Golf Benefit July 16.. Back Story on Signed Sports item

The Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection golf benefit is tomorrow at Highland Park Country Club. We have exceed our goal for players, with 25 foursomes. We've also built a great list of items for the dinner and silent auction.

The value of an autographed item grows when there is a story to go with it. Each of the items below has a "back story" written by El Da'Sheon Nix during the past year. I encourage you to print these to give authenticity to the value of each of these items.



Northwestern University female basketball standout, Nadia Bibbs and NBA star Antoine Walker were able to get autographs from Bobby Simmons, Gilbert Arenas, Devin Harris, Tracy McGrady, Luther Head, Will Bynum, Juwan Howard, and Larry Hughes. Read story.



Football signed by 2009 members of the New York Jets. Marquice Cole who was a standout player at Northwestern University, enlisted team mates to sign this ball. Read story.



#79 Trai Essex, of the Pittsburgh Steelers and former Northwestern University star, provided this football out of his personal collection. See story.


Visit this link to see the complete list of foursomes, some of the players, sponsors and donors supporting Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection through the golf benefit.

We hope that everyone who attends becomes one of the 100 leaders that Jimmy Biggs was trying to recruit before he died. We need this support as we move into August and the 2009-10 school year. If you'd still like to send a donation, please use the pay pal feature on the golf web site, or mail your donation to Cabrini Connections, 800 W. Huron, Chicago, Il. 60642

We are a 501-c-3 non profit with FEIN of 36-3893431

Thank you everyone for helping us connect inner city youth with tutors and mentors!

Edgewood College Visit made possible by your donations

Today is the beginning of the 2009 Edgewood College 3-Day Visit. About 20 graduate students from the college, along with faculty leader Tom Holub and Courtney Moffitt, are here for 3 days of interaction with Cabrini Connections teens. This is the 11th year of this partnership. This video was made last year. Here are blog articles from past years.

We're able to host these visits because donors have provided the $5,000 it takes each month to pay the rent. Others have provided additional funds for utilities and liability insurance. Others have provided money to pay the staff who lead Cabrini Connections and make it possible for Tom and his students to come here.

This won't continue without the help of donors who will step forward to help us pay these expenses in July, August and throughout the rest of 2009 and 2010. While myself and our board are reaching out to people in their own networks to ask for help, I encourage anyone who reads this and who values what we do, to reach into your own networks to help us find donors, and benefactors, so there will be a 12th Edgewood College visit in July 2010.

One way to help is to donate to the Golf Benefit, being held on July 16. Here's the registration page. Here's the roster of players, sponsors and donors through today.

If you don't golf, come to the dinner and silent auction. If you'd like to help in a different way, visit our donor page on the Cabrini Connections web site.

New donations received week of 7/6/09

Ed Madden, foursome for Golf Benefit

Matt Stefan, hole sponsor for Golf Benefit

Pat Dowdle, Dowdle Solutions, hole sponsor

Walt Vincent, golf (1); Walt also donated United States Proof Coin & Currency Collection, Value $350,for the silent auction

Austin King, golf (1)

Tangela Smith Marlow, dinner (1)

If you'd like to meet and discuss ways to help raise funds, call Dan Bassill or El Da'Sheon Nix at 312-492-9614

Changing Lives...While Having Fun!

Subject: Changing Lives...While Having Fun!

On Thursday July 16th, Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection will be hosting our annual Jimmy Biggs Memorial Golf Tournament at Highland Park Country Club. If any of you are golfers, put together a team of four and you can play in our tournament, which benefits tutoring and mentoring programs throughout Chicago.

If you like to drink and eat, then you should come to the dinner, which starts around 6pm. You can bid on a variety of prizes in our silent auction and get to meet some very special celebrity guests who have plans to attend this year's event.

We are still accepting silent auction items as well, so if you would like to donate something, let me know! And if you just can't come out to support, donate anything...you can still play a huge role by passing the information on to others in your network.

See complete roster of players, donors, sponsors through today

See Silent Auction List as of today

Just added:

Kurt Kittner, Board of Directors, hole sponsor

Bill Kane, foursome
Bill also donated Four tickets to Notre Dame vs Nevada, Sept. 5 game and 4 tickets to an Aug. 19 Sox vs Kansas City game for the (silent auction)

Park National Bank - hole sponsor

US Lending and Finance LTD, hole sponsor

Telander Construction Co., 3800 W 38th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60632, 773-927-5200, hole sponsor

American/Jebco Corporation, hole sponsor

Tami Wielgus - Dinner

Marko Fragassi - Golf (1)

Law Office of Scott B. Wolfman, golf donation


In addition,

We have received a $1000 donation from Nicor!

Susan Garver, a CC volunteer, held a party with friends and raised $210

Thank you all!

Chicago Bears' Orlando Pace to play in July 16 Golf Benefit

Orlando Pace is one of a growing number of professional and college athletes who are taking notice of Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Two of our volunteers, Kurt Kittner and Zak Kustok, both have NFL experience and were star Quarterbacks in college.

Thus we're please that we've been told Olando Pace will be golfing with us on July 16 at the annual Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit.

We've also been informed that QDI Strategies will be a Birdie Sponsor and bring a foursome. Steve Bassill, brother of CC, T/MC president Dan Bassill is heading this company.

This week:
Melissa Moore, a member of our Advisory Council, and Eby-Brown, have become "Contest Hole Sponsors ($500)" for the July 16 Golf Benefit.

Donations received from:

C.J. Sichta, Jr., Acacia, IWU alum
David Hundley, Jr.

Thank you all!

See the most updated list of golfers, sponsors, dinner guests.

If you sign up now, you can play in this event and meet NFL star, Orlando Pace!

American Imaging Management becomes Eagle Sponsor of July 16 Golf Benefit

Good news! American Imaging Management has become an Eagle Sponsor ($2,500) for the Jimmy Biggs Memorial Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit on July 16, 2009.

Read about how volunteers from American Imaging Management did a service project with Cabrini Connections in April 2009. We hope that our bonds with this company and its associates continues to grow!



See the complete list of golf players and sponsors

Not much sleep if you lead a small non profit

It's Monday morning, and last night was a bit rough. Payroll is due Thursday, and we have just received a new bill for General Liability insurance. I woke up at about 4am and spent the next two hours worrying about where the money would come from.

Fortunately my mail contained a July 16 Golf Benefit Birdie Sponsorship payment of $1500 from Carol and Bruce Ebel, along with a dinner donation from them as well. Carol is a member of our Board of Directors, and president of a small manufacturing firm, Janler, Inc. She's also the current president of the Tooling & Manufacturing Association. Thus, she has her hands full with work and professional responsibilities, but still makes time to help find the dollars it takes for Cabrini Connections.

We also received $250 from US Bank, as a sponsor donation from their branch at 745 N. Milwaukee Ave, for the May 28 and 29 Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference.

And Mark Fragassi sent in his check to be a player in the July 16 Golf Benefit.

It all adds up, and we're covered for this week's expenses.

Yet, we have these expenses every month. We've had them every month since we started Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993.

Our commitment to the 7th graders who join us is that we're going to do everything we can to help them stay in school, get a high school degree, then continue to the next level, so that by age 25 they are starting a job and career. The only limits to what we achieve are what our volunteers and donors are willing to do to help us.

In many ways this is like parenting. The kids don't always make steady progress toward these goals. Parents don't kick kids out when they are not doing well in school, or get in trouble with social issues. They find a way to pay their family expenses and continue to try to help their kids.



Cabrini Connections has the same challenge, each week we not only need to find a way to keep kids and volunteers together, and support their interactions, but we also need to find donors who will make large and small contributions to help us pay the fixed expenses.

This chart illustrates that nearly 30% of the cost of Cabrini Connections is rent, utilities, general liability insurance and other fixed expenses. Of the remaining 70% payroll is the major cost. Without generating regular revenue to cover these expenses, week to week, month to month, and year to year, we cannot stay connected to our kids, and we can't keep our commitments to them.

Thus, the work our volunteers (tutors, mentors, board, advisory council, friends) do to help find donations, is critically important.

Yet, in this economy, it has never been more difficult.



Chris Warren has been writing some articles about cause related marketing, and I encourage you to read these. We recruit volunteers who already hold jobs in various industries because they can model a wider range of career opportunities than our normally held by parents and neighbors in high poverty areas.

Furthermore, as volunteers bond with kids and understand the strategy, we believe they can educate their companies, and industries, in cause marketing and other strategies that support all tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago region, not just Cabrini Connections.

We're not there yet. But the work we've done with the Lawyers Lend A Hand Program at the Chicago Bar Association since 1994 illustrates that a group within a business sector can form, and take on a role of raising revenue and recruiting volunteers for tutor/mentor programs in many locations.

If we can create leadership in other industries who take on this same role, we can generate operating revenue from many sources, and not loose so much sleep every night worrying about paying the bills.

It's hard enough keeping the kids and volunteers involved.

July 16 Golf Benefit Roster ! Thank you all!

We have 25 foursomes registered which exceeds our goal to have a minimum of 20 groups. We also have a growing group who just plan to attend the dinner and take part in the Silent Auction. We'll look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.

There is still time to donate and have your name and company web site listed as a golf sponsor for the coming year. Visit http://www.cabrinitmcgolf.org to register and see the silent auction and sponsor list.

July 16 Golf Benefit - registered through 7/15/09

Wintrust Financial, Event Sponsor

Steve Miller, co-chair of the Golf Benefit, is bringing five (5) foursomes!

American Imaging Management, Eagle Sponsor! Foursome will include Brandon Cady (President), James Chow, Boris Spevak, and Joel Cesario

Carol and Bruce Ebel, Birdie Sponsor (includes foursome)

QDI Strategies, Birdie Sponsor, foursome of Steve Bassill, Jeff Clark, Karl Beide and Pat Kilroy

MB Financial Bank will be a Birdie Sponsor, with foursome led by Karen Perlman

Grant Brown, Cabrini Connections, T/MC Board of Directors, 19th Hole Sponsor

Bill Kane, foursome
Bill also donated Four tickets to Notre Dame vs Nevada, Sept. 5 game and 4 tickets to an Aug. 19 Sox vs Kansas City game for the (silent auction)

Chris Schuba, Shuba's Harmony Grill, foursome

Cabrini Volunteer foursome - Jen and Mike Jozwik, Mike Hayes, Mike DiClaudio

Ray Dowdle, Steve Strang - foursome

Ed Madden, - foursome

Julie & Scot Hamilton - golf (1) and dinner (part of foursome)
Stephen R. Tetro - golf (1)

Garett O. Gilles, foursome

The Rodriguez Family - foursome and hole sponsor

IWU Acacia foursome - Andrew Giordano, Anthony Algmin, Andrew Krantz, TBD

Andrew Pillsbury, Paul Ordynski, Patrick O'Toolen and Matt Luzadder, foursome

Mike Ozmeral, Reyes Holdings, LLC, foursome

Miles Taub, Project Lifeline, foursome

Mark Fragassi, golf (2)

Russ Iwami - golf (1)

Walt Vincent, golf (1); Walt also donated United States Proof Coin & Currency Collection, Value $350,for the silent auction

Don Bohling, tutor from 1988-92, golf (1)

Chris Warren and Raymond L. Paul, golf (2)

Austin King, golf (1)

Eby-Brown, http://www.eby-brown.com, has joined as a Contest Hole sponsor

Melissa Moore, Cabrini Connections Advisory Council, Contest Hole Sponsor

Ilene Fine, Donna Pareti, Mike Mazzuca, CC Veteran Volunteers, Contest Hole Sponsor

Kurt Kittner, CC, T/MC Board of Directors, Hole Sponsor

Cliff Rago, RE-MAX 2000, hole sponsor

Matt Stefan, hole sponsor for Golf Benefit

Pat Dowdle, Dowdle Solutions, hole sponsor

Daniel and Emily Bassill, hole sponsor

American/Jebco Corporation, Hole Sponsor

US Lending and Finance LTD, hole sponsor

Telander Construction Co., 3800 W 38th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60632, 773-927-5200, hole sponsor

Park National Bank, hole sponsor

Leo Sheridan, Advanced Group of Companies, hole sponsor

Karen and Kevin Lobdell - hole sponsor

Kathleen Griffin, Attorney - hole sponsor

Billy Criscione - Dinner

Nick Roach, Chicago Bears - dinner

Tami Wielgus - Dinner

Tangela Smith Marlow, dinner (1)
Tangela is one of the students who participated with Cabrini Connections from 1994 until she graduated from high school in 1997





We make our profit from the event through sponsor donations, starting with the $330 hole sponsor donation. Please ask clients, family, co-workers to make a donation at this level. Groups of two or three volunteers can pool donations to sponsor a hole as Donna Pietro and Ilene Fine have done for the past two years.

Thank you for your help.

Tee Off for Cabrini Connections. July 16 Golf Benefit

Last week we posted an appeal for "stimulus funding" and this is a list of new donors to our list since then.

Golf Outing Silent Auction:
Autographed Football from New York Jets - see article

Autographed Football from Pittsburgh Steelers - see article

July 16 Golf Benefit - Registered and paid 6/8 to 6/15

Chris Schuba, foursome
Cabrini Volunteer foursome - Jen and Mike Jozwik, Mike Hayes, Mike DiClaudio
Russ Iwami - golf (1)
Ray Dowdle - foursome
Julie & Scot Hamilton - golf (1) and dinner
Stephen R. Tetro - golf (1)
Garett O. Gilles foursome
The Rodriguez Family - foursome and hole sponsor
Karen and Kevin Lobdell - hole sponsor
Billy Criscione - Dinner
Don Bohling, tutor from 1988-92, golf (1)
IWU Acacia foursome - Andrew Giordano, Anthony Algmin, Andrew Krantz, TBD

We have several other pledges for groups, but these have not registered and paid yet. Visit http://www.cabrinitmcgolf.org to sign up.

Year End Dinner Donations - Thank you!
We are still receiving donations as a result of our May mailing and June 4 Dinner.

From June 8 - 12 we received donations from:

Gary and Tracie Miller
Constance Gilchrist
Anthony Pashos
Mary Pat Kane Reilly
Tyrone Ross
Autum Sharp

In addition, we received a generous grant from the Ronald H. Ringer Foundation

Thank you all for helping bring stimulus dollars to Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection

Help Spread the Word!

I've been receiving more and more invitations from consultants who are offering seminars and workshops to help non profits learn to raise money in tough times.

It's been tough times since 1993 when we created Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Sometimes, I think the only one making money from these seminars are the people offering them.

Why? Because the donor pool is not growing.

This picture shows teens and volunteers at Cabrini Connections being coached in using technology by our eLearning Coordinator. On the eLearning blog you can see how we're trying to coach teens and volunteers to use the technology to find problem solving information on our web sites, such as homework help, career resources, leadership and service ideas.

Three sections that I'd like our volunteers, leaders, and donors to learn to use are:

a) challenges facing non profits

b) research articles on poverty, high school drop outs, education, illustrating the need for kids in high poverty to have extra learning and mentoring supports

c) fund raising and marketing blogs - with loads of ideas for how non profits, and their volunteers, can raise money

If you are a volunteer, alumni, or someone who believes in the power of tutoring/mentoring, I encourage you to consider your own donation to Cabrini Connections, and become an evangelist to enlist 2 other people each month, to add their donation.

If you'd prefer to make a donation as a sponsor of an event, or as part of your fee to play in a golf outing, please support the July 16, 2009 golf benefit. You can use the Pay Pal button on the sponsor page to make your donation, or to register a group.

Without your help, all of the fund raising workshops in the world will not make us more effective in finding the donors needed to help Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection keep the lights on and the rent paid.

Tech Woes show need for Stimulus Funds

For the past three weeks Cabrini Connections has had major problems with our internet and internal computer network. Vjeko wrote about last week's problem on his blog.

This week we had a power outage on Sunday that burned out the hard drive on our server (we think). We've not had access to internal shared files or the Internet since Monday (today is Wednesday). If this happened in most companies, the IT department would have the tools and talent to fix this quickly. In fact, such problems might not have occurred because of preventative steps taken.

While we have a creative technology strategy to connect our kids and volunteers with each other and the world of learning and problem solving that is open to them via technology, we don't have adequate funds to cover all of our other expenses, and the additional cost of professional IT support.

It would cost of $300 per month for a service contract to have IT support 24 hours a day. That's $3,600 per year. Business hosting solutions cost as much as $200 or more a month. We're paying $50 a month to the company hosting our Cabrini Connections, SVHATS and Tutor/Mentor Institute sites.

You get what you pay for (or don't pay for).

It's important to have regular tech support, but it's even more important to pay staff salaries, rent, insurance, electric bills, and other expenses that we also have each month. Especially as we face the potential of reduced revenue from fund raising due to the impact of the economy on donors.

We've been able to get by with volunteers, and with the knowledge our IT coordinator can bring. But some of this is beyond what our volunteers and staff can support.

That's why your help is so important. There are more than 5 million adults working in the Chicago area. Our donor list is under one thousand people each year. Thus, there are thousands of people who have never been asked to make a donation, who might give $50 or $100, or even more. If your current and veteran volunteers , and student, tell the story of how they have been involved, these people will get to know us, and some will make the donations needed to cover the costs of making this program available to kids and volunteers.

We do events throughout the year, such as the Golf Benefit in July, the Dinner in June and the Art Festival in April. These give people an opportunity to make sponsor donations of $100 to $5,000 which add up to quite a bit of revenue throughout the year.

You can even make donations through workplace fund raising at your school, government office, or company. Here's a list of other ways to help.

Please tell your friends about what we do and how they can help. You don't need to be in Chicago to be part of the network supporting groups like ours helping inner city kids.

Tee Off for Cabrini Connections. Save the Date! Be a Sponsor!

Help raise the dollars needed to keep Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection connected to youth in inner-city Chicago. Have fun at the same time!!

The 2009 Jimmy Biggs Memorial Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit will be held on July 16, 2009 at Highland Park Country Club. At http://www.cabrinitmcgolf.org you can see the list of sponsors from last year, and read about the vision Jimmy Biggs had for building a network of 100 business leaders who support tutoring/mentoring with time, talent and dollars.

Kurt Kittner, a member of the Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection Board of Directors will again co-chair this event. Here's a pdf that shows how Kurt is trying to mobilize volunteers and donors for all tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago region.

You can be one of those leaders with a sponsor donation, or by becoming part of the leadership committee that organizes the golf benefit. Or you can recruit some buddies and play in the golf outing. We know the economy's tough, so if you register a group and pay by June 15 the fee will be $700. If you register and pay later the fee will be $800 for a group.

Event sponsor fees range from $5,000 to $330. Donations are welcome in any size! There will be a dinner and silent auction and lots of fun for all.

Don't wait until June to decide that you want to help. Be the CHANGE that President Obama calls for. Become a sponsor and a donor and send your contribution today. Here's a form you can use.

Here's the direct link to the PAY PAL form on the Golf web site.