PIPblog: Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection

Not "Goodbye" but "See you later"

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:06:00 +0000

On July 6th, 2009, my first day at Cabrini Connections, the first day of the 2009 Edgewood College Experience, I was greeted by three students: Savon Clark, Sean Mayfield, and Charles Hill. They welcomed me with open arms and we clicked right away. At that point, I had no idea how great of an experience working at Cabrini Connections would be and how much I would get to know these three young men and so many others over the course of 132 tutoring sessions, 19 Youth Leadership Council meetings, eight college visits, and more.

Two years later, here I am again with Savon, Sean, and Charles (above) at the 2011 Edgewood College Experience. They are juniors in high school now. Sadly, however, where they once welcomed me in, they are now seeing me off. Yesterday, July 15th, 2011, was my last day at Cabrini Connections. I was laid off due to the organization's continued financial struggles. Over the last 20 pay periods dating back to September 2010, the staff has been paid in-full and on-time only six times. Next week's Golf Benefit could make or break the organization.

While it has been a tough year and I am sad to see it end like this, I am proud of our accomplishments and I know I personally have learned a lot from everyone I worked with at Cabrini Connections - especially my "partner in crime" EL Da' Sheon Nix. Together, we led a program that won awards from the Department of Family & Support Services Youth Division in 2009 and 2010 for being the best mentoring program funded by the City of Chicago and we had five seniors graduate this year who are all headed to college in the fall. Not too bad, eh?

Thank you all for keeping track of the program on my blog (I had 5228 absolute unique visitors!) and thank you for reading all of my stories (This is my 217th blog post!). I hope they made you smile, and laugh, and think, and reflect. Major cities like Chicago will always have thousands of youth in need of educational and financial assistance. A tutoring and mentoring program like Cabrini Connections can change a young person's life. I've seen it happen. Please continue to support nonprofits like this one with your time and dollars. We are all a part of the solution. One love.

2011 Year-End Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:20:00 +0000

Last Thursday, Cabrini Connections celebrated the end of the 2010-2011 tutoring and mentoring year with its 18th Annual Year-End Dinner. About 250 students, parents, volunteers, alumni, staff, and board members crowded the Cornerstone Academy in Chicago to recognize each other for great accomplishments - the greatest of which is that all five of our seniors graduated from high school and are headed to college in the fall. This video shows the presentation of Graduation Dollars and yearbooks to our seniors, with a special surprise at the end ;-)

Spoil the surprise =>
I would like to personally thank all of my friends and family members who made this such a successful year. A year ago I felt lucky to have the opportunity to remain a staff member at Cabrini Connections, and I look back a year later proud of all that we accomplished. Congratulations!

Bonus video: Video & Filmmakers Club's spring quarter project

Groupon Deal of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:01:00 +0000

We are live on Groupon.com - the greatest deals site in the world! Please take a moment to check out our page at

http://www.groupon.com/deals/cabrini-connections

For every $10 you donate, Cabrini Connections gets $15 thanks to matching sponsor ContextMedia. With 36 hours to go, we are just 22 donations away from reaching the "tipping point" and locking in $2000+ for the program!

Cabrini Connections to be featured on Groupon!

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000

In January, EL Da' Sheon and I had the opportunity to visit Groupon's headquarters at 600 West Chicago Avenue, just across the river from Cabrini Connections. Groupon is a popular daily deals site founded by fellow Northwestern University alumnus Andrew Mason.

Since speaking to a group of about 50 employees there, we have recruited six as mentors (including Cat, above) with several others on the waiting list. In January, I also met with a woman who organizes most of the nonprofit initiatives for Groupon. We talked about many possibilities and have kept in touch since.

Today, I am pleased to announce that Cabrini Connections is going to be featured on Groupon.com with a G-Team campaign during the week of June 6th! G-Team is a community outreach initiative within Groupon that brings communities together to do good, have fun, and make an impact.

This is a tremendous opportunity for Cabrini Connections to gain exposure in the Chicago area and to grant our seniors extra support for college. Our campaign seeks to raise $2000 to double this year's "Graduation Dollars" - our form of scholarships, to be awarded at the Year-End Dinner.

I will post again on Tuesday with specific details on how to get involved. Until then, please share this blog post via email, Facebook, and Twitter, to let everyone in your network know to expect us on Groupon.com next week! Thank you!

Student Spotlight: Whitney Hemphill

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:22:00 +0000

Whitney Hemphill is a senior at Wells Community Academy High School who is completing her SIXTH year at Cabrini Connections. Whitney was born and raised in Cabrini Green but she is moving to the south side next month. “It’s time for something new,” she says. She enjoyed growing up in Cabrini Green because a lot of people were around and she made a lot of friends, but now a lot of those people have moved away.

Whitney is the youngest of five children. “I used to get anything I wanted,” she says. Her older sister, Angelene, graduated from Cabrini Connections in 2009. She now attends Harold Washington College. Whitney and Angelene were in the Art Club together for several years. That is one of the activities that first hooked Whitney into the program.

“Cabrini Connections has made my grades go up,” she says. “I’d still have Ds and Fs if I hadn’t come here.” And she kept coming despite going through six tutors! Whitney had bad luck with tutors leaving for various reasons like moving or enrolling in graduate school, but in 2011, she finally found “my main tutor” – first year volunteer Cat Reading. “She is here all the time and she understands my work,” says Whitney. “We get done with everything, even if we have to work extra late.” Cat is one of several volunteers who have come to us from Groupon. (Cabrini Connections will be featured on the popular deals site during the week of June 6th!)

Whitney’s advice for the student is to “keep your head up. Don’t give up. [High school] might be hard, but you can make it through if you pay attention.” For tutors, she says, “Keep coming. Keep helping us. Enjoy being with us. And even though it’s not a paid position, we thank you for coming.” Very kind words from one of our most distinguished graduates!

In the long term, Whitney wants to move away from Chicago. She would like to visit Miami, New York, and China. As a career, she would like to pursue nursing. It has been her goal to become a nurse since 8th grade when she visited a hospital. She likes taking care of people. In fact, she has a one-year-old daughter, Azaria, who has had “a huge impact on my life.” Whitney changed a lot for the better this year with the added responsibility of raising a baby girl.

For college, Whitney is deciding between Chicago State University and Robert Morris University. She is looking to enroll in January 2012. Until then, she is searching for a part-time job, so if you have any leads, let us know and we’ll pass along the information!

Volunteer Spotlight: Jessica Bearden

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Jessica Bearden was born in South Carolina and moved to Texas at the age of 5 where she stayed through high school. She is from a south Texas town named McAllen just 10 minutes from the Mexican border. She was very active as a kid, playing soccer and tennis mostly, but also volleyball, softball, and track and field. Much of her free time as a teenager was spent practicing for, training for, and participating in organized sports. She is still very active to this day.

During spring break of her senior year of high school, Jessica spent 10 days visiting London, England, and Paris, France. She loved her time in Europe so much that she wanted to move there! It was understood that she would go to college at some point, but she felt that she must first have a chance to grow up and become independent, separate from the rigor of college classes. “I didn’t want to be the dog off the leash,” she says. “So I cut the cord and put an ocean in between.” She ended up living in London for over a year.

When she returned to the U.S., Jessica worked at a restaurant for a year and a half before going back to college. She enrolled at The University of Texas-Pan American near her hometown. She graduated in May 2008 with degrees in biology and chemistry. Math and science have always been her strongest subjects. As a kid her favorite question was “Why?” and she feels that math/science gives you the answer.

The summer before her senior year, Jessica had a 10-week internship at Argonne National Laboratory, which is in a southwest suburb of Chicago. She had another internship there during her senior year, and when she graduated, they offered her a job! She has worked there for three years now. She is a molecular biologist who works with DNA and bacteria. A typical day for her is spent growing DNA and testing protein in a laboratory. “The days I least enjoy are in front of a computer running tests,” she says.

As a permanent Chicago resident, Jessica really appreciates the warm days now. “Having seasons is kind of nice,” she says. She also likes fall and winter fashion. You don’t get to wear many jackets in Texas. One of her hobbies at present is Ultimate Frisbee. She plays on a women’s team that travels around the Midwest. She encourages youth to pick up the sport because it is big on college campuses.

At Cabrini Connections, Jessica works with 8th grader NyShanell Freeman. They have worked together for three years since being paired up at Cabrini Green Tutoring Program. “NyShanell is a little shy, but she came out of her shell with me,” says Jessica. When alumnus Eboni Rivera and her mentor Susan Nice spoke during a tutoring session last year, NyShanell said to Jessica: “That’s going to be us someday.” Jessica says matter-of-factly, “I don’t really have a choice anymore,” so she’s in it for the long run.

Jessica’s tip for mentors is to be patient and communicative. “[The students] are not as childlike as we imagine.” And for the youth, she says, “Don’t try to grow up too fast. Enjoy this time.” Thanks, Jessica!

Student Spotlight: Marcus Burks

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:21:00 +0000

Marcus Burks is the second student to be featured in the student spotlight for a second time (Melissa Young). He was originally featured as an 8th grader at Wells Prep in March 2009. Two years later, he is a rising junior at King College Prep. Marcus is from the far south side of Chicago and has four siblings.

He has three younger sisters who “make me feel like a leader” and an older brother who he’s close with. Marcus aims to be a positive influence in his sisters’ lives because “I wouldn’t want to see them doing anything negative.” What personally keeps him going while he’s looking out for others? “Hopes and dreams of going to college,” he says.

But first things first, “You gotta stay fresh.” Marcus says his high school is “a big fashion show.” Everyone is dressed well so it’s a challenge to keep up. His tips are to “find your own style” and think about “how you want people to see you.” What you see is what you get!

As for academics, Marcus’s favorite subject right now is chemistry. He finds it interesting and he benefits from his strength in math. This could prove useful as he considers studying engineering in college.

Marcus is looking to get out of Chicago, though. “I’ve been here too long,” he says. “I want to meet new people.” His first choice is Florida, even though the Miami Heat are his worst enemies at the moment. “If I ever go to Miami, I’m wearing my Bulls gear!” He predicts the Bulls to win in seven games because “We have D. Rose and they don’t.”

This is Marcus’s third full year as a participant at Cabrini Connections. He has been with the same mentor, Joe Fridlin, since 4th grade when they worked together at the YMCA. Joe is a “positive influence… he’s like a big brother… [and] he makes sure I’m on track to be successful.”

Marcus’s tip for mentors is to get to know your student and become friends with him or her. “Let them know that you care and that you’re there for them if they need you,” he says. This will build trust and understanding and lead to a better mentor-mentee relationship.

This summer Marcus plans to continue working (he has a paper route) and having fun. He loves to stay active. He plays pick up basketball and he runs track for school. His motto is: “Just live by the day.” Have a great summer, Marcus, and thanks for making Cabrini Connections an important part of your life!

Volunteer Spotlight: Melanie Munsey

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:17:00 +0000

Melanie Munsey grew up on the East Coast but has spent the majority of her life in Illinois. She went to middle and high school in McHenry and she has lived in Chicago for the past six years. As a kid, she always liked school, especially history, reading, and writing. Her dad is a retired naval officer, so her family moved around a lot when she was young. She switched schools often, which was always an adjustment, but she always tried to look at the bright side of things: “I got to meet a lot of new people.”

As a teenager, which most Cabrini Connections students are, Melanie says it is important to have goals in mind. The opportunities that you have at the end of high school are a direct result of how you spend those four years. If you want to move out and go to college, you have to put forth the effort to put yourself in the position to make it happen; to make your dreams become a reality!

Melanie attended McHenry County College for two years before transferring to DePaul University’s business school. She had a nontraditional college experience because she didn’t live in a dorm, worked full-time, and was thus unable to participate in many extracurricular activities. She did, however, play soccer for many years. She says that being a student athlete is a balancing act but, ultimately, working with teammates helps motivate you on and off the field.

Melanie worked primarily in restaurants from her senior year of high school through college. She gained a lot of skills from multitasking and working with people. She says it is a particularly good job for students because the hours are flexible and it pays well. The coolest place she ever worked was Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant because it was frequented by influential people such as Barack Obama!

In present day she works at a global market research company called Ipsos. She does quantitative research on large groups of people about new products, packaging, etc. Her job is challenging because she has to coordinate with people all over the world and manage the logistics of each major project. For example, just recently, she was working on a study in Japan when the earthquake hit. So not only are their time zone and language barriers, you also have to be up with current event and sensitive to certain situations.

Melanie became a tutor/mentor at Cabrini Connections after being referred by her friend, veteran volunteer Elena Lugo. She has tutored youth before but was looking to develop a 1-on-1 relationship instead of just doing homework management. So far, Melaine likes the program and her student, Tenia Tucker. “It has been much more rewarding than other programs,” she says.

Her tip for mentors is to ask a lot of open ended questions. She also recommends getting to know what your student’s situation is like at home and in school. All of these things help build trust and, in her experience, make your student comfortable enough to tell you when things change or when he or she is having a hard time. Thanks for the advice, Melanie! Keep up the good work!

Student Spotlight: Jerman Beathea

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:57:00 +0000

8th grader Jerman Beathea was born in Cabrini Green and lives there now, but in between, he moved around a lot. Jerman has lived on the west side of Chicago, on the south side twice, and in Minnesota for two years! If you think Chicago’s cold, Minnesota is worse. Jerman says it was fun at times, but mostly he’s glad to be back in Chi-town.

He is the youngest of four siblings. He has two brothers and one sister. Jerman was a troublemaker when he was younger – swearing and fighting at the age of 7 – but he has matured over the past seven years. He is much more mature and focused now.

Jerman attends Jenner Elementary Academy of the Arts. His favorite subjects are reading, writing, and social studies. He says Jenner is a good school and he has learned more than he expected to when he first got there. He plays football and basketball, with football being his favorite. He plays wide receiver and linebacker and has dreams of playing college football one day, and he is already beginning to understand the pressures of being a student athlete. He has had to take time off from the team to improve his grades and stay after school to get extra help.

Next year, Jerman will attend Lincoln Park High School. He is excited about going to a new school where he knows a lot of people already. One of those people is Dionte Herron who, along with De’Jour Stewart, recruited Jerman to Cabrini Connections.

Jerman is in his first year with the program and works with Jay Kenney, also in his first year, on Wednesday nights. Jerman says, “It has been excellent” so far and Jay is a good mentor because “he pushes hard, but not too hard.” Their subject of focus during most tutoring sessions is math. Jerman recently took advantage of multiple Career Week trips. He visited Evanston Hospital and Whole Foods Market on Day 2 of Career Week and the American College of Surgeons and DePaul University on Day 3. Jerman attended the most trips of any student by far, so we commend him for participating so much!

As an adult, Jerman dreams of working in the construction or real estate businesses. His stepdad owns a construction company and has given him many opportunities already to get work experience. At the age of 11, Jerman was learning how to remove carpeting and put down tiles. He has also done roofing.

Jerman wants to stay around Chicago, but he does like to travel. He has been to California, Georgia, and Alaska, among other states. In Los Angeles he went to a Lakers game and he predicts the Lakers will face off against the Bulls in this year’s NBA Finals. Who does he think will win? You’ll have to ask him to find out.

Congratulations on making the spotlight Jerman! Good luck with your transition to high school.

Volunteer Spotlight: David Kim

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Wednesday night mentor David Kim (right) is a lifelong resident of Illinois. He was born in Rogers Park, grew up in Skokie, and attended college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a child, he was very shy, quiet, and studious. It was not until college that David became extroverted. He suggests moving out on your own to a campus environment after high school. “It is on your own that you learn to mature socially,” he says. “You develop as a person, begin to relate with others, and make lots of new friends.” David says that living on his own in college helped him break out of his shell and build self-confidence.

He was further exposed to the “real world” through the co-op program in the College of Engineering. There he would spend one semester in school and one semester working. He also had the opportunity to work over the summer. David worked for Rolls-Royce Aerospace in a different department each time (manufacturing, design, testing, marketing, etc.). He had told himself, “I don’t want to graduate without a job,” and these internships helped him build up his resume to ensure that that didn’t happen.

Surprisingly, however, David did not go with an engineering company out of college. “It wasn’t my cup of tea,” he says. David became an Information Technology (IT) consultant, a position he held for five years, and with this job, he traveled a lot; working and living in almost every major city in the United States. IT consultants “deliver technological solutions to complex business problems” and their work involves computers, software, programming, and analysis.

David currently works at BlueCross BlueShield as a Business Solutions Architect. It is a stable position with no travel, but still allows him to use his analytical skills. He is not all “left brain,” though. David’s weeknight and weekend job is as a life empowerment coach and certified hypnotherapist. David is very passionate about personal development and growth and “expanding my awareness as a human being.”

His passion for this type of work opened up six years ago after personal hardship in his work and personal life. As he was searching for answers to deal with stress better and find purpose and meaning in life, he met his first personal success coach. He became engrossed in the subject – reading books and attending lectures and seminars – to the point where he now runs his own business.

This experience is great for David’s role as a mentor at Cabrini Connections. He became involved with the program because it is a personal value of his to give back to the world. “I love coaching, helping, and mentoring others,” says David. “[Cabrini Connections] has been everything I imagined it to be.” He reminds volunteers, “It’s not always about the schoolwork. It’s also about life.” At the start of each session, David always spends a few minutes asking his mentee, Juan Zamudio, how his week has been.

In his spare time, David loves to run (he ran a marathon), dance (he does Latin and ballroom dancing), sing (he’s in his company’s choir), and travel, among other things. He has gone scuba diving in Thailand, surfing in Costa Rica, bike riding in Italy, and this summer he’s headed to Machu Picchu in Peru.

David’s advice for everyone is: “Always do the best you can in any moment… Don’t get down on yourself too much. Mistakes are a part of life.” Thanks, David!

Career Week 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:21:00 +0000

Looking at babies

Looking at pastries

Looking at video games

Each year during Chicago Public Schools' Spring Break, Cabrini Connections organizes "Career Week" - a week full of trips to visit mentors in their workplaces. This year Jerman Beathea, Marcus Burks, Justin Fields, Dionte Herron, and Ana Tate visited a hospital, a grocery store, a scientific and educational association, and a university.

Our first stop was Evanston Hospital where Wednesday night mentor Gabrielle Cummings is Vice President. She is in charge of all of the day-to-day operations of the hospital including hiring and firing, how it looks and feels, and new construction projects with budgets of up to $100 million. For this visit, she recruited two of her colleagues - Pediatrician Kenneth L. Fox, M.D. and Registered Nurse Rhonda Scott - to present about their careers as well.

Dr. Fox grew up in Chicago and went to medical school at the University of Chicago. He did his residency in Boston, Massachusetts, and has traveled all over the world helping people. He even went to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake to offer his services. Dr. Fox knew he wanted to be a pediatrician from the age of 4 and spoke greatly about motivation and focus.

Ms. Scott grew up in Evanston and went to Evanston Township High School. As a student in high school, she even visited Evanston hospital, the place she works now. At the time of graduation, she was still uncertain about what she wanted to do, but several people encouraged her to pursue nursing. It is a great way to help people and it pays well, too, she said. Ms. Scott spoke greatly about finding your passion and then sacrificing to pursue it.

Our next stop was Evanston South Whole Foods Market where Thursday night Volunteer Coordinator Melissa Iwaimi (right) is the Customer Service Coordinator. She is in charge of all of the cashiers, the customer service desk, and counting the money at the end of the night. She introduced us to Marketing and Community Relations Specialist Bridget Isaia who was our main tour guide for the rest of the afternoon.

We started in the Produce section with a talk about organic versus all-natural and how foods are purchased, prepared, and displayed at Whole Foods. Next we went to the Meat & Poultry department to learn about the humane treatment of animals and the ranking system for meats. After perusing the store a little more, we came upon the Bakery. We learned about what it takes to become a baker and what differentiates Whole Foods' cakes from the cakes you see in a regular supermarket. All in all it was a great visit with exposure to many careers you can find behind-the-scenes in your local grocery store.

On Wednesday, we visited two more locations. We began at the American College of Surgeons with Wednesday night mentor Brian Kamajian (left). Brian is the Manager of Software Development at ACS. He put together a fantastic lineup of speakers including employees from the departments of Information Technology, Conventions & Meetings, Graphics, and Accounting. Each speaker spent 15 minutes explaining what they do and how they reached this point in their careers. (Special thanks to Brian for taking us out to lunch at Sayat Nova Armenian Restaurant.)

Again, it was fantastic insight into the vast career opportunities that are out there for our students to pursue. Someone has to design the graphics for the NBA. Someone has to organize the events that are NBA games. Someone has to keep track of the money from ticket sales. Being a player isn't the only option!

Our last Career Week trip for 2011 was to DePaul University where Brea Adams (right) works in the Office for Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA). She is also a graduate student in School and Community Counseling. This is the third consecutive year that Brea has hosted a group for Career Week!

She started us off with a tour of her office and the people she works with. TLA supports teaching and learning at DePaul by providing services, resources and events focused on best practices in teaching. One of the main things they do is offer supplemental instruction in historically difficult courses. Brea talked about this process and why it is particularly important to ask for help when you're in college. Don't be afraid!

Brea also talked about her personal studies. She led a great exercise in which she asked our students to write down what they thought caused people (in general) to act the ways that they do. We came up with friends, family, personal experiences, motivation like money or prestige, and more. She then made the point that each individual person is the summation of many communities and personal experiences and thoughts. Therefore, we should not judge a person by their actions alone. We should understand and care for each other more deeply. That is why Brea wants to be a school counselor!

The last thing Brea did was take us to DePaul's College of Computing and Digital Media. One of the many media-related degrees you can get there is Computer Game Development. Our students were very excited to see these students (picture at the top) hard at work in the "Console Gaming Lab."

Thank you to all of our volunteer and student participants and everyone else in and outside of the program who contributed to Career Week 2011. I look forward to one day having these students host us as visitors in their workplaces! See you next year!

Student Spotlight: Javon Gordon

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:13:00 +0000

Javon Gordon is a 7th grader at Manierre Elementary School. He lived in the Cabrini Green area until a couple years ago when his family moved to the west side. He says the move was tough because he left a lot of his friends, but participating in Cabrini Connections gives him the opportunity to come back. Javon’s older brother, William Gallion, who is an 11th grader at Lincoln Park High School, has been a member of the program since 2007.

Both brothers are huge sports fans; of basketball in particular. Javon plays point guard and, even though he’s a Chicago Bulls fan, his favorite player is Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. He predicts that the Bulls will play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals and the winner of that series will win it all! (He could be right.)

Javon likes his school and his teachers but acknowledges that other students’ bad behavior makes for a difficult learning environment. He says that some kids act out and some curse at their teachers. Meanwhile, Javon stays focused. His favorite subject is science because he likes to know “how the world works.”

He is committed to getting an education because his mother and grandmother have pushed him. He dreams of being an athlete (basketball player) or a doctor (surgeon) when he grows up. Next year Javon will enter the 8th grade and begin searching for the right high school. He would like to attend Lane Tech College Prep.

At Cabrini Connections, Javon works with third year volunteer Charlie Goff. “He is a really good mentor… When I slack off, he makes me do the work,” says Javon. “He won’t tell me the answers. He says, ‘You know this.’” He’s teaching him to believe in himself.

Javon is also a member of the Writing Club which meets on Wednesdays from 5-6pm. He says it is a great forum to “express feelings” and you can expect to see him and other club members in video interviews during the 2011 Year-End Dinner on June 16th. It is especially impressive for Javon to be in Writing Club because he comes to tutoring on Thursday nights! Usually the pitch for Writing Club is that it’s easy to attend if you already come to tutoring on Wednesday nights, but Javon proves that Thursday night students can make it work, too!

His final advice, at Cabrini Connections and in life, is to “do your best!” Thanks, Javon!

Volunteer Spotlight: Gabe Chapman

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Gabriel (“Gabe”) Chapman moved around a lot as a child, but he was born in Atlanta, Georgia and went to high school and college there. Atlanta is a "sprawling city" at the "foothills of the Appalachian Mountains." When Gabe thinks of Atlanta, he thinks of “trees… peaches… music!” You can tell he’s passionate about music as he rattles off all the bands from Atlanta: Indigo Girls, The B-52s, R.E.M., Collective Soul, Outkast, Ludacris, and Usher. Not bad! Gabe is an amateur musician who recently performed guitar at “Cabrini’s Got Talent!”

In high school he took a lot of AP classes, played sports (captain of the soccer team), and was really involved all around (president of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes). Gabe’s greatest interests were international government, politics, and history, but in college – at Georgia Tech – he chose to study engineering. Looking back on the decision, he says, “I ending up doing something I wasn’t really into.” Instead, he says, “Do something that’s tangential.” He wishes he would have studied international affairs, which was a new department at the time.

Gabe says his interest in that area started with Indiana Jones: the languages, the culture, the politics. He studied abroad in Chile during college and it was a “fundamental experience… useful and fun.” He speaks French and Spanish and bits of Portuguese and Italian. He got back into politics later in life and attended graduate school in Italy. He performed research in Africa and actually got malaria while doing so!

Ultimately, Gabe made his way back to Chicago to live with his brother who is in a band. Gabe learned graphic design with his brother’s band and decided to give it a shot as a career. A graphic designer “helps present information either in print format or on the web.” Gabe works for a commercial real estate company now. He helps market their properties by creating presentations, maps, web sites, brochures, illustrations, photos, and more! “Even on a bad day, I get to play around,” he says.

Prior to becoming a graphic designer, Gabe did gain two years of experience as a teacher. This is what led him to volunteer at Cabrini Connections. “Education is really important to me,” he says. “I wanted to do something.” He googled us, liked all of the commitment we require, and signed up to be a mentor in the fall of 2009.

Gabe currently mentors 7th grader Nehemiah Mitchell (younger sibling of Patrick and Imann Mitchell). He says it has been a “great experience” to work with Nehemiah and he has also enjoyed getting to know Nehemiah’s best friend, Andrion, and his mentor, Frank. Additionally, Gabe organized a fundraiser over the holidays (Beards for Kids), joined a Cabrini Madness team (Boom Goes the Dynamite), participated in the talent show, and attends monthly mixers. He’s become a Cabrini Connections rock star!

Thank you for your time and dedication to the program, Gabe. Nehemiah is lucky to have you!

Live feed of Cabrini-Green demolition and lights

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Project Cabrini Green’s live feed video component, coming from the demolition site, can be watched here 24/7, for the duration of the demolition. The light installation is visible every day, from 7pm to 1am CDT.

Click on the image above to be taken to the Project Cabrini Green web site. Once you are there, click the Home tab to find students' actual audio and text which become the lights. Below are two videos about the project.

"Cabrini's Got Talent" for real!

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:59:00 +0000

Thank you to all of the performers and audience members who came out to the first ever Cabrini Connections Talent Show presented by the Youth Leadership Council on Saturday. All six members of the council worked the entire quarter to make their dream of this show a reality and it paid off... literally! $115.50 was raised from 32 attendees and will go towards the Council's next event (TBA).

After all of the performances were done, we had everyone vote on their top three and we said that the "winners" would be invited to perform at the Year-End Dinner. No one knew this beforehand or during the show because we didn't want it to feel like a competition.

The top three students are:

Marquita Fisher & Dominique Curtis (poem)
Mylana Williams (singing)
Ana Tate (singing)

We would also like to invite Gabe Chapman (guitar) who was the highest vote-getter among the volunteers who performed. You can see all five of these performers live at the Year-End Dinner on Thursday, June 9th, at Cornerstone (1111 N Wells St).

GLC gives back

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Hip hop artist GLC from Chicago visited Cabrini Connections on March 2nd, 2011 to speak about "love, life, and loyalty" - from growing up on the south side of Chicago to becoming a successful artist, working with legends, and winning two Grammies.

We all suffer losses and we take losses in our life, but from those losses we should just use those as motivation in order to win and become a winner and become successful, because if I did it, you definitely can. Church!

Previously: Rhymefest Gives Back

I'm quoted in the Chicago Tribune!

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:15:00 +0000

You can read the article at either of these links:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/art/ct-live-0323-cabrini-tichy-20110322,0,3604457.story
http://www.cabriniconnections.net/images/PDF/2011%20tribunepcg.pdf

It is about Project Cabrini Green which will light up the last high-rise building of Cabrini-Green beginning next week. In January, Cabrini Connections students took part in a public light art workshop with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. They created stories and poems which, based on the rhythms of their recordings, were turned into blinking LED lights. Their lights will be among those placed in each of the 134 windows of the building.

Student Spotlight: Elisabet Ortiz

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:48:00 +0000

First year student Elisabet Ortiz was born in St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago on Mexican Independence Day (September 16th). She attends Lincoln Park High School where she is in the double honors program. Her favorite subject right now is chemistry but she understands the math component and she enjoys doing experiments. “I love playing with fire,” she says, literally.

Elisabet says school is important because, “I need to go to school to be what I want to be. I’d die if I didn’t go to school. You have to work for your long-term goals,” and she does just that! Elisabet’s goal is to graduate high school with a 4.5 GPA. She plans to join the military (noncombat) after school, come back and go to Harvard, get a Ph.D. in Law, become governor, and become the first female president of the United States!

Elisabet got into politics through a political debate club called the Junior Statesmen of America. “We are all representatives and senators and we run it like our own little country,” she says. “There are bills, laws, conventions, debates in Wisconsin…” and in February she got to go to Washington, D.C. to see the real U.S. government in action.

In her spare time, Elisabet is much like any other 10th grader. She enjoys making friendship bracelets, browsing Facebook, hanging out with her friends, and eating at The Cheesecake Factory. If she could visit anywhere in the world right now, she would go to Puerto Rico. She also wants to meet Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber. Perhaps becoming president will give her the power to set up a rendezvous.

Elisabet was connected to Cabrini Connections via her mom who had another child, Kevin Cordero (Class of 2008), in the program. “It has been great so far,” she says. “More than I expected.” Elisabet works with veteran tutor Brea Adams on Thursday nights. “She is a really good role model to me… [and] you have to be qualified for me.”

We’re glad she meets your criteria! Good luck with school and congratulations on making the spotlight!

Volunteer Spotlight: Natalie Durda

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:53:00 +0000

First year mentor Natalie Durda was born in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis. “Things move a little bit slower [in Minnesota],” she says. “Everyone is really nice,” and even though it is north of Chicago, the winters are not as bad because it is not as windy.

In school she loved English, Spanish, and social studies, and, “Soccer was my sport.” Natalie’s parents instilled a strong work ethic in her, so she has always worked hard. She was already working 20 hours a week in high school!

Natalie went to the biggest high school in Minnesota with just under 1000 people in her graduating class. It was intimidating at first and easy to get pressured into doing good and bad things, but she had a core group of friends who stuck by her. She was gradually able to distinguish the wrong crowd and by the end of high school she had all the negative people out of her life.

Moving from high school to college was an even bigger challenge. Natalie, along with a handful of others from her graduating class, chose to attend the University of Kansas. She was really excited about it, but it wasn’t until she got there that she realized how different the culture was.

Her initial feeling was that she had made a bad choice, but after rolling over a few speed bumps during her freshman year, she stuck it out and ended up making awesome friends. Natalie says the experience taught her “how strong you can be” and it made it easier for her to move to Chicago.

She graduated with a degree in social work, but she has since switched careers and now works in commercial real estate on the management side. She may go back to school to get a master’s degree in social work, but for now she is enjoying the work that she is doing.

Whether its work or school or spending time with her friends, Natalie has always kept busy; and volunteering is an important part of her schedule. She found out about Cabrini Connections through Chicago Public School’s web site. She liked that there was a program giving back to the community in which it started.

Natalie works with second year student Alexis Spears on Wednesday nights. Natalie says, “She’s taught me patience and perseverance. We might get frustrated, but a little bit of a positive attitude really goes a long way… Sometimes you need to step back from the situation. You cannot get easily frustrated. This is a child you’re working with. This is not an adult.”

She also says, “Take pride in being a little receptive. Know when to dance around things or be direct with things… Make light of some situations and be serious other times…

Thank you for the simple but important reminder, Natalie, and thank you for your service to Cabrini Connections. We are happy to have you and I’m sure Alexis is, too!

And the Oscar goes to...

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:13:00 +0000

For the second year in a row, Cabrini Connections is hosting a fundraising tournament called Cabrini Madness, and for the second year in a row, I am co-producing weekly videos to promote the campaign and its teams. Above, you can watch "Maybe" - the original Michael Jordan commercial and the EL Da' Sheon Nix remake. Below, you can watch "The Decision" - mimicking LeBron James' ESPN special - and "Training Days" - showing teams, including my Green Team, preparing for the 2011 Cabrini Madness season.

Are we a match?

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:44:00 +0000

Cabrini Connections' second annual Cabrini Madness fundraising tournament is officially underway. Last year, my team, The Green Team, advanced to the Final Four and finished in 3rd place with $1865 raised. This year I am excited to announce that The Green Team is back! Our goal is to break $2000 and contend for the title.

Team members:
Sundi Brewer-Griffin (vol.)
Mark Colwell (non-CC)
Marquise Cook (student)
Dan DeGreef (volunteer)
Israel Dosie (student)
Kaitlin Kalaway (non-CC)
Chris Kelly (volunteer)
Jamie Neuberger (volunteer)
Jordan Stephens (student)
Bradley Troast (staff)

In honor of Valentine's Day, I am matching donations up to $50 total for the next 24 hours, which means, for example, two $15 donations and a $20 donation will become $100, or one $50 donation will become $100. I would appreciate your contribution to get this campaign started. You can click on the screenshot above to access our fundraising page. Thank you very much!

2010 Holiday Appeal a success!

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:28:00 +0000

On December 1st, I began a letter writing campaign that would see $1495 raised for Cabrini Connections by mid-January. The day before, on November 30th, we met as staff to discuss plans for the 2010 Holiday Appeal. Each year we send letters out to our database of past donors and volunteers. An official letter was written up, but our president, Dan Bassill, encouraged us to add a personal touch. I decided to kick it up a notch.

In the envelopes that I sent out in December and early January, I included a full-page, personalized, hand-written letter, at least one photo print, a link to my fundraising page, the standard Holiday Appeal letter, a donation form, and a return envelope. This was a great opportunity to catch up with family and friends, both on a personal and professional level. I really enjoyed the process.

Who did I write to? A lot of people - over 50 in total. I made a network map with hubs for family, my closest group of friends, friends from home (Florida), connections from school (Northwestern), and businesses like my doctors and pet services. This is something that anyone can do. It is a useful strategy for targeting potential donors, but also in general for keeping in touch with and utilizing your network.

I would like to thank all 28 individuals, families, and businesses that donated to my fundraising campaign. We raised $1495 which is an average of over $50 per person. We did this in six weeks which is an average of almost $250 a week. If this went on all year it would be almost $13,000!

Thank you for your generous donations and continued support in dollars, in-kind donations, connections to other resources and potential funders, and words of encouragement. It means a lot to me and our 87 mentors, volunteer coordinators, and club leaders who work with 73 youth on a weekly basis.

Donors
Blum Animal Hospital
Greg Cera
Arnold K. Chernoff, D.D.S.
Stuart Cleland & Karen Koerth
Wayne & Anne Coloney
Ryan Erickson
Max Fletcher
Bonnie Fowler
Natalie Furlett
Anurekha Gollapudi
Anne Griffin
The Kiani Family
Barry & Nancy Lethbridge
Emily Machado
Parag Mahajan
David Nelson
Meixi Ng
Austin Perry
Lauren Pietrocarlo
Deb Reed
Bill & Sheila Ryan
Sam Schiller
Elwin Schott
Nicky Smith
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Bradley Troast
Henry, Peggy, and Celine Troast
The Yilmaz Family

Council plans Talent Show, serves mentors

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:55:00 +0000

On December 16th, the Youth Leadership Council met for the last time in 2010 to decide on a group assignment for winter quarter. Each quarter, the Council is expected to complete one group assignment and each member is expected to complete one individual assignment. After debating several options, the decision came down to a lock-in or a talent show. The group decided to go with a talent show because, given our financial situation, they felt it would be helpful if their assignment had a fundraising element. The lock-in will most likely be saved for spring or summer as a celebration of the year.

On January 13th, the Council met for the first time in 2011 to begin plans for the talent show. They were joined by Thursday night student Nazarah Bilal, who expressed interest in planning a talent show, and her mother, Gina Ercoli, who has experience with fundraising and event planning. After discussing many elements of the show - location, date, audio/video needs, catering, ticket sales - it was decided that their first step would be to assess whether any students would actually participate in a talent show. So they came up with a sign-up sheet and made an announcement that night, but it wasn't just any other announcement (see video above).

On January 27th, the Council met to continue planning for the talent show and a special recognition project for mentors. During the week of January 24th, all students, led by Council members, served dinner to their mentors during sessions! This was the culmination of National Mentoring Month during which we have had a couple students stand up each week to thank their mentors and all of the other mentors. It was a great surprise much appreciated by the (hungry) volunteers.

With about 10 students interested so far, the Council decided to extend the sign-up deadline for the talent show another two weeks. At their next meeting, they will decide on a location and date and begin serious planning for the event. If you would like to contribute your talents - as a performer or a volunteer - please let me know and I will put you in touch with the committee.

In the meantime, their individual assignment is to "take over" student and volunteer spotlights for the month of February. During each session, a different Council member will meet a student and a volunteer who they do not know and then introduce them to the group during announcements when we regularly do spotlights. We always talk about being one big family and using the room to your advantage, so the Council hopes to set a good example for other students looking to meet new people.

That's all (that's a lot!) for now. Stay tuned for more updates.

Volunteer Spotlight: Catherine Mugeria

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 07:48:00 +0000

Catherine Mugeria grew up in Nairobi, Kenya. She says it is a great country with better (than Chicago) weather and beautiful scenery. Her parents still live there while her sister lives in the United Kingdom and her brother lives in Florida.

After high school, Catherine moved to the United States to attend college. She chose DePaul University because it has a good program in her area of interest (math). She ended up graduating with a double major in finance and economics.

What made her undergraduate experience interesting is that Catherine went to school full-time and worked full-time. Because of financial reasons, she had to do this in order to pay her tuition. She worked for GE until she graduated in 2005.

Catherine’s first job out of college was in the finance department at Kraft Foods. She worked her way up in the organization before recently leaving to join a consulting firm. To be successful in the field of finance, Catherine says you have to be good at math, you have to be detail-oriented, and you have to have good communication skills. Your main responsibilities are to prepare budgets, close the books for each month, and communicate numbers to senior members of the executive staff.

Part of why Catherine is interested in volunteerism is that she wants to see more minorities in the finance area. “[Youth] are intimidated by numbers and so they don’t pursue that,” she concludes. Catherine first expressed interest in Cabrini Connections in 2008 before finally being paired up with Khaliyah Jones in 2010.

“At first, you don’t know what to expect,” says Catherine, “but now I feel that I’m easing in. I’m really connecting with my mentee. I look forward to coming every Wednesday.” Her tip for getting to know your student is: make him or her at ease. Ask what your mentee did over the weekend and share your contact information up front. She told Khaliyah, “You can reach me any time.”

Catherine’s advice for students is to focus on your English skills. As you progress further in your education, if you consider graduate school, your reading and writing skills will be critically important. She also says, “Be smart about picking your [undergraduate] school. The alumni network and school name goes a long way.”

Catherine’s hobbies include running (She has completed marathons in Chicago and San Francisco), traveling (She has been to Dubai, Europe, Tanzania, Uganda, and Bahrain), and meeting new people. “I enjoy getting to know different cultures outside of my own,” she says. “It has helped me adapt to this country.”

Look out for Catherine on Wednesday nights and as the captain of Cabrini Madness team "Running for Cabrini." Congratulations on reaching the spotlight!

Student Spotlight: Justin Fields

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley Troast) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 07:43:00 +0000

Justin Fields was born outside of the United States in Kingston, Jamaica. He moved to Chicago when he was 12 months old and he has been here ever since. Justin likes Chicago because most of his family lives here and the summers are great. He does love to travel, though. He has been to Mississippi and Virginia and he even thinks that Virginia might be better than Chicago. If Justin could go anywhere right now, he would go back to Jamaica or visit California.

As a child, Justin was shy, but he got over it thanks to people who introduced him to their friends. He was the beneficiary of networking just like we hope you all are here at Cabrini Connections.

Justin is a 7th grader at Oscar Mayer Magnet School. His favorite class is physical education (PE) because he loves sports. His favorite sport is soccer in which he plays goalie. The subjects he struggles with most are social studies and language arts, which is partly why he signed up for Cabrini Connections – to get help with his reading and writing.

Justin graduated from Cabrini Green Tutoring Program last year. His mother suggested he join Cabrini Connections and after one quarter he already loves it. Justin’s “awesome” mentor is Brian Kamajian who is also in his first year. “[Brian] always has a smile on his face,” says Justin, “and he always says ‘Let’s bust it open’ when it comes to homework.” Justin also appreciates his mentor as a motivator. “Even though I get tired, [Brian] tells me to keep trying. He’s a really good guy.”

With a solid mentor by his side, Justin can set his sights on big goals. In two years, it will be time for Justin to move up to high school. His top three options are Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, The Chicago Academy for the Arts (ChiArts), and Walter Payton College Prep.

In college, Justin would like to study film, specifically screenwriting, and music. He has been a member of Cabrini Connections’ Video & Filmmakers Club since September 2010. Currently he is co-developing a fund raising video for the club.

As for music, Justin has been listening to it his whole life. He plays bass guitar and he loves to perform even though he can’t sing. He credits his aspirations to teachers who encouraged him to become a musician. If either option doesn’t work out, he’s also interested in becoming a painter, an actor, or a professional boxer.

Good luck as you continue to grow up, Justin! We’re excited to see what you accomplish!