The mission of Cabrini Connections is to provide an organized framework that empowers and encourages volunteers to give their time, skills, and support in seeking life-changing solutions for children who live in an educationally, disadvantaged environment. This is accomplished through a direct-service Cabrini Connections program and through the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC). The TMC gathers and organizes information known about successful after-school tutor/mentor programs, shares knowledge to expand its availability and enhance the effectiveness of services to children throughout Chicago.

Visit these pages to learn more about the Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Program :
* Cabrini Connections web site: www.cabriniconnections.net
*   Jimmy Biggs Memorial Cabrini Connections Golf Benefit
*   Weekly Newsletter of the Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Program
*   Volunteer Opportunities with the Cabrini Connections program at 800 W. Huron

More than 600 adults have volunteers in various capacities with the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Cabrini Connections since October 1992 when seven volunteers launched this organization. The cadre of dedicated volunteers includes business professionals, lawyers, accountants, and managers, as well as students from nearby universities. Most volunteers started as one-on-one tutors/mentors in our Cabrini Connections program and then learned ways to help us create the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC). Some volunteers found the T/MC via the Internet and have become valuable contributors to our work. Some work only on one project and for a short time. Some work on the same project for many years. Some volunteer for a short time, then move on to other opportunities.

Please review this list of volunteer opportunities and call us (312-492-9614) or email (tutormentor2@earthlink.net) ) if you're interested in helping on one or more. This list is organized alphabetically. The committees on Volunteer Recruitment and Training, which are at the bottom of the list, are just as important as the committees at the top. Volunteers can serve on more than one committee and can also be one-on-one tutors/mentors if they wish.

Note: while we need help, hundreds of other tutor/mentor programs in Chicago also need help. If you want to volunteer in another neighborhood, or another age group, use the Program Locator and Program Links to find contact information for other programs in Chicago. Visit www.tutormentorconnection.org and use the on-line library to learn about the various types of tutor/mentor programs that operate in different parts of the country and learn where and why these programs are needed.

Communications Committee -- Volunteers from this group have graphic arts, public relations, writing, journalism, web design and other communications backgrounds. They help prepare all of the many publications, brochures and other material used to connect youth, volunteers, parents, donors and other stakeholders with each other and the tutor/mentor community. Volunteer roles can be on-going or by project. Time commitment varies.

Computer/Technology Committee -- Volunteers from this group are meeting in an on-line planning and networking forums. The committee is responsible for developing and implementing the technology plan for Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection. This ranges from determining the technology needed, to getting the technology from a variety of fund raising efforts, to working with teens and volunteers to maximize uses of the technology. This and other Cabrini Connections on-line planning groups are located at the http://www.tutormentorconnection.org/GetInvolved/DiscussionForums/tabid/474/Default.aspx section of one of the T/MC web sites. To join a group just click into the one that interests you, or , email tutormentor2@earthlink.net . Time Commitment: Approx. 4-8 hours per month.

Database/documentation/Technology Committee -- The goal of this group is to develop and maintain interactive Internet-based databases that can be used to collect and share information. Currently Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection collect and maintain information on a variety of databases which are not connected. This creates an inefficiency and redundancy. The primary goal of this committee is to develop a web-based database that collects information from various entry points and supports multiple users and purposes. For instance, this database would feed the T/MC's Geographic Information System (GIS) which we use to map the locations of tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago region. Volunteers working on this project should have extensive experience in database design.

Educational Resource -- Cabrini Connections is not a school, and its volunteers are not professional teachers. However, our goal is to help our teens succeed academically, socially and in the work place. Through this committee we seek to help our volunteers and students maximize the academic opportunities of our technology and the weekly tutoring/mentoring sessions. This committee develops materials that are included in the T/MC's Internet LINKS library and recruits participants for Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conferences. Time Commitment: Appox: 1-4 hours per month

Evaluation and Documentation Committee -- This group has a research background and a business “track and chart” mentality. They want to document everything and look at the outcomes of the program from a dozen different angles.Their mission is to build systems that make it easier to collect actions and outcomes from volunteers, students and other stakeholders, as well as to analyze, evaluate and share this information with an extended network of program leaders and supporters throughout the country. See www.cabriniconnections.net/feedback and http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/OHATS/Intro_OHATS.htm for examples.

Fund raising/Incentives -- Raising money to fund the Tutor/Mentor Connection and the Cabrini Connections program is a constant challenge. Volunteers from this group take the lead on different events and fund raising activities, such as the Golf Benefit, Video Festival, Harvest Benefit, and annual appeal. Time Commitment: Approx. 4-6 hours per month

GIS Mapping/Youth Apprentice -- Volunteers with expertise in Geographic Information Systems and Internet are working to build this capacity. Once a GIS is in place at Cabrini Connections, we seek volunteers who will teach teens to create map views and web pages that show where tutor/mentor programs are needed and where they are located. This is a career development activity. Time Commitment: Approx 4-6 hours per month.

Net-Worker. The easiest, and possibly most important role anyone can take is that of a Net-Worker. This is someone who actively spreads the word about tutoring/mentoring to others. Just by encouraging someone to visit this web site, or the www.tutormentorconnection.org web site, you enlarge the army of tutors/mentors and resource builders in Chicago. You can spread the word through church sermons, web site links, email, letters, word-of-mouth. We don't have advertising dollars, so this grass-roots networking is essential to building support for tutor/mentor programs throughout the Chicago area.

Resources Committee -- Identifies and acquires resources to be used by volunteers and students to achieve program's mission. Time Commitment: Approx. 4-6 hours per month

Scroungers – These are people who can find anything, at any time. This group works with the Resources Committee and the Fund Raising/Events Committee. If you need a book, a computer, a speaker, etc., these are people who thrive on finding hard-to-get stuff. If that’s you, give us a call!

Tutor/Mentor Connection Volunteer – These are people who work with Cabrini Connections to help make tutor/mentor programs more available in all other parts of Chicago and in cities throughout America. Volunteers help organize major events, such as the Chicagoland Tutor/Mentor Volunteer Recruitment Campaign, the May and November Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conferences, an on-going Public Awareness Campaign, etc. Volunteers also work within their own business, professional and social networks to develop T/MC partnerships such as the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend-A-Hand Program at the Chicago Bar Association/Foundation (www.lend-a-hand.net) Time commitment: Approx 4-6 hrs per month.

Student Recruitment/Retention Committee -- Designs and implements programs that will encourage and motivate students to achieve. Time Commitment: Approx. 4-6 hours per month

Chicagoland Tutor/Mentor Volunteer Recruitment Campaign Committee -- Volunteers work on a year-round basis to develops and implement strategies that recruit volunteers for all tutor/mentor programs in the Chicago region. Volunteers are responsible for finding sponsors and raising funds to support the campaign. Time Commitment: Approx. 4-6 hours per month. Learn more about the T/MC's citywide recruitment campaign.

Volunteer Social/Recognition Committee -- Schedules social activities to give volunteers the opportunity to interact and support each other. Time Commitment: Approx. 2-4 hours per month (plus time spent participating in events)

Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conference and Volunteer Training Committee -- this group organizes the May and November Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conference and focuses on strategies that help all tutor/mentor programs have the training and leadership needed to be successful. A focus of this group is the education of business, media and philanthropic partners so that group like the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend-A-Hand Program (http://www.lend-a-hand.net) become established in hundreds of places around the country. Time Commitment: Approx. 3-6 hours per month. T

The Tutor/Mentor Connection is part of Cabrini Connections, a 501 (c)(3) non profit. Each year we must raise more than $400,000 to keep this organization operating. This is a constant struggle because many donors can't give each year and many organizations are competing for the same donor dollar. Yet we have made a commitment to help each youth who joins our Cabrini Connections program in 7th and 8th grade be starting a job/career by age 25. More than that, we have made a commitment to help every other tutor/mentor program in the Chicago region get the volunteers, dollars and training they need to also help kids be mentored to jobs and careers. To keep that commitment we need help from volunteers and donors. If you are able to make a contribution to support our programs, or if you have a foundation which would accept a grant proposal, please call 312-492-9614, or send your contribution to