour Event eLoyalty Donation Bin Idea Chicago Office Jean’s Day

-The Dream Team

Birthday Causes on Facebook

-The Free Agents

Happy Hour Event

-The Golden Stars Candy Sales Campaign

-The Green Team

The Wing Thing Happy Hour Basketball Viewing Event & Concert

-Team High5ive

Snack Sales Campaign

Cabrini Madness Promotional Videos: 8 total (possibly 9)

Training Days The Decision

Maybe

Lost In The Woods

Wednesday Night Lights

Cabrini Phoneathon

Bracketology with Tim Doyle

Encouragement Promo

Teams that Advanced to the Elite 8 (+ Play in Team): -Team High 5ive, Change Makers, The Green Team, Boom Goes the Dynamite, The Golden Stars, Cabrini Loyalty, The Dream Team, Cabrini AllStars, and The Kids Are All Bright

Teams that Advanced to the Final 4: -Cabrini Loyalty, Cabrini AllStars, The Dream Team, and The Kids Are All Bright

Championship Round Teams: -The Kids Are All Bright and Cabrini AllStars

2011 Cabrini Madness FUNdraising Tournament Champion: Cabrini AllStars

"The Kids Are All Bright provided some great fireworks down the stretch to make the Cabrini Madness tournament interesting, but it was Tim Minton and the Cabrini AllStars that prevailed in the end. Tim Minton called a timeout, gathered his team together, and provided what would be the game winning speech. He and the Cabrini AllStars rallied to pull out the $6,652 to $4308 victory!!!"

Approximate Number of 2011 Cabrini Madness Donors: Over 600!!!!

Total Amount Raised in the 2011 Cabrini Madness Season: $27,500(+) -more donations from Cabrini Madness has been coming in…

2011 Cabrini Madness Awards: We ended the 2011 Cabrini Madness season with our Annual Award’s ceremony to recognize all that made the 2011 season successful and to honor those that went above and beyond by presenting individuals and teams with some hardware. The names of the awards come from those that won the awards the previous year.

The Minton Rookie of the Year Award: Jason Tennenbaum Rising new star to the Cabrini Madness season

The TEMS Most Improved Team Award: The Kids Are All Bright

Team that started off low in the ranks and made continuous progress throughout the season

The Culliard 6th Man/Woman of the Year: Cabrini Loyalty (Team)

Person (or Team) that was not officially in the Cabrini Connections’ program, but contributed GREATLY to team’s success

The Martin Captain of the Year: Diana Restrepo Captain that led team to great success all season long

The Awesomes’ Most Valuable Event: Boom Goes The Dynamite (Bowling Night) Team’s event that brought in the most financial support

The Grunst Most Valuable Player: Tim Minton Person that brought in the most money that contributed to their team’s overall success

We had an amazing 2011 season of Cabrini Madness, but the support for the GREAT cause of Cabrini Connections' doesn't stop as that season ended. The Cabrini Connections' program is year around, and support for overall program needs to happen all year long as well. So if you missed out on supporting during the Cabrini Madness season and would still like to support the students, volunteers, and staff that make this program what it is...please submit your support here.

It's March...LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!!!

Monday 3/14 - Happy Hour - Please join The Free Agents http://www.giveforward.com/thefreeagents for happy hour on Monday, March 14 from 6:30-8:30 at Redmond's Ale House [http://www.redmondsalehouse.com] (3358 N Sheffield Ave.) and enjoy FREE domestic drafts for the duration. If you are so moved to make a donation in support of Cabrini Connections in return, that'd be awesome! No minimum donation required. For more info or to RSVP, visit the Facebook event page
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140528656014990

Tuesday 3/15 - Wing Eating Contest - On Tuesday, March 15th, The Green Team http://www.giveforward.com/thegreenteam is hosting a wing-eating contest at Cabrini Connections. Come as an individual or group and pay $10 for 10 wings per person. Teams compete in groups of 2 or 4 and the fastest two teams will face off in a bonus round for a chance to win the inaugural "Wing Bling" trophy! For more info or to RSVP, visit the Facebook event page
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169207923129834

Thursday 3/17 - Chili Sale - Running for Cabrini [http://www.giveforward.com/runningforcabrini] will be
selling chili for only $1/bowl during the session from 6-7:45pm.

Friday 3/18 - Midnight Bowling for Cabrini Connections Event - Boom Goes The Dynamite http://www.boomgoesthedynamite.org/ is hosting a bowling charity event at Timber Lanes [http://www.timberlanesbowl.com/] (1851 W Irving Park Rd.) on March 18, 2011 from 10pm-2am. A $30 suggested starting
donation gets you unlimited bowling, shoes and loads of fun for 4 hours. Cash bar. For more info or to RSVP, visit the Evite page http://new.evite.com/services/links/3JLBICZIKG

Ongoing
Team High5ive [http://www.giveforward.com/high5ive] is selling candy and snacks and The Golden Stars [http://www.giveforward.com/goldenstars] are selling candy bars

The 2011 Cabrini Madness Season is Underway!!!

The 2011 Pre-Season of Cabrini Madness ended last Thursday and the regular season has gotten off to a pretty nice start. We have a total of 13 teams (same as last year) that have entered the season and all are looking forward to an opportunity to be the 2011 Cabrini Madness Champions come April 4th!!!

Returning champions, The Dream Team (formally known as Guaranteed Victory) entered the season as the fan favorites and held the 1st place ranking nearly the entire pre-season before the returning Changemakers took the 1st place position and moving The Dream Team into 2nd place. Team Captain, Shannyn Nellett (Writing Club Coordinator) is confident that her squad can make a run for the title this season.

Here is a complete list of the 2011 Cabrini Madness Team:

1. $970 ... Change Makers
2. $683 ... The Dream Team
3. $140 ... Team High5ive
Tie 4. $50 ....... Cabrini Allstars and The Green Team
6. $45 ..... The Blue Chips
7. $35 ..... Boom Goes the Dynamite
Tie 8. $30 ..... Running for Cabrini and Cabrini Loyalty
10. $10 ..... The Kids Are All Bright
11. $0 ....... Team 5Dragons
12. $0 ....... The Free Agents
13. $0 ....... The Golden Stars

Here is where you can view the official 2011 Cabrini Madness Bracket and follow your team as they navigate themselves through the tournament and to keep up with all of the latest Cabrini Madness news and updates check our our version of espn.com here

If you are not on a Cabrini Madness team, but would like to support the program you can either select one of the current teams and become a "Fan" of their team or you can donate to the overall program here. We sincerely thank all for their effort, advocacy, and support.

~GOOD LUCK~

Cabrini Madness 2011...IS HERE!!!!

Last year Assistant Program Coordinator, Bradley Troast, and Administrative Coordinator, EL Da' Sheon Nix, came up with a FUNdraising Tourney based off of the NCAA March Madness tournament.

Students, volunteers, staff, board members, and friends of the program separated into different teams, put together a simple or very detailed fundraising page on Giveforward (to collect donations) and after those two things were done...THE GAMES BEGAN!!!

The mem

bers of the teams just found creative

ways to advocate for the pro

gram as a way of bringing in donations. There were pizza and snack sales, pool parties, birthday party fundraisers, social events for volunteers, grants were completed, just a lot of fun and creative ways to help their team win the tourney...all while bringing in the funds needed for the program. Here is where you can get tourney information from last year.

Bradley and I made the tourney fun by coming up with all of this fun and creative videos that we used as a play off of college basketball, NBA, SportsCenter etc. Here is the first of 9 videos that we put together.

The 2011 season is just about ready to start and we are excited to see what this season will bring and who will be crowned the 2011 Cabrini Madness Champion!!! This opportunity is open to ANYBODY that is interested in joining in our efforts to raise awareness and funds for the Cabrini Connections' program. Please contact EL Da' Sheon Nix or Bradley Troast for more details.

DON'T MISS ANOTHER GREAT SEASON!!!

Volunteers Step Up To Organize FUNdraisers

We have had several volunteers AND students answer the call of doing what they can to get the resources needed to keep the doors of the program open. Here are a few of many ideas and efforts that are currently in place. Please make an effort to support these events and share with those in your network

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). http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167904526575285

-Elena Lugo and Melanie Munsey

Beard 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

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

Beards For Kids! Support Cabrini Connections!

Fellow Tutor/Mentors,

Along with a few friends, I created BeardsForKids.org this week to raise money for Cabrini Connections. Check out the site: http://beardsforkids.org/ (Also, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beards-For-Kids/107547929317605

I'm wondering if any of the male tutors would be interested in participating...AND if any of the female tutors might be able to get any of their male friends to participate, as well!

The idea is to try to raise $10 per day per person up until New Years. I think this is a very modest goal and that together we can build a critical mass to really make this a success!

I've included a short email below to make it easy. Please let me know if you're in by sending me a note and a picture of you sans beard!

Thank you!

Gabriel
312.804.0228
______________________________________________________________
Here’s an email you can send to friends and family:

Dear Friends,

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 http://cabriniconnections.net , a program in Chicago that helps underserved kids finish high school with the goal of moving on to complete college and have successful careers.

The program has helped countless students during its almost 20 years of existence, and I want to make sure they’re able to continue doing the good work that they do!

Please help me reach my goal by donating here today: http://www.firstgiving.com/beardsforkids

Thank you and happy holidays!

--Gabriel Chapman

'Tis The Season & Cabrini Connections' Is The Reason

Over the past couple of weeks the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection staff have been encouraging all in the program to make an effort to share the "Cabrini Connections' Story" and their personal experience with those in their network. We have also been taking part in our annual Holiday mailer. The packages of information will be going out to many past, current, and hopefully future Cabrini Connections' supporters. Our aim is to share a little more about what all we do here at Cabrini Connections with the youth and volunteers who participate in our program, and by sharing this information we hope more and more people will be willing to support our program in various ways.

Beyond just the mailers that we are sending out to the large group, the entire staff, and hopefully students and volunteers, will personalize letters for personal use. Individually, we all have been taking some time to think of people in our own personal network that we feel would not only like to hear more about what we do, but could further support our program. Whether the support comes from just spreading the word about Cabrini Connections to people in their network, donating a dollar or two, sharing other valuable resources, or all of the above...we will be appreciative of any support that is provided.

Over the weekend I will continue putting my list together continue making an effort to reach out to people who not only have been supporting me and my career, but the people I selected to add to my list are also people who care about improving the lives of youth.

In order for this to continue we need your help in finding holiday donors. Please send this form to people you know, telling of your involvement and asking for their help. If you reach out by email, point people to our blogs, or videos, to show the work we do. Or pick up some holiday fund brochures, with art created by our teens, and mail them to friends, family, co-workers. We have these at the Cabrini Connections center at 800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642 .

In today's tough economic environment people all over are cutting back on their giving, but if everybody can just give a little, that adds up! And there are still many people in the world who have benefited greatly from having tutors, mentors, and just a variety of support networks, that have the ability give more than others. And as a result of that success, these individuals have the opportunity to GIVE BACK in a huge way, especially during the holiday season!

~Happy Holidays~

The Status of Cabrini Connections...

Last week during the tutoring/mentoring sessions we cut our regularly scheduled announcements and shared some pretty upsetting news. The staff, Volunteer Coordinators, member of the Youth Leadership Council, and Mike Hayes (veteran tutor/mentor and Board Member) took the time out to inform all that was present that the financial situation in the organization is at one of the worst places since the program started. This news was something that the staff and Board members have known and have been working towards fixing for months now, but following our November Staff Meeting, we decided that this was news that all in the program should be made aware of in hopes that everybody would be willing to rally together in an effort to obtain the necessary resources to keep the doors of Cabrini Connections' open.

In a small volunteer based non-profit program like Cabrini Connections, it is safe to say that we need everybody being willing to take ownership of the program and being willing to be advocates. With having 4 full time staff and 2 part time staff we can only do so much to get the word out, but with having nearly 80 current students and nearly 100 volunteers in the program that has the potential to reach thousands and thousands of people that may be interested in not only hearing the "Cabrini Connections' Story" but they may be willing to contribute to this story having more and more chapters.

Although we are going through some very tough times financially, I not only felt good leaving the center at the end of the sessions; as one of the leaders of the program...I felt proud of the positive response from both volunteers and students. We had a number of students and volunteers share ideas about ways in which to get the word out and we even had two Thursday night students kick off the FUNdraising Campaign by donating some cash themselves!!! There were tons of ideas thrown out and here are a few:
*Holiday Banquet

*Use the Cash for Gold service

*Phone raiser (donating used electronic devices)

*More people participating in writing grants

*Matching program from various companies

*Selling candy bars and other candy

*Various tournaments (ex. Flippy Cup)

*5K run/walk in Lincoln Park

*Talent show and Penny Jar

*Utilize various websites (Donors' Choose and Charity Navigator)

and MANY MANY more!!!

One of the basic ways in which everybody in the program can assist with getting the word out during the holidays is by using the annual Holiday Appeal letter that is located on the homepage of the website. We have made over 100 hard copies along with the request form, but we are encouraging all students, volunteers, and anybody else that is looking to assist with getting the word out, to personalize the letter by talking about your own personal experience in the program. And one of the easiest ways in which people can contribute is to donate online using this link.

Again, it is unfortunate that we had to share this news about the financial status of the program, but unless we get more and more people out being willing to share the "Cabrini Connections' Story" with those in their network in hopes that they will support...we will not be able to continue running this program that over 500 youth and over 800 volunteers have been a part of since 1993.

As the holiday season quickly approaches us there are many things to be thankful for and we believe there are many that can share stories about being thankful for being a part of the Cabrini Connections' program. Make an effort to share those stories. And many believe that "Tis the Season for Giving..." so hopefully you and others in your network will consider giving to a program that has meant so much to so many.

~Happy Holidays~

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!

The 1st Cabrini Madness Award's Presentation was a Success!

The 2010 Cabrini Madness FUNdraising officially came to an end last week with the first Awards Presentation! During the tutoring/mentoring sessions last Wednesday and Thursday, we presented a variety of awards to a few of the many people who really contributed to the overall success of the project. No, this was not the ESPYs but we had a GREAT time!!!

We are started off the presentation by acknowledging the students and volunteers who had Perfect Attendance during our 2nd Quarter of tutoring/mentoring (Jan-March). We presented each person with a certificate to show our appreciation for their commitment, dedication, and loyalty to the program, especially during the winter months.

We then presented Sean Sullivan with an award for winning the Cabrini Madness Bracket Challenge. Very similar to when people all over the world complete the March Madness bracket for either money or bragging rights, Sean was one of the few people in the program who entered the contest this year. Sean scored 37 out of a total of 40 points which earned him the title this year, and he received half of the total amount of money collected and a t-shirt from the Big Ten Network that was donated by Big Ten Network personality Tim Doyle.

The next part of the presentation was the individual and team awards that were earned as a result of all of the hard work, dedication, commitment, and program advocacy not just for Cabrini Madness, but really for the importance to the existence to the entire organization.

Category #1: Rookie of the Year

Criteria: First Year student or volunteer of the program who excelled in the Cabrini Madness tournament

Nominees: Sandra Lee, Matt Barnes/Torquil Carlisle, and Tim Minton/Jessica Newberg

Award Recipient: Tim Minton/Jessica Newberg for leading their team to 2nd place in the tourney with their very first day in the program being the day the tourney was launched

Category #2: Most Improved Team

Criteria: Teams that either got off to a slow start and/or just continued to progressively get better throughout the tourney

Nominees: TEMS, Changemakers, Give Hope

Award Recipient: TEMS team members brainstormed to very successful events (Game Night Fundraisers) that propelled their team from the bottom of the rankings to being one of the tourney elites

Category #3: 6th Man/Woman of the Year

Criteria: Person who was not either officially in the program or was not an active member in the program, but excelled in their role to contribute to Cabrini Madness

Nominees: Mike Ozmeral, Clair Armbruster, and Katie Culliard

Award Recipient: Katie Culliard, a member of the Green Team and is the girlfriend of a veteran volunteer. She successfully reached out to her network and was able to bring a significant amount of funds to her team, and the overall CC, T/MC organization

Category #4: Captain of the Year

Criteria: Provided great leadership to their individual team in Cabrini Madness

Nominees: Toni Pullen, Ayana Martin, and Jessica Newberg

Award Recipient: Ayana Martin, of Give Hope was one of the few student captains and she led her team to the Final Four spearheaded some very successful fundraising ideas for her team.

Category #5: Most Valuable Event

Criteria: The fundraising event that created the most team work, advocacy, and overall support and success

Nominees: The Lebrons, Give Hope, The Awesomes

Award Recipient: The Awesomes, held an event at the Green Heart Shop in February that not only brought in nearly $700, but the students of the event put together their own promo commercial.

Category #6: Most Valuable Player

Criteria: Person who excelled above the rest in their ability to successfully advocate for the program and obtain great results.

Nominees: Tim Minton, Charles Hill/Sean Mayfield, and Carolyn Grunst

Award Recipient: Carolyn Grunst, of the Guaranteed Victory team brought in nearly $3,000 on her own and was able to obtain a $2,500 from an individual donor that propelled the team to a tourney VICTORY!!!

And we ended the night by providing the members of the Championship with their plaques!!! The members of Guaranteed Victory brought in over $6000 in less than 2 months and are crowned as the CHAMPIONS of the 2010 Cabrini Madness FUNdraising Tournament!!!