The Tutor/Mentor Connection was formed in 1993 and launched its first survey of Chicago tutor/mentor programs in 1994. 120 organizations responded and confirmed that they offered some form of volunteer-based tutoring and/or mentoring in Chicago.  54% said they had little or no contact with peers. 71% said they would like more contact. 90% said they would come to a conference if the price was low enough, and the date was free.

Thus, in May 1994 we offered the first tutor/mentor Conferernce. Enough people said "good" and offered to help us plan these conferences that we did another in Nov. 1994 and 200 people attended. We've been offering them every six months since then. Barak Obama was a speaker in 1999.

Yet, the Tutor/Mentor Connection has never been able to find consistent funding for its activities or these conferences. This Decade Review pdf shows what we've accomplished in the past decade and how little we've had to do this.

Thus, we enter 2011 with even less money than before for the T/MC.  If we cannot find donors and sponsors or donated space, we will not host a May 2011 conference and perhaps not a November conference either. That would break a string of 34 consecutive networking events organized by our small organization.

If you're reading this and want to help keep these conferences and the T/MC going, help us find new sponsors and donors, or donated space in Chicago.