Today I am out of the office attending a speaker training seminar for Community Shares of Illinois. Tutor/Mentor Connection is a part of Community Shares of Illinois, which organizes workplace fund raising campaigns in businesses, schools, universities and government offices.

Tutor/Mentor Connection is the sister organization to Cabrini Connections, founded in 1994 as a resource for other tutor/mentor programs around the city. To date, our staff has diligently added approximately 400 plus organizations across the city that we want you to be able to access should our tutor/mentor program (Cabrini Connections) not be what you're looking for because we a. cater to 7-12th grade students only, b. isn't feasible to get to because you live farther than normal commute or other reasons.

If you're interested in volunteering in an area that is not the northeast side of the city, or near downtown, like we are, we still want you to utilize us. Use the Chicago Tutor/Mentor Program Locator to shop for a program near where you live, or work, that focuses on the age group, gender, background you would like to work with. Yes, we do get that detailed!

The reason I am going to the seminar today is because as you consider ways to be involved, I want to learn better how to encourage organizations and companies (and you as well, because you can relay my messages to your company for me) to think of ways you can help Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection and other volunteer-based tutoring/mentoring programs, get the operating dollars it takes to continue to offer our services.

Community Shares of Illinois' speaker training is designed to help me do that.

In essence, payroll or workplace giving is about the most hassle-free way to give back. In my opinion. You don't have to receive a lot of our mailers (back to school, holiday, year-end dinner) but instead receive one dynamic, heartfelt thank you card for simply taking the time to note on your payroll what you want to give to us each week. As an employee you could make a donation of $1 a week -- an amount that contrary to popular belief will NOT get you a "dollar menu" item because of tax -- and yet this adds up to a $52 donation. $52 on the head, because we're tax-exempt. And you get to claim it later in the year! How convenient is that, really? If 50 more of your coworkers did the same that's a handsome $2,600 that can go toward our foundation and operating costs. If thousands of employees across several companies designated small weekly donations to tutor/mentor programs, the impact on our sustainability is huge.

Ask if Community Shares of Illinois is included in your companies workplace giving campaign, or if they allow "write-ins" of your non-profit choice. By doing so you help us support the volunteers who join our programs, and thus help us do more to help kids. And should they not, allow me to reintroduce myself come next week... after I have better mastered my ability to get your workplace giving campaign off the ground.

Also, feel free to reach me at my contact info in my profile should you want to begin giving in a more "in Cassina's face" kinda way. Thought absolutely not mandatory; we appreciate your help any way it comes. Our missions depend on you.