Cabrini Connections' Monthly Mixers!!!

All throughout the year the Cabrini Connections' staff is always looking for ways to better the quality of the program and to continue doing the things that are going well. One of the items we wanted to address is the community factor in the program. Annually we have nearly 100 active volunteers that are in the center on a weekly basis. Around 80 are mentors and the remaining 20 are Volunteer Coordinators, Club Coordinators, and College Zone Coordinators, but the nearly 100(+) volunteers come in different nights and the mentors are usually working with their individual student when they are here for the sessions.

Bradley and I wanted to find opportunities for our volunteers to get to know one another, share ideas and tips about tutoring/mentoring and more, and really just find a way to enhance a one on one tutoring/mentoring program set up with by strengthening the community feel. Over the summer we put the idea in writing and during out summer meetings with volunteers we shared the idea and several volunteers took on the role of a Monthly Mixer Committee member!

Monthly Mixers are simple; each month the Monthly Mixer Committee picks a bar, club, or lounge and encourages all volunteers, staff, board members, and friends of the program to come out and have a good time on the set day and time. Since the intention is really just for people to come out and have a good time, they try to pick places where it is free entry and only incorporates a fundraising component if offered by the venue. As a small non-profit, volunteer based program we are always looking for funding throughout the year, and with the Mixers we wanted to just have fun and not use these events as fundraisers.

The original committee members are 2nd year volunteer Matt Golden, veteran volunteer Melissa Iwami, veteran volunteer Autumn Sharp, and 1st year volunteer Jennifer O'Rourke. Currently Matt Golden and Melissa Iwami are leading the Mixers and gearing up for the January Monthly Mixer. This month we will be heading to Casey Morans on this Friday to have some fun, and thanks to veteran volunteer Shannyn Nellet that works at Casey Morans there will be some great food and drink packages for all guests of Cabrini Connections. If YOU are free this Friday and want to network and get to know more about Cabrini Connections' and the MANY people that make the program a success, make an effort to attend this Mixer and/or others in the future!

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!!!

Alumni News

LaShaun Crosby (with the orange shirt) sent me this message on Facebook.

I already received a Master degree in Education back in 08 and I will be graduating with my second Masters in June of this year. I will be receiving a Masters of Arts in Teaching and Learning. Also this summer I hope to begin drafting a mini book that will be composed of motivational, academic planning and esteem building activities that will be used to guide students in the city..Also it will contain a mini bio of my life growing up in Cabrini and how Ive grown into the person I am today...I hope to get it published one day and distributed to multiple schools throughout the city..Im in here Chicago.

All three of the students in this photo were part of Cabrini Connections in the mid 1990s and all have college degrees. LaShaun and Marquita Hall have graduate degrees.

We hope to help other students achieve this success in the future. If you're one of our alumni, please get in touch and tell us your story.