CTC Newsletter Archive March_2011 - Newsletter
CTC Supporters,
CTC and UNO had a fantastic showing at the 2011 Chicago Indoor Rowing Championships (CIRC). In total, there were 32 competitors in our colors and we had a number of PRs (personal records). For many this was the first time in a competitive environment and the nerves were showing! Notable performances were put in by top 10 performers Kevin Ramos (6th), Brian Martinez (3rd), Jocelyn Duran (1st), Genova Izguerra (10th), Jonathan Vega (10th) and the boys relay team (3rd). This event helped prove why we work so hard in the winter and made it clear the improvement needed as we move forward. Thank you to all the families and volunteer coaches that came out and supported the kids! CTC had the highest number of participants from a junior organization - a first for us and something to build on for 2012!
As CTC looks forward to the upcoming spring season, a quick update on our Exeter students is in order. Abigail and Charielle (class of 2010) are now closing in on the conclusion of their one year post graduate high school experience. They have found the work more challenging than they imagined but have soldiered on and will graduate this spring. Already they have been accepted into a number of quality universities - most recently the University of Wisconsin - so we are happy they used this experience for their educational benefit. Congrats and keep the work up!
To help our students level the playing field with other student athletes that row (traditionally high-end schools in upper middle class neighborhoods), CTC has begun a partnership with IVY Bound test prep. This partnership will allow our students (as young as sophomores) to start exam prep for the SATs in a systematic and proven manner. Starting March 7th we will utilize our relationship with Loyola University School of Law to begin the process in earnest. If you are at all interested in IVY Bound's program you can find detailed information on our website under the Tutoring section (HERE).
While the 'old' kids continue to prep for the season, CTC was also busy mining schools for new recruits. Thanks to contacts and support from school leaders we were able to give presentations at Phoenix, Little Village, Westinghouse, and Richard Edwards Elementary. Since the meetings, new recruits have started to arrive wide-eyed at the workouts and the pain locker (aka: circuit room)! To say we are pushing them off the proverbial deep end would be an understatement. But thanks to the support of Gage Park, they are hitting the ground in stride and look forward to the events that are soon coming up. Specifically:
With all that is going on it must also be noted that CTC's close relationship with the University Of Michigan in Ann Arbor has allowed us to plan a special visit to their campus and witness a rowing practice. This special opportunity will be a reward to participants with high attendance rates and something we plan to repeat annually. Coach Charley Sullivan made a special visit to CTC to discuss life as a college athlete. He also invited select members of the CTC team to Michigan to experience that life in person. A special trip indeed.
We are also happy to announce that our call for a Recruitment and Retention Specialist elicited a very good response and ended with the hiring of Mr. Freddy Cahue. Freddy has been working with us to follow up with interested students and will be invaluable in the expansion of our outreach. He will interface with participants' families - many of whom are not bi-lingual. In addition, his efforts will have support from CPS's Community Connectors whose work focuses on turnaround schools. We look forward to expanding our resources for recruiting new student participants.
To aid the important work we do, we are glad to announce that we have gained a new coach, Mr. Pat Spellane, who brings our current number to 16! And please welcome our new Office Management Volunteer, Mrs. Laurie Druse. The CTC family is growing by the month!
To conclude this update, Montana Butsch has been published for a second time in Chicago's Catalyst Magazine. His article, "The Definition of Value," focuses on the common denominators that must be achieved for successful youth outreach -- participant, agency, and funders' views.
If you are interested in reading this article, please click HERE and leave your comments. As we all know, CTC is a wonderful way to garner fantastic results for Chicago's underserved populations, but we cannot address everything. We hope programs like ours continue to thrive, and with your continued support, CTC's future is bright.
A thank you to everyone that reached out to us in our last email blast and a personal call out to new people who might want to get involved. If you would like to be a part of CTC in any fashion, please contact us at your earliest convenience.
Please note - that if you would like to be on the mailing list for our yearly magazine-style report, please make sure to update your information on the footer link or email us directly. An updated specific email will be sent a week after this as a reminder.
Finally, our Summer Camp is now taking shape and we are happy to announce that we have already confirmed Tiff Wood, Ali Williams, William F. Byrd, and Susan Parkman. We have limited space so please contact CTC if you are interested in registering. Specific information can be found HERE.
* Links within newsletters may be outdated.
PO Box 7076,
Chicago IL, 60680-7076
Tel: 1.302.338.1205
info@chicagotrainingcenter.org
