In January 2010, the SunTimes Judge Marovitz Lawyers Lend a Hand to Youth Program distributed $217,000 in grants to 31 different Chicago area tutor/mentor programs.  Guidelines for receiving a Lend A Hand Grant are posted here.

Special Awards and Grants went to: 

* Thomas A. Demetrio Award of Excellence - PEAK - Partnership to Educate and Advance Kids
* The Much Shelist Founders Award - Inspired Youth Tutoring
* The Sun-Times Literacy Award - Cluster Tutoring Program
* The Dr. Peggy J. Little Award - Ms. Frances Wright of Black on Black Love

Tutoring and/or Mentoring programs that received grants were:

Alliance for Community Peace
Bethel New Life
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago
The Bridge Youth and Family Services, Palatine, IL
Cabrini Connections
Cabrini-Green Tutoring Program, Inc
Changing Life Education Initiative, Inc.
Chicago Lights Tutoring Program
Chicago Youth Programs, Inc.
Christopher House
Circle Urban Ministries
City Year Chicago
Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund
Erie Neighborhood House Mentoring Program
Family Matters
Gads Hill Center
Hermosa Community Organization
Horizons for Youth
Life Directions
McGaw YMCA Project SOAR
Midtown Educational Foundation
Minds Matter - Chicago
Passages Alternative Living Program, Inc. Project Leap
Penedo Charitable Organization
South Suburban Area Project
UCAN Chicago
Working in the Schools (WITS)

In 1994 when the Lend A Hand Program was just starting, only one award, of $2,000 was given. By 2006 the total amount of grants that had been awarded was nearly $500,000. Since then the total amount awarded each year has ranged between $217,000 and $240,000. The huge growth is due to the receipt of a special award from the Chicago SunTimes, which enables the Lend A Hand to give grants of this level for at least the next 5  years.

This money is important to every non profit who receives it. However, the average grant was around $5,000. This is a small fraction of the operating cost of most tutor/mentor programs. Thus, the goal of the Tutor/Mentor Connection is to help programs like LEND A HAND grow in every industry, thus opening multiple channels of financial and volunteer support to help comprehensive, long-term tutoring and/or mentoring programs grow in  all poverty areas of the Chicago region.

Review T/MC Leadership Strategies

Find a Chicago Area Tutor/Mentor Program using a) Chicago Program Links; b) Chicago Program Locator:  c) Interactive Chicago Program Locator maps

When we build this type of leadership support, each program will have more of the resources it needs to connect volunteers, youth, and learning, in long-term programs.   This is truly what is meant when we say "it takes a village to raise a child."