Cabrini Connections on Channel 2 News

On Monday evening, Channel 2 News did a story about Cabrini Connections. You can see it on their web site.

The story focuses mostly on the Cabrini Connections side of our work, connecting youth and volunteers with each other, and extra learning and enrichment opportunities, such as arts, video and technology.

Tonight and tomorrow night we're hosting volunteer orientations. Student orientations will be Thursday and Friday. We hope everyone will attend.

Not much was told about the second part of our mission, which is helping programs like this be available to kids in all poverty neighborhoods. That's the role the Tutor/Mentor Connection takes.

The story was filmed a week ago, on 8/30/09, and the message "we're broke" was accurate at that time. We were only able to pay half of the weekly payroll because of lack of cash. However, last Friday, 9/4, we received a $35,000 grant from HSBC North America.

As we start this week, we're not as bad off as we were a week ago, but the main message of this story, and of blog articles I've written in the past few weeks is still true.

Unless we find one or two major benefactors, who will make a multiple year commitment to helping us continue Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, we may not be here in the future.

At the same time, we need to keep the donors who have helped us since 1993 and who are still sending contributions of $25 to $500 to help us. We thank all of you who sent in contributions last week. Please continue to reach out to people you know and ask them to help.

It does take a village to raise our kids. With your help, the Cabrini Connections village wills still be in place throughout the coming year, and in many future years.

Illini vs NU Challenge

For many this time of the year is like Christmas. The kids are heading back to school, the NFL regular season is about to kick off, and the college football season is about to kick off as well. Whether you are fan of an underdog such as the UNLV Rebels, a front runner fan of a team like the Florida Gators...you love this time of the year!

I am a former Northwestern University football player whose career was cut short with a knee injury. But life didn't stop there. I continued to hit the books, because I was a student before I was an athlete, and graduated in 2004 with a BS in Education and Social Policy(major was Human Development and Psychological Services). Now I am the Administrative Coordinator of the Cabrini Connections' tutoring/mentoring program working towards putting youth in a position to be future alumni of the college or university of their choice.

While I am an NU alum and the Administrative Coordinator, former U of I star QB, Kurt Kittner is a board member of the organization. We both are not only huge football fans and supporters of our Alma maters, we both believe in the power of the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection organization. We believe in the program so much and both are extremely competitive from our playing days, that we have come up with a FUNdraising competition.

The Illini vs NU Challenge is a fundraising competition where I am looking for Wildcat fanatics to submit donations to this site leading up to the BIG game between the Wildcats and the Fighting Illini on Nov. 14th, and Kurt Kittner is doing the same with his Fighting Illini faithfuls. This is not just a friendly competition between two former football players, but an opportunity for football fans and fans of tutoring/mentoring to make a HUGE difference in the lives of the youth who participate in our program.

So whether you bleed purple for the Wildcats, you are and orange and blue fanatic for the Fighting Illini, you think this is a unique and fun idea, or you truly believe in what we are trying to do with the Cabrini Connections' program...please do 3 things:

1. Take a look at these sites

(NU) vs. (Illini)

2. Support one and/or both sides

3. Share with those in your network so they can do the same

I set a goal of $10,000 for the NU side leading up to the game and Kurt has done the same. Hopefully NU will not only get a win on the field and in this FUNdraising competition, but I do hope that Kurt and I reach our goals and maybe even go well beyond the $20, 000 total.

We thank you for any and all support!!

GO CATS!!!

go fighting illini(smile)

A 4th Quarter Hail Mary...

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for the delay in the Sport's Concepts' post. Due to other pressing issues, I had to put this post on the back burner. But here is the latest article to the series and hopefully be the most talked about.

Throughout the history of the NFL there have been some truly memorable plays that not only changed the outcome of that game, but also changed the game of football forever. Usually these type of unbelievable plays come in the form of a sack to seal the win, an interception return for a touchdown as the clock expires, a kickoff return for 90 yards to take the lead by one. These are the plays the leave us all in awe and are the type of plays that are forever embedded in our memories.

But there is another type of play that nearly every team in the history of the NFL has in there arsenal to use when the situation calls for it. When the team is down 6 points in the 4th quarter, they are 75 yards away from the end zone, and there only 7 seconds left...yes, you guessed it, its the Hail Mary! This is the type of play that every coach hates to have to use, and that is simply because if the team is forced to use this play its because they need it as a desperation play to try to steal a win.

NFL QB greats such as Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and probably the best to ever do it, John Elway were masters of rallying their team to 4th quarter victories and perfecting the Hail Mary play.

The Cabrini Connections' program has been forced to call a Hail Mary. Due to the economic climate and financial shortage in the program, we got the call from the coach's box to run the Hail Mary to win this game. It's the 4th quarter 3 seconds to go, and we are down by thousands of dollars, and if this play is not ran to perfection then the game could be over. Similar to the NFL the stakes are very high when it comes to wins and losses, but I have a feeling that the stakes are even higher in this game that we are currently playing.

If we don't connect on this Hail Mary then the game that we will be losing is a program that means so much to so many people; volunteers, students, staff, alumni, and all other supporters of the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connections' organization. It's a fact that many lives can and will be affected if this play is not successful.

Instead of crossing your fingers, saying a prayer, and wearing your lucky hat to ensure a 4th quarter comeback, we are asking you all to submit a donation you are comfortable with, tell any and all of those who could also be boosters or fans to do the same, and visualize YOU being that next star player who catches that Hail Mary pass that not only wins the game but creates one of those memorable sports' moments for our program's.