July_2011 - Newsletter

CTC Supporters,

We are now in full-fledged Summer Camp mode and this is our largest yet! In addition to the 26 new learn-to-row (LTR) kids that came to the first LTR practice, we have another 31 kids in our Elite group, training for the 2011 Chicago Sprints. Our ability across the board is higher and we have a much deeper squad than in previous years. With the superb coaching of Ali Williams, Tiff Wood, and Susan Parkman, we are very excited about the upcoming Chicago Regatta by the lake! July 9th and 10th

To date Ali Williams has spoken to the kids about her time coxing the Great 8 and giving our coxswains specific help on motivating a crew, while keeping a cool head under pressure. Tiff Wood and Susan Parkman have drilled home the need for focused attention to detail as well as the importance of perseverance and drive to achieve a shared goal. These tools, in addition to the pressure of an upcoming event, have made this camp a very good experience for all involved.

Information on the Chicago Sprints Regatta can be found HERE. This regatta tends to be the most accessible and fun regatta of the year and our kids are thrilled to be taking part. Please stop by and contribute to the cheers along the lagoon - BBQ will be grilling each day!

Beyond our immediate focus on the Chicago Sprints, we are continuing to build on CTC infrastructure, solidify funding sources, and grow our organization in a sustainable and replicable way. To achieve this, we are glad to continue working with the Lumity Organization, Executive Service Corps, and Youth Guidance to address areas of financial, executive, and recruitment needs. Being an emerging non-profit organization is an exciting reality, but one with a lot of responsibility and pressure. We embrace these challenges and plan to be a meaningful contributor to Chicago's underserved communities in the very near future.

To help achieve this lofty goal, I am pleased to formally announce a Save the Date for our 5th annual CTC Gala. We are going to host our annual event on the 11th of November at the Downtown University Club of Chicago. Everyone is encouraged to attend and support our work and our kids. Information will continually be updated and if you have supplied us your mailing address you will be getting information in our first annual year-end report (out in August). If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please send us your contact details.

***** Website Changes *****

We have now updated our website to include all previous email blasts so if you have missed one you can backtrack in the archives. In addition, we have added a very easy contact management tool if you would like be added to our mailing list - just see the main home page of our website. We will continue to tweak our site as we intend to give you the best information possible. If there is anything you would like to see but cannot find, please let us know and we would be happy to incorporate your thoughts.

****** Special Offer *****

As you know, we are a sponsored sports organization by Rudy Project. These high end sunglasses are fantastic for sports and our kids are very lucky to have access to them. As a special offer to supporters, we have been able to give you a support code to purchase glasses at a vastly discounted rate while directly helping our team. Please use the code chicagotc at this website (www.e-rudy.com) and hopefully you will find something you like! A portion of the proceeds makes it way back to CTC by way of merchandise our kids can use everyday!