How Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC grew from single Chicago youth program

Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present); Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net @tutormentorteam
In November 1992 Daniel F. Bassill and six other volunteers created a non-profit
called Cabrini Connections* to help inner-city teens in the Cabrini Green area
of Chicago connect with volunteer tutors, mentors and extra learning
opportunities. At the same time they created the Tutor/Mentor Connection to
help programs like Cabrini Connections grow in all parts of Chicago. Learn
more about why this two-part strategy was created. Learn how it is being
continued since 2011 by the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC.
How did Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC grow from one small volunteer-
based tutor/mentor program started in Chicago in 1992?
Daniel F. Bassill
& Leo Hall, 2014

TOTAL Tutor/Mentor Connection now supported by Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, led by Daniel Bassill
Chicago
In November 1992 seven volunteers
created a two-part strategy to help
inner city youth reach careers.
1) They created a Cabrini-Green area
tutor/mentor program called Cabrini
Connections (since 2016 Chicago
Tutoring Connection)
2) So, they created the Tutor/Mentor
Connection (T/MC) to help every
poverty neighborhood have a full
range of tutor/mentor programs
Pg 2
*In June 2011 the Board of Directors voted to discontinue support of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC). The
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC was created by Dan Bassill, founder of CC, T/MC, to continue the work of the T/MC.
They realized “one more small program can change the
lives of a few youth, but have no affect on the lives of
240,000 youth living in Chicago poverty neighborhoods.”
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present); Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net

However, the roots of the
organization go back to 1965
when employee volunteers of
Montgomery Ward launched a
tutor/mentor program for 2nd to
6th grade kids living in the
Cabrini Green development.
Timeline from 1965
http://tinyurl.com/Timeline1965 .
Cabrini Connections was formed in November 1992
by a team of seven volunteers led by Daniel F.
Bassill, a former Montgomery Ward Advertising
manager.
This was front page of Chicago Sun Times on Oct. 15,
1992 when our leaders created Cabrini Connections.
Pg 3
Learn the history. See how the T/MC strategy can be applied in any city.

Archive of
Cabrini Connections
After 2011 the Board of
Directors changed the name of
the youth program from Cabrini
Connections, to Chicago
Tutoring Connection.
They did not protect the domain
name and the former site
cannot be found.
Yet older versions are available
via the Internet Archive. This
was from 2001.
See it in article at
https://tutormentor.blogspot.com
/2022/09/tutormentor-
connection-vision-2001.html
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present); Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), www.tutormentorexchange.net Pg 4

Cabrini Connections was formed with a three-part
mission. In Nov. 1992 the T/MC was just a vision.
7th to 12th grade
program started in
Jan. 1993.
• Saturday morning
improvisation at St.
Joseph’s Church
• Bi-weekly lunch at
Wells HS
• 580 teens involved
from 1993-2010
Cabrini Connections
Cabrini Connections Training Connection Tutor/Mentor
Connection (T/MC)
Would provide
training for
volunteers in
tutor/mentor
programs
throughout the
Chicago region
• Would help build
public awareness,
and generate
resources for
tutor/mentor
programs
• Would fill
leadership void
Pg 5

In 1993 this became a two-part strategy.
7th to 12th grade
program started in
Jan. 1993.
• Saturday morning
improvisation at St.
Joseph’s Church
• Bi-weekly lunch at
Wells HS
Cabrini Connections
Cabrini Connections
Training Connection
Tutor/Mentor Connection
In 1993 the training
connection became
part of the T/MC
• Would help build
public awareness,
and generate
resources for
tutor/mentor
programs
• Would fill
leadership void
Pg 6

Cabrini Connections program design concepts grew
from lessons learned leading Montgomery Ward/
Cabrini-Green Tutoring Program since 1975
Coordinators Committees Jr. A’s
(7th
– 8th
grade
helpers)
Networking and
learning with
other Chicago
programs since
1976.
Origin of CC ‘s
Volunteer based
structure
Origin of CC ‘s
commitment to
teens
Origin of T/MC
Pg 7

Cabrini Connections* grew from 7 teens to 75-80 per year from
1993 – 1998 and continued at this size through 2011. This graphic
visualized the program's efforts to provide one-on-one mentors &
tutors and a variety of other learning opportunities.
Pg 8
* since 2011 Tutor/Mentor Connection has not been part of the Cabrini Connections program, which since 2016 operates as
Chicago Tutoring Connection.
Read about this at
http://tinyurl.com/TQM-visualization

Tutor/Mentor Connection history and structure: Case for Collective Action
While it is easy to understand where the Cabrini Connections program came
from, the roots of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) may be more obscure.
The T/MC grew from lessons Dan Bassill learned in his corporate retail
advertising roles with Montgomery Ward (1973-1990), from three years in US
Army Intelligence (1968-71), from three years serving as a Loaned Executive with
the United Way/Crusade of Mercy (1990-1993), and from studying history at
Illinois Wesleyan University (1964-68)...
And from leading the Montgomery Ward/Cabrini Green Tutoring Program
between 1975 and 1992.
The T/MC launched in Jan 1994. By 1996 it was gaining national attention and
was invited to be a “Teaching Example” at the 1997 Presidents’ Summit for
America’s Future. However, most people only understood CC, T/MC as a single
program serving one neighborhood.
Pg 9
Dan Bassill continues to lead this strategy via Tutor/Mentor
Institute, LLC and is author of this and many other visual
essays.

By leading a tutor/mentor program from 1975 to 2011, Daniel
Bassill built an understanding of “what it takes” for youth and
volunteers to connect each week in a structured program.
Many people understand the idea
of connecting a youth and mentor.
Few people spend much time
thinking of the infrastructure
needed to support long-term
connections of youth and adult
volunteers in every inner city
neighborhood.
Even fewer think about making
such programs available in
hundreds of locations of big cities
like Chicago.
Pg 10

a) There is no source of trained leaders for volunteer-based
programs like Cabrini Connections
b) Operating resources are difficult to find and even more
difficult to keep from year to year
c) Occasional news stories don’t generate daily public awareness
and draw dollars to non profit youth organizations the way
advertising draws customers to retail stores
d) Most small non profits do not have board members and
volunteers with the “civic reach” needed to generate the
philanthropic investment needed to build strong organizations
e) Without philanthropic capital small programs like Cabrini
Connections do not have resources to do all they need to “help
kids from 1st to 12th
grade” let alone provide support to growing
number of alumni
Lessons learned from 1975-1992. Reasons for
launching Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993:
Pg 11

f) there was no consistent leadership from the Mayor,
Governor, United Way or School Board to fill the non-school
hours with comprehensive tutor/mentor programs
a) there was uneven media coverage of “kids in poverty” stories
b) there was no database with “all” Chicago tutor/mentor programs.
c) public attention tended to focus on a few high profile
programs or a few high profile neighborhoods (Cabrini
Green, Robert Taylor, etc.)
d) there was no consistent effort to raise and distribute funds or
volunteers into every neighborhood.
e) no one was consistently reaching out with a “How can I help
you succeed?” message
While a single program struggles to get the capital and
operating resources it needs, so do most others.
Lessons from 1975-1992.
Pg 12

History of Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present). A model for youth program growth in any city
No one had a master database of
Chicago tutor/mentor programs in
1992.
No leaders were using maps to
show where tutor/mentor programs
are needed, based on poverty, or
where existing programs were
operating.
Thus there was no way for leaders
to build a program-support strategy
that would help all neighborhoods
have great tutor/mentor programs.
Pg 12

Tutor/Mentor Connection history and structure: A Case for Collective Action
As we entered 1993, we knew that
Cabrini Connections – and every
other volunteer-based
tutor/mentor program in Chicago
--needs the following resources
every year to keep youth and
volunteers connected:
* trained leaders
* volunteers
* public visibility
* operating dollars
* technology
* training/learning
Pg 14

Not just a few great programs, but great Youth Programs in every high poverty neighborhood.
Until the Tutor/Mentor
Connection (T/MC), no
leader was consistently
trying to pull these
needed resources into
every poverty
neighborhood of
Chicago or into every
neighborhood with
poorly performing
public schools.
Pg 15

Tutor/Mentor Connection: A Global Strategy Can Support and Individual Program Local Strategy
By talking about the needs of an
entire city…
The Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC)
generated public awareness that drew
these resources to the Cabrini
Connections program and to every
other program in Chicago
Pg 16
https://tutormentorexchange.net/images/PDF/chitribune12_30_1994.pdf

Insurance
Healthcare
Arts, Culture.
Religion
Government
Education
Science,
Math
Engineering
Manufacturing
Transportation
Retailing
Wholesaling
Built environment
Engineering
Natural Resources
Agriculture
Finance, Personal &
Business Services
Hospitality
Recreation
Technology
Communications
The T/MC strategy seeks to enlist volunteers and leaders
from every industry to mentor kids to careers. The Cabrini
Connections program was doing the same.
Cabrini Connections
and T/MC both seek
business partners to
help in PULLING
youth To careers
Pg 17

By focusing on “what it takes” to help tutor/mentor programs get consistent
resources, the T/MC seeks to mobilize high profile leaders to help mobilize
attention, volunteers and dollars for every program in the Chicago region.
We've created many graphics that illustrate T/MC ideas. See more like this in essays
and blog articles at www.tutormentorexchange.net .
Pg 18

By focusing on “what it takes” to help youth in many neighborhoods
move through school and into jobs and careers we seek to enlist
support from leaders in every industry.
Pg 19
View article at
https://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2020/07/creating-economic-justice-opportunity.html

Recognizing that non profits have few advertising dollars, we seek
to teach youth, volunteers, leaders from many sectors, schools and
many youth programs to be network-builders, using blogs, social
media, personal networking, etc. to expand the frequency and
reach of our messages to potential supporters.
Pg 20

Strategy intended to generate greater media attention
The T/MC strategy sought to increase
media stories about tutor/mentor so that
more volunteers and donors would
support tutor/mentor programs in all
parts of the Chicago region….and that
some donors would also support the
intermediary role of the T/MC.
Pg 21
See news stories at
http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/news-pr

The T/MC started as part of a single program. How
Cabrini Connections benefited from T/MC:
Without the T/MC, Cabrini Connections could not have survived its first few years.
By talking about the needs of the entire city, the T/MC helped CC get more public
attention
T/MC visibility has helped recruit volunteers and donors for Cabrini Connections.
T/MC library of information provides an on-going wealth of information for Cabrini
Connections to innovate with
T/MC shared costs for rented space, staff, and utilities with Cabrini Connections,
lowering the costs and making better space available.
Note: any youth program launching a T/MC strategy in their own city could
generate the same benefits.
Cabrini Connections
Research Visibility Resources Training
Pg 22

How T/MC Benefits from being part of an
active tutor/mentor program:
Direct involvement in the Cabrini Connections program provided
day-to-day reasons for T/MC to exist
Cabrini Connections volunteers and staff created the T/MC and
took it to the internet.
Cabrini Connection news stories and videos added to public
awareness generated by T/MC
The Cabrini Connections experience kept T/MC focused on
everyday needs of small volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs
Tutor/Mentor Connection
Research Visibility Resources Training
Pg 23

From 1993-2011 the Tutor/Mentor Connection
enabled the small Cabrini Connections program to
connect with leaders it might not have known.
A single non-profit in any other city could adopt,
and lead, a T/MC type strategy, with the same, or
greater, benefit to itself, and its city.
Pg 24

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC created in July 2011 to continue to support T/MC in Chicago
From 1992 to 2011 the volunteers and supporters of
Cabrini Connections bore the responsibility of raising
money to support the T/MC efforts to help tutor/mentor
programs grow in all parts of Chicago.
The Board of Directors decided it could no longer do
this and voted to end support of the T/MC effective
June 30, 2011.
Pg 25
Dan Bassill created the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC in July 2011 as a strategy to continue to
support the Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago while helping similar intermediaries grow in
other cities. Since Dan is now 76 his focus is on finding others who will create their own
Tutor/Mentor Connection strategies, continuing the work he piloted in Chicago. Email Dan
at tutormentor2@earthlink.net if you’d like to know more.

TOTAL This global strategy is now supported by Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC and your help is needed.
Chicago
If you want to support a single
volunteer-based program in one
neighborhood of Chicago…
1) Use the T/MC database to find
contact information for programs in
every part of Chicago.
2) Set up a learning strategy to
understand the T/MC and the work
done in Chicago since 1993. Then
help us support intermediaries like
the Tutor/Mentor Connection grow
in Chicago and every other major
city of the world
If you want to help more k-12 youth be part
of volunteer-based programs….
Pg 26
Help fund the work.
Visit https://tutormentorexchange.net/helptmi

Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC sites:
http://www.tutormentorexchange.net
http://tutormentor.blogspot.com
http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com
http://tutormentorconnection.ning.com
https://tutormentorexchange.net/social-media
Get Informed. Get Involved.
Use these web sites as a
resource for your own efforts
to help youth living in high
poverty areas.
Pg 27
Use this and other visual essays as starting points for your own thinking and
strategies. Get youth involved. Visit the T/MC Intern blog and see how 2006-
2015 interns communicated these ideas. http://michaelcnt.blogspot.com/
Connect with Dan on
social media sites.

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