"I AM ORLANDO CEASAR..."

"Good evening? How are you all doing today," (in the voice of a 7 year old)? "I AM ORLANDO CEASAR!" (in the voice that could be compared to the roar of a lion. This week the Cabrini Connections' program was honored to have Motivational Speaker, Orlando Ceasar, come in to share a little of his history and his life story, but a lot of how the students, volunteers, and staff can reach their many goals in life.

Orlando Ceasar was born and raised on the West Side of Chicago and said that his mother was on the "11 by 30 plan" saying that his mother and father had 11 children by the age of 30. Mr. Ceasar did an amazing job of talking about his youth and the ways in which he used his mind, the values he learned, poetry, and determination to assist him with becoming a very successful man.

One of the activities that he used during his presentation was a decision making tool that ANYBODY can use by using the word KNOW. He asked the group to come up with words that can be produced by using the 4 letters of the word KNOW. A few of the many were the words: won, ok, on, ko, now, ow and several others. Then students shouted out some of the decisions that they will have to make in life. Some students said, picking a college, picking a career, who to date, where will they live when they get older etc... Mr. Ceasar took the words from the word KNOW and explained how these words can be used for all of the Cabrini Connections youth and anybody else that have a decision to make.

He asked how much do you KNOW about the decision you have to make? What are the pros and cons of your decision. Who do you know that is in the career you want to be in, at the college that you want to attend, or how much do you know about the girl or guy that you like. Then asked what does it look like when you WON? He encouraged the group to envision success! He told the students they have to be ON at all times, and said that "when you are ON at all times there will be people there for you, doors will be open, and good things will happen because you are ON." He asked the group what are you doing NOW to reach the goals that you have in life, "You can't say you want to be a doctor in the future, if you are not willing to take the proper steps now to reach that goal." Another word he used was the word NO. He told the group that at some point in your life you are going to have to tell your friends, your family, and even yourself NO in order to reach your goals. Lastly he told the students that life can K.O. you if you are not prepared, so make sure to take advantage of resources and prepare for life.

The entire Cabrini Connections' program would like to thank Mr. Orlando Ceasar for taking out time out of his busy week, driving a couple of hours in traffic and bad weather, and volunteering his time to share some knowledge, insight, and helpful tips so that not just the students of the program but for the entire audience can be successful in life!

Benefit Event for Cabrini Connections.

The Red Shoes Review, UIC's Undergraduate literary journal, invites you to attend its first-ever silent auction. The event will showcase local works of art both students and artists in the larger community. The night will also feature musical and spoken-word performances. All proceeds from the night will benefit Cabrini Connections, a local mentoring organization that promotes higher education and creativity to inner-city youth. Students from Cabrini Connections will attend as special guests of the night. This is a great opportunity to meet and network with other. So we hope you join us for a night of great artwork, performances, and free snacks!

This event is being presented by Namrata Shah and Jessica Grant. These young ladies visited the program last year and helped students, volunteers, and staff in various ways. They have put this event together and decided to "give back" to the program from the positive experience they had while being here at Cabrini Connections. And everyone knows that "Once in Cabrini Connections...Always in Cabrini Connections!" For more information, or to make a donation of artwork for the silent auction, contact us at uic.redshoes@gmail.com

This event will take place on Tuesday November 16th from 4-8pm on the UIC campus. Official building location will be in Room 121 of the Burnham Hall building located on the East Campus of UIC (near the Morgan and Taylor St intersection).

Prospective students that will be showcasing their talent at this event will be Cabrini Connections' senior Victoria Rivera (Lincoln Park High School), junior Marquita Fisher, and new sophomore student, Dominique "Di Di" Curtis. Both student attend the Global Citizenship Experience. Hopefully you will make an effort to attend and show your support...and bring a friend or two!!!

Cabrini Connections' was Buzzing on a Monday Night

Most people who know about Cabrini Connections, know that the tutoring/mentoring sessions take place on Wednesday and Thursday from 6-8pm. But there is so much more taking place throughout the week that may go unnoticed. On Monday and Tuesday evenings we host several Enrichment Clubs and we also provide the opportunity for mentor/mentee pairs meet due to changes in their normal schedule.

On Mondays we offer an Art Club and a Video and Filmmaker's Club from 5:30-7pm, on Tuesday we offer a Tech Club from 6-7pm, and on Wednesday before the actual session we offer a Writing Club from 5-6pm. All of our clubs have dedicated and committed volunteer (and staff) leaders that teach the youth a variety of skills that could lead to current jobs/intern opportunities, and maybe even a future career.

Last night we had a lot of activity in the center with the clubs working hard, but we also had several Wednesday and Thursday night pairs working hard on a variety of academic and career based work. There were nearly 30 people present last night all working in various ways towards similar goals. And of the goals that was and is usually always universal here in the program, and that is the goals of learning something new, learning positive habits, and expanding your network.

We are an academic based program in the sense that each student should be bringing work each and every week to the program. But we are more of a program that looks to build and enhance the soft skills and positive habits to that any student that joins are program are prepared with the skill necessary pursue any career in the future.

But whether its a buzzing Monday night, quieter Tuesday night, or a packed house on Wednesday and Thursday nights....none of this can be made possible without the necessary resources. So instead of considering making a donation, consider making an investment. Invest in the future of our students today, who can and will be the leaders of tomorrow!

PS: PLEASE...if you read this article please post a comment or just let me know we have people actually reading these blog posts. Thanks SO MUCH!