Arts and Video Festival Connects Students and Volunteers with the world

Last Saturday evening the Cabrini Connections Art and Video Festival drew together more than 100 friends, volunteers, students, parents and supporters of Cabrini Connections.

Some were people we've not seen in a while, like Claudia Crilly Bellucci, who was one of the first people on staff at Cabrini Connections in 1993. She was a volunteer from the early 1980s. We've now connected on Facebook, and through Claudia's network we're re-connecting with others who were part of Cabrini Connections in the past.

Others were family members. I was surprised to see one of my wife's cousins who attended the event because another family member, Lisa Hung, spread the news about the Festival to the family network.

Another family member was El Da'Sheon Nix's Mom, who came in from Ohio for the week. She was really a "MOM" in the way she took charge of food and beverages and cleanup at the end of the event.

In addition, several of the parents came to see the new documentary video, title This Is What I know: Our Lives, Our Truths, Our Stores, and see the art that their kids had been working on. You can see part of the video, and other videos, http://www.cabriniconnections.net/video.

We don't know how much money was raised from selling art, or from donations, but while the bidding was going on, El Da'Sheon was in touch, by cell phone, with one of his buddies on the Pittsburg Steelers, who was bidding on the 2009 Art Club Mural.

This just shows how our event in Chicago was connecting our kids and volunteers with the world. If you take on a role of network building, you can help us build connections with people in your own network. Some will use our ideas to help build tutor/mentor programs in their own communities. Some may become tutors/mentors with us, or with other programs. Hopefully some will become benefactors, making long-term donations that assure that we can continue to offer Cabrini Connections to students and volunteers for many years to come.

You can send donations to Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, 800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642 or you can use this form to make an on-line donation.