Who is in your network?

This is a graphic created on Facebook, showing people who are connected to me and Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection.

The pink area represents fraternity brothers from the Acacia chapter at Illinois Wesleyan, who have made donations totaling more than $60,000 since 1992. Some have been volunteers who helped us launch this organization. Some have been tutors.

The blue area represents volunteers who have been tutors and mentors, and staff. Many have roots at Northwestern University and so that shows as a part of my network. On our NU Ning page we're trying to build a network of Northwestern support for tutoring/mentoring.

Just above the blue section are photos of several of our alumni who have connected with us on Facebook. We want to see this section grow because we need to support our alumni where they live and where they are now raising their own kids and we need them to support what we're doing to help them and other kids living in inner city Chicago.

The green section to the left represents people in Chicago who are part of other tutor/mentor programs, or part of knowledge networks who we are connecting via our web sites with each other, and with the kids and volunteers at Cabrini Connections. You can even see two of my nieces in the light blue section just above the green area.

These represent just a few of the thousands of people that I've connected to Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection since 1993 and who are providing time, talent and dollars to help us do our work.

As we head through 2009 and beyond, I encourage each volunteer, leader, student or friend to map their own network, and work with a purpose to share information that encourages members of these networks to provide the donations of time, talent and dollars we require to do this work.

While the economy is a disaster, there are millions of people who are still working and who are willing to make donations of $25 to $100 if asked. There are thousands of affluent people who still have millions of dollars in wealth, even if they have seen this wealth depleted in the past year. We had four donations of $30,000 to $59,000 in 2008 and can received more donations like this, if you reach through your networks to find these people.

When Obama says "it is up to us" I think he means that each of us needs to learn to mobilize our network into an army of support for social change and economic prosperity.

Who is in your network?