Illini vs NU FUNdraising Challenge!!! GAME WEEK!

For the past couple of months the Cabrini Connections’ program has been promoting the Illini vs NU FUNdraising Challenge leading up to the BIG GAME between Northwestern University and the University of Illinois on the football field. And all of the promotions has led us up to game week this week. So as the teams prepare for a great game on the field we are looking for some big fundraising plays off the field.

Currently ILLINOIS is winning.

As of 11/10/09, the Illinois score is $1,000 with $260 in new donations made today!

The Northwestern core is $925. However, the donations from Matt "Chest" Ulrich and the Charity Hill Challenge, are expected to add over $6,500 to the NU fund raising score.

The Illinois team has been working hard to cut costs and stretch dollars at Cabrini Connections. In September Kurt and Steve Miller, both Illinois alumni, were able to get the monthly rent cut in half, meaning a savings of $10,000 to Cabrini Connections, T/MC.

However, that's not cash, or donations from alumni. The big game is Saturday! If you're a fan of either school, or of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, please encourage donations to your favorite team.

Wildcat Fans Go Here: http://www.giveforward.org/illinivsnuchallenge/

Fighting Illini Fans Go Here: http://www.giveforward.org/illinialumsgive/

We're still raising money for our mapping project and there are seven tickets available for the Nov. 22 Wine Tasting event. See more ways to give at http://www.giveforward.org/cabrinitmc or on the Cabrini Connections donations page.

Turn Bad News into Good News

In my blog today I posted a link to a letter to the editor, titled "Their Blood is on Our Hands" - Rev. Meeks, written by Rev. James Meeks, pastor of Salem Baptist Church, and an Illinois State Senator. This is a powerful call to action.

Each week at Cabrini Connections we have volunteers connecting with inner city kids, with the goal that our kids stay in school and move to jobs and careers, with our help, and don't end up as the subject of one of these bad news stories.

We can't do this without help from donors. We've had many people step forward, but we're far short of our annual budget, and the money we will need next year to keep providing our services.

There are many ways to give and we describe them here.

One campaign that's going on right now is a competition to see if alumni and friends of Northwestern can raise more money for Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection than can alumni and friends of Illinois.

As of 11/5, NU has$925 points (dollars) raised.

You can donate to the NU team at http://www.giveforward.org/illinivsnuchallenge/

As of 11/5, Illinois has $740 points (dollars). Help the Illinois team at http://www.giveforward.org/illinialumsgive/



You can also sign up to attend the Holiday Wine-Tasting Fundraiser from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Cellar Rat, 1811 W. North Ave. Even if you can't attend, you might make a Thanksgiving donation to this event and start celebrating your holidays early. See more at http://www.giveforward.org/ccwinetasting/

We started putting events on the GiveForward site in late August, and already we've raised over $61,000. This site enables anyone to launch a fund raising campaign, celebrating a birthday, a holiday, a run in a marathon, etc.

We hope more and more of our volunteers, and friends, will do this, helping us build a much larger network of support to keep kids headed toward a positive future instead of a newspaper headline.

Soldier Field Charity Hill event - thanks to all!

A great group of people ran up and down a sledding hill near Soldier Field on Sunday to get some great exercise, and raise money for Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection.

Julie and Scot Hamilton brought some friends and went up and down that hill at least 30 times each. Julie has been a volunteer, board member, fund raiser, and even a staff member, in the 13 years since she first became involved while a graduate student at Northern Illinois University.

Brandy Kimminau, a second year volunteer, also ran the hill. My son Jacob, age 12, went up a few times. I watched and cheered. This shows that there are many ways to support Cabrini Connections.

The event was organized by Matt Ulrich, and the TWR Organization (Train with Ron Personal Trainers). Most of the runners were people who train with Ron. We hope we've raised some needed money and we hope a few of these people will begin a journey of involvement, just as Julie, Scot, Brandy and Jacob have.

These journeys can last many years, and lead to many new experiences and relationships that enrich the lives of youth, and the adults who become involved as volunteers.

Thank you all for giving your time, energy and dollars.

If you'd like to support on-going events, go to the Cabrini Connections donor page, or GiveForward.org page.

Doing Good is Good for Business

This is a report published this year that shows how consumers value businesses who have social benefit strategies. The message is "good citizenship creates trust".

I encourage every volunteer and leaders who supports Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, to read this, and share it with people you work with, went to college with, or who are leaders of local and national corporations.

This provides reasons why businesses should be strategically involved in supporting our work, instead of responding with small grants when they have the interest, or the money, or when we fit their funding guidelines.

When we have this involvement we no longer focus on the money to do the work, but the good work we can do with the resources that are being provided.

Charity Hill Challenge, This Sunday, 10/25

Former Indianapolis Colt Looks to Support Cabrini Connections!!!

What: A charity workout! TWR will host our second “Hill Challenge”. The “Hill Challenge” consists of walking or running up and down a sledding hill as many times as you can in one hour. There will be a minimum $25 dollar donation fee. You are also encouraged to find sponsors to raise additional money. We suggest passing along this info to family/friends/businesses, etc. They can sponsor you per hill or give a flat donation.

Why: Proceeds and pledges will be donated to Cabrini Connections: an after school program dedicated to helping underprivileged youth become extraordinary adults (All proceeds are tax deductible).

When: Sunday October 25, 2009 at 9:30a.m-11a.m.

Where: The sledding hill behind the Southeast end zone of Soldier Field.

Who: TWR clients and any friends, family members, peers, or colleagues who would like to get together for a great workout and raise money for a great cause!!!

Details: Minimum donation of $25 dollars will allow you entry to Soldier Field Hill Challenge plus you will receive a complimentary t-shirt!!! The winner of most donations will receive one Train with Ron personal training session!

Directions: The location of the hill is at the intersection of Museum Campus & Waldron Drive, Chicago, IL 60605. It is just southeast of Soldier Field by a few hundred yards.

As many of you may know from last year, street parking is not the best option. We advise you to either take public transportation, a cab, or use the parking garage.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Visit www.transitchicago.com for public transportation directions. Use Museum Campus Drive & Waldron Drive as your end location.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: If you are planning on carpooling or driving yourself; exit 18th street from Lake Shore Drive, follow the sign that says “North Garage Field/Shedd Parking”. There’s no stop sign when you turn left into the parking garage. Waldron is your second and LAST stop sign before you turn left into the parking garage. The parking lot is basically under the north end zone of Soldier Field and costs $14.00.

TO GET DIRECTIONS VIA GOOGLE MAPS: Visit www.googlemaps.com; use Museum Campus Dr & E Waldron Dr, Chicago, IL 60605 as your destination.

After the hill run please feel free to join us at Murphy’s Bleachers in Wrigleyville: 3653 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60613-4303, (773) 929-7061. We have tables reserved and drink specials will be available.


If you have any questions please email or call!

Matt Ulrich
Director of Operations
Train with Ron
847.571.2069

This is just one way to help raise money for Cabrini Connections.

Check out the Illinois vs Northwestern Fund Raising Challenge. Before the big game in November, which group of alumni can donate the most money to Cabrini Connections. Can they win the game on the field, and in the donation competition?

Donate to Northwestern Team. Current score $755.

Donate to the Illinois team. Current score $450

Thank you all for your help in making Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor a reality for inner city youth.

$10 Donation, 10 Invitations - America's Giving Challenge Challenge

Last Sunday Parade Magazine announced the 2009 America's Giving Challenge, in which non profits who recruit the most donors, people giving $10 or more, can win a grand prize of $50,000, or daily prizes of $1000.

This money would be a big help at Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, so we're inviting all of our friends, volunteers, former students, peers, etc. to help us win.

Our strategy is to encourage $10 donations, and 10 people recruiting. Thus if 100 people each recruit 10 more, and they recruit 10 more, they each are raising $100, and increasing the chances that we win.

Our second challenge, is to encourage donations to be made on FRIDAYS only. Thus, tomorrow, and next Friday, and the Friday after that, if we concentrate our donating, we have a better chance to win the daily prizes, even if we can't win the overall grant prize.

Here's our Facebook Page where you can make your donation.

More Ways to Support a GREAT Cause

Again, a special thanks goes out to all that supported the Martini Madness event in one way or another!!! Events like that are not only fun for all that attend, but it provides an opportunity share the "Cabrini Connections' story" with more and more people that can lead to more fans, supporters, and donors.

The mission to continue looking for the necessary resources to make this organization work is not done by a longshot. There are more and more fundraising opportunities for you and others in your network to support. Some ideas may catch your interest and some may not, but knowing and understanding that the big picture is supporting tutoring and mentoring for youth and entire communities that can and will benefit from your support.

On October 25th former NU and Indianapolis Colts lineman, Matt Ulrich, is hosting the 2nd Annual TWR Soldier Field Charity Hill Run to raise funds for the organization. Last year, this event took in nearly $8,000 and they are looking to bring an even larger amount for 2009.

At the beginning of the college football season, Kurt Kittner and I launched the Illini vs. NU Fundraising challenge. Both former college football players, who are directly involved with the Cabrini Connections, T/MC organization, we decided to turn our competitive nature into competing in fundraising. While Kurt is looking to get fellow Illini alums to support the program, I am reaching out to my fellow Wildcat alums to do the same. We will continue this challenge until the BIG game on Nov. 14th. Currently we are leading the challenge $755 to $350 after to big donations by former NU basketball player Jason Burke and football star Billy Silva.

On Halloween Day current Cabrini Connections' student Melissa Young is hosting her very own Halloween Bake Sale. She is looking for people to assist her in donating items for sale, to help out with running the event, AND FOR ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WITH A SWEET TOOTH TO COME OUT AND PURCHASE SOME TREATS!!!

Beginning this week Art Club Coordinator Jackie Shay will be launching a Phoneraiser that will last throughout the year. And we are looking for everybody to turn in old cell phones, ink cartridges, iPods, digital cameras an video cameras to the Cabrini Connections' staff. So instead of letting these items pile in your closets, you can donate them to the program and assist in raising funds for the organization.

Another veteran volunteer to the program Sarah Randag, has teamed up with the owner of the Cellar Rat Wine Shop to host a wine-tasting event on Sunday November 22nd. This event will take place at the Cellar Rat Wine Shop from 5:30-7:30, cost is $25 per person, is open to the first 35 people who pay, has a theme of "Wines That Go Well with Turkey," and all proceeds will go to our program!!! If this sounds like an event that you are interested in you can RSVP today!!!

As you can see there is a lot going on in and around the organization, and that is great news. Goes to show that people are really looking to keep the up and running, and more importantly people are thinking about how important this program is to the youth, volunteers, parents, staff, and alumni that has been touched by this program in one way or another.

We THANK YOU ALL for your support!