Sleigh Bells Ring! Cabrini's Listening.

Since volunteer recruitment time, we have really tried to utilize the resources in which we seldom looked as fundraising and development outlets. Now that recruitment time has subsided, we're fully staffed from a volunteer and child perspective, and the weather is starting to chill... we look toward the holidays.

As I work on hopefully our most successful holiday mailer ever, we realize we will be sending these out to several people who may be unemployed, or very fiscally challenged. To ask to be added to the Christmas list this year is a challenge and perhaps rude, but we still hold strong in the belief that every LITTLE BIT helps. Even a $15 donation is $15 more than we had before we cashed your check. Take it all in when you receive your mailer. We are asking you to think OUTSIDE of the sleigh (read: box).

Holiday Party, Anyone?
We are having our own holiday party and benefit concert December 12 at Schuba's which you are more than welcome to come to, but in these tough times, perhaps your company would be interested in gifting what it would cost to throw the holiday party to a certain charity like Cabrini Connections or donating half of what is normally spent on the party and cutting back some this year.

Volunteers Stepping Up to the Challenge
Our volunteers have really taken on a competitive edge to raise money for the program in FUNdraising for Quarters. Here are some of the fabulous things some of them are doing.

John Knight, is hosting an upscale party at KREM Friday, December 5, in which he negotiated that all of the proceeds go to the program. He is also gracious enough to let each volunteer who attends get a portion of their ticket counted toward the competition. See John and I at announcements Wednesday and Thursday for more details. In the meantime, SAVE THE DATE.

AJ Tyson is kicking butt and TAKING NAMES! He is leading the pack with $1,625 raised with $1,500 of that coming from word-of-mouth marketing techniques and getting people in his network to write checks on his behalf. EL Nix and I couldn't have been more excited to see the determination on the faces of so many volunteers to BEAT AJ. We were each approached by several of you saying you were going to TOP that. And we appreciate it and look forward to it!

Frances Kwee, who works for Motorola is looking into her companies GIVING PRACTICES and has offered to submit us as a possible charity this year.

One of our long-time supporters, Nick Infusino, is running a marathon and raising money through a http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif page and donating all the proceeds of his hard work to the program. Are you a running machine? Thinking about running your first 5K , 10K or marathon? Why not make it for our cause like Nick?

Alumnae volunteer, Courtland Maddock is nominating us as a charity of choice for the Kellogg Manager's Ball. A monetary donation is made to every charity chosen.

There are a plethora of things YOU can do too. Be inspired by one of your fellow volunteers who are doing everything they can THINK of and thinking of Cabrini Connections in the process.

As you decide what to do with your Christmas money, remember that their are thousands of at-risk youth across the city who could use a mentor, positive role model, and engaging activities in their lives. We provide that.


Please support Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection this holiday season.