"Thank You. Dan Card (1989-90) From Students and Volunteers

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From 1975 to 1992 I led a volunteer-based tutor/mentor program serving 2nd to 6th grade youth at the Montgomery Ward Corporate Headquarters in Chicago. I did this as a volunteer for the first 15 years. I then created and led another program serving inner-city teens, from 1993 till 2011. From these experiences I created the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993, to help similar programs grow in all high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago and other cities. This presentation shares a "thank you" card given to me during the 1989-90 school year, signed by dozens of students and volunteers. Their messages are representative of many I've received over the many years of doing this work.

Présentations et discours publics

Thank You from 1989-90 students
and volunteers of Montgomery Ward-
Cabrini Green Tutoring Program
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC http://www.tutormentorexchange.net @tutormentorteam

I'm not sure what the occasion was, but during the end of the
1989-90 school year students and volunteers at the tutoring
program I had led since 1975, as a volunteer while holding
full time retail advertising jobs with the Montgomery Ward
Corporation, created a huge 22x28” thank you card for me.
The first page is shown on the previous slide. Below is page
2 of the card. Zoom in to view signatures and messages.
Page 2

This is page 3 of 4 - Zoom in to view messages.
Page 3

This is from page 3
This is my wife Emily, with the
student she mentored, at our year-
end graduation from 6th
grade
ceremony.
Page 4

This is page 4 of 4 - Zoom in to view messages.
Page7

This certificate of appreciation was given to every student
and volunteer at the end of each school year. The best
awards are the people I have met through leading the
tutor/mentor programs.
Page14

The goal of tutor/mentor programs I've led has been to
expand network of adults helping kids move through school
and into adult lives and careers.
I'm still connected to many students and
volunteers from the 1970s-2000s via
Facebook, LinkedIN and other social media.
I keep hoping that others from the past will
find me and re-connect, and will help me
continue my efforts far into the future.
Visit http://www.tutormentorexchange.net
to find links to the resources I share and
my social media spaces.

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This presentation outlines strategies developed in a tutor/mentor program I led in Chicago from 1975 to 1992, and a second program that I led in Chicago from 1993 to 2011. The steps are sequential, and concurrent. For instance, as an out-of-school-time program, youth are volunteers, as are tutors and mentors. A program must continuously work to attract and retain student and volunteer participation. These are the first two steps. If students don't attend regularly, and return for multiple years, the other steps don't reach them. This and other presentations created since the 1990s are intended to help leaders, volunteers, donors and policy-makers build and sustain, comprehensive, long-term, mentor-rich youth learning programs in every high poverty area of Chicago and other places.

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