"I Present to You...the 2011 Cabrini Connections' Year End Dinner"

Last evening the Cabrini Connections' program capped off the 2010-2011 tutoring/mentoring year with our Annual Year End Dinner. This was truly a remarkable event filled with speeches, performances, awards, great food, nearly 250 attendees, and a special tribute to our 2011 Cabrini Connections’ graduating class! This graduating class is truly unique in the fact that:

* 4 out of 5 seniors have been in the Cabrini Connections’ program for six years!

* Those same 4 seniors were also members of the Cabrini Green Tutoring Program and upon graduating from that program in the 6th grade they continued on with our program.

* 1 of the mentor/mentee pairs have been working together since the start of the student’s 7th grade year. Meaning they have been a mentor/mentee pair for six years!

*Lastly, ALL 5 seniors will be enrolled in a college or university in the Fall of 2011!!!
-Kanah Bradley (Southern Illinois University)
-Cierria Tharpe (Illinois Institute of Art)
-Victoria Rivera (Western Illinois University)
-Whitney Hemphill (Chicago State University or Robert Morris University)
-Imann Mitchell (Robert Morris University)

Check out this video of the seniors receiving their Graduation Dollars and yearbooks!

Class of 2011 from Cabrini Connections on Vimeo.

We are not only very proud of our 2011 graduating class, but we are proud of our entire Cabrini Connections program! The Cabrini Connections' staff would like to thank everybody that came out to help us celebrate another chapter to the "Cabrini Connections' Story" and we definitely would like to thank all of the students, volunteers, parents, and donors that all played a part in putting this event together. We are thankful and appreciative for your support of the Cabrini Connections' program.

The room was electric last night and hopefully everybody still has that feel good feeling right now! Hopefully EVERYBODY will take those positive feelings one step further and share with those in your network the impact that this program has on the lives of so many people. Tell them all about the RECORD BREAKING, AWARD WINNING, the ONE and ONLY Cabrini Connections' program!!! We are hopeful that they too will want to support the program as volunteers advocates, and/or a donors!!!

Kanah Bradley Makes Her Selection!!!

As we get closer and closer to the end of the school year, we also get closer to saying good bye to our 2011 graduating class. Just recently one of our seniors made her decision on where she will be heading to continue her education. Von Stueben High School senior, Kanah Bradley, who has been in the Cabrini Connections' program since March of 2009 has made the decision to attend Southern Illinois University this fall! Kanah was researching several colleges and universities, and has decided that Southern Illinois University would be the perfect fit for her to pursue her dreams of a career in medicine.

Kanah and her mentor Autumn Sharp have been working together for nearly two years here in the program, and they also spend time outside of the program as well. Autumn said this about her student's recent decision to attend SIU, "I am excited to see Kanah graduate and move on to SIU. I think she will do extremely well and we'll see her accomplishing her goal of being a doctor."

We are not only proud of Kanah and excited about this next step in her life, we are thankful of both Kanah and Autumn sharing their time, experiences, and commitment to the Cabrini Connections' program. We are looking to create more and more life changing stories and experiences like this one, and we are going to need more and more support from others to help us create these stories. If we can get consistent financial support and resources, we will then be able to keep the center open, filled with a strong leadership of staff and coordinators, that will lead dedicated and committed students and volunteers grow in the program...and THAT will lead to more and more SUCCESS stories like that of Kanah Bradley!

They Brought Their "A" Essays!!!

We officially wrapped up our Black History Month festivities in our last two sessions of the month of February on a very high note. After weeks of promoting the "Bring Your A Essay" contest for Black History Month, we were honored to announce the names of the students that received the Runner Up Prize and the Grand Prizes.

The essays that we received were very well done and definitely reflected that the students not only were focused during the documentary, but it also showed how the documentary directly affected them and those around them. And that is exactly what we were looking for in this essay, we were looking for students to observe the "Bring Your A Game" documentary and reflect on the film and how it relates to the their life.

During our Wednesday Night session we had the pleasure to present freshman student, Arden Harris, with the Grand Prize of $50 and she was also presented with an additional special prize. Wednesday Night mentors Matt and Barbara Barnes donated 2 televisions the previous week, and Arden was able to take her pick out of which tv she would like to take home as well! Before receiving her prizes, Arden shared with the group a little about her essay and said, "be sure to get your education because no matter what you want to do in life you will need an education." And that statement holds true to not only the students that were present, but the adults in the room understand her point as well.

On Thursday Night we were able to provide a runner up prize as well. Wells High School, Whitney Hemphill, received recognition and the runner up prize of the 2nd donated tv. Whitney's essay was well done also and displayed how important her education is to putting her in a position to obtain the career she is looking for and providing for her own family.

We congratulate all of the students that entered the contest this year and encourage all of the Cabrini Connections' students to take advantage of opportunities like these. Not only are there usually prizes attached to these contests, but they also provide other valuable lessons that can be utilized in and outside of the program.

Arden Harris' "A" Essay:

Many young African Americans grow up doing things they see others do. They grow up thinking that it is ok to stand on street corners all day and not want to do anything or be anything in life. According to the film Bring Your A Game, what most young people do not see is that in order to become a famous rapper, an NBA basketball player, or a politician, you have to get an education. The young African Americans who do not want to do anything in life are the same ones who taunt others who try their best in school, so that they can get ahead. What many young people do not realize is that a good work ethic and a good education will help them in the future but they have to do the rest.

No matter what profession young people choose it’s important that they stay in school. However, Bring Your A Game shows that 25% of Caucasians, 30% of Asians, and 50% of African Americans drop out of high school each year. To many young African Americans it is cool to get bad grades, act defiantly, and get into trouble. Those same young people aspire to become NBA basketball players or even rappers; what they do not realize is that education is important for success. In the movie people from different professions like rappers, authors, and mayors come together and show that no matter what they wanted to become, education came first.

Putting education first is not always easy. These young people cannot do it alone; they need guidance from people who are willing to help them achieve their short-term, as well as their lifetime goals. Young people need to learn that in order to get ahead that may have to make many sacrifices, but in the end it will be worth it. Instead of going to the biggest party of the year, they may have to be at home studying for that big physics test because that is going to get them to places that they want to be in life, but that party won’t. As a community, everyone needs to step up to help young African Americans because, just like a ripple effect, every action that a person in the community makes affects someone else around them. In the words of Robert Francis Kennedy, “It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”

By: Arden Harris

Black History Month at Cabrini Connections

Each year in the Cabrini Connections' program we come up with some type of Black History Month project/contest that looks to bring out and/or enhance the skill set of our youth. We provide projects that cause the students to do research, work on their writing skills, test their creativity, and assist them with their public speaking skills. We feel that these skills can and will be helpful not just for the Black History Month project here at Cabrini Connections, but in everyday life in the present and in the future.

This year the project comes from a short documentary that Cabrini Connections' staff members EL Da' Sheon Nix and Bradley Troast observed last year, and we have been brainstorming ways in which we could incorporate the documentary into the Cabrini Connections' program. 'The Twenty-First Century Foundation (21CF) has partnered with actor–director Mario Van Peebles and producer Karen Williams to create BRING YOUR A GAME. The film that will use screenings accompanied by community discussions as a catalyst to transform the lives of urban youth. Using a cinematic style influenced by popular culture and employing innovative technologies, the film details strategies that have improved the lives of Black men and boys. It underscores how essential educational achievement and high school graduation are to survival and success in today’s world.'

Not only is the documentary a powerful tool that many people, both old and young, could use, but the documentary is an audio and visual example of what we try to demonstrate on a weekly basis here at Cabrini Connections. We want all of our youth to understand the pros and cons of the decisions they make, to take advantage of any and all resources made available to them, to network, and to continue to strive for all of the many goals they set even through adverse conditions.

With that being said, we used the documentary as our inspiration for the 2011 Black History Month Project here at Cabrini Connections. The project is titled "Bring Your A Essay." The students will have to first view the documentary and then take the time out to complete a one-page reflective essay. The students have the opportunity to use the documentary to reflect on their life in general, the life of someone they know, or how the documentary compares to the society as a whole. The essays will be due before the last sessions of the month, and we will take time out the very last sessions of the month to allow the participating students to showcase their essay. We will also reward the student that has the winning essay with a $50 cash prize.

The value of the students participating in this project is much more than a cash prize of $50. This project will create an opportunity for the students to observe a great documentary that they can and will hopefully share with others, will provide an opportunity to enhance their writing skills and public speaking skills, and will simply be more information they can use in their everyday lives.

In 2009 Whitney Hemphill, now a senior in the program, took home first place in the Black History Month Project contest by putting together an amazing powerpoint presentation that was directed toward President Barack Obama and his Administration. The project called for students to find creative ways to communicate to President Obama about their lives and the changes they hoped that he could provide in their lives, schools, homes, and community.

Cabrini Connections - the past Decade

Below is a chart showing Cabrini Connections students who participated until their senior year and graduated each year since 1997.

This is one of several charts that Dan Bassill, President of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, posted on the Tutor/Mentor Blog.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to keep an organization like Cabrini Connections in business for so many years, or what the strategy is to connect our teens and volunteers?

We posted many of the organizational planning documents on wikis more than 3 years ago with the goal that a growing number of students, volunteers, staff and donors would read them, and begin to share in the effort of shaping the direction and success of the organization.

For us to be a true "learning organization" and share these habits with our teens, we need to find time to look at this information, reflect on it, and share it with friends, family and potential investors.

This 4-part strategy illustrates how the information we collect and share can be used to help Cabrini Connections and its students, and can be used by anyone else to help young people in other parts of Chicago.

Have a safe and happy holiday. I hope you enjoy reading this material.

Fun Night at Dave & Busters!

Last night we were able to treat some of our upperclassmen to a pretty nice experience at Dave and Busters. Each year during the 3rd and final quarter of the tutoring/mentoring year (after spring break-end of the year) we reward our students who have 75% or better attendance to the program with some type of trip or prize during the summer months. Over the past several years we have been hosting the "GREAT AMERICAn Experience" where we provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner for our students along with a fun-filled day to Six Flags Great America.

This year we decided to switch things up, based on our financial status and because of different suggestions from our students. And we came up with two different incentives for our students who demonstrated outstanding attendance. Last night we took our 10-12th grade students to Dave and Busters and we had a GREAT night! We had a total of 9 upperclassmen who earned the trip, but only 4 were able to attend. The students that attended were De'Sean Hale (2010 graduate), Brittany Delaney (2010 graduate), Victoria Rivera (senior), and Melissa Young (junior).

We started the night with dinner and it was a great opportunity for all of the students to get to know each other and share their experiences inside and outside of the program. We have around 75-80 students in our program each year and they are coming from 30 different schools, so all of our students in the program may or may not be familiar with each other. We talked about the program, college (2 students are heading off to college soon), we talked about favorite tv shows, and just had a good time during dinner. Then the real fun started!!! We all were equipped with our game cards and entered the game room ready to play games, have fun, and of course...win tickets!

So just spent time playing the games, challenging each other, laughing, and having a good time celebrating the accomplishment of the students. One of the many highlights of the night was when Brittany hit the jackpot on one of the games, the lights and sirens went off, and she won 500 tickets!!! The students were able to cash in their tickets at the end of the night and get gifts, games, prizes, and candy that they 'SAID' they would share with siblings and parents...we'll see about that one (smile).

Overall it was a GREAT experience of not only having fun and celebrating their attendance accomplishment, but it was also another opportunity for us as staff to interact and engage the students. It was also a bonding opportunity amongst the students. Hopefully they will continue to show their dedication and commitment inside and outside of the program, but also I hope that they will share their experiences and continue to role model positive actions so that others will follow their example.

Year End Dinner. A Great Celebration

Here's the first video showing students, volunteers, parents, alumni and leaders who participated in the June 10,2010 Cabrini Connections year end dinner.


Find more videos like this on Tutor/Mentor Connection


Watch for more updates. Please visit http://www.cabriniconnections.net/donate and find a way to help us continue this work.

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 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.

Graduation Awards for Cabrini Connections Seniors

One of the many great resources that Cabrini Connections’ provides the students that participate in the program is an ability to earn points and graduation dollars for every student who enters AND completes the program.

The amount a student earns is based on an accumulation of the points that the students earn while participating in the program. Students earn points for attendance, special projects, completed Weekly Reflection sheets, submitting report cards etc…

As seniors, the points students earn are converted to dollars which are awarded at the Annual Year End Dinner. At this time the conversion rate is ten cents per point. That can grow if we can find donors who will sponsor the Point Bank with an endowment.

Currently we have 5 seniors whom we expect to graduate in June. If these seniors can continue to actively participate in the weekly Wednesday or Thursday tutor/mentor sessions during the 3^rd quarter (April through May 2009) they will receive their respective graduation awards at the Year End Dinner on June 4^th.

Students who have been part of Cabrini Connections since 7th grade, have earned quite a few points, so the pay out at graduation can be $500 or more. We're exploring ways to deposit this money directly in a bank account, and to have the bank add additional dollars. We'll have more details on this later.

If you have questions about the Graduation Awards and/or Point Bank, contact El Da'Sheon Nix. If you'd like to make a donation to support Cabrini Connections, use this form.