And the Oscar goes to...

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?

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!

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.

Council plans Talent Show, serves mentors

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.