Take me out to the ball game...

This summer I was given the opportunity to work at Circle writing grants. In my search to bring in funding for the different programs, I found that foundations give away more than just money, but other gifts as well. For example, the Cubs foundation reserves tickets to give away to different non-profit organizations every season and this August, College Readiness received 35 tickets to watch the Cubs play the Padres.

HOW EXCITING! (For two reasons) First, grant writing is a long process because the time between submitting a proposal and receiving a response is about 6 months. So it was a really joy to see fruits from my labor in just 2 months. Second, the College Readiness scholars had a common experience to grow closer together.



If you’ve ever been to a ball game you’ll be able to relate to the exciting feeling of walking in the gates and seeing everyone dressed in home team colors, banners of the players hanging from the ceiling, the smell of hot dogs in the air, and wondering if a foul tip will land in your section. This is why a baseball game is more enjoyable when you’re at the park rather than your recliner at home.

The College Readiness crew arrived for the game and smiles cannot be contained. Some have done this before, but for others, this is their first time to see the great Major Leagues. The game itself is certainly awesome, but I think what effects the lives of these scholars more, are the relationships that are being formed. The game is great, but eventually it will come to an end. The friendships that are forming, however, will not, because they will continue into school and the CR program. The staff, Dan and Tony, aren’t heading for the locker room at end of the game, but they will be driving home with them, teaching them the next day, and loving them all the while.

The ball game is not the end, but merely the means to a greater end: developing healthy relationships that encourage these middle school and high school students to pursue a college education. As Dan and Tony give the scholars advice and guidance on what to do with their lives, a trusting relationship between the staff and students is necessary if any direction given is going to be received. The ball game provided another opportunity for this type of relationship to develop this summer.

The Cubs lost that day, 1-5, but I bet if you asked anyone there from College Readiness, they’d probably tell you more about the experience than the score.

Concordia University Chicago

Recently I (Eric the intern) was given the opportunity to give a tour of my school, Concordia University Chicago, to the College Readiness group. I thought this tour would help them understand the importance of higher education because the information would be coming from someone familiar to them. Honored to be the one describing the importance of receiving a college degree, I was pumped.


We arrived around 3:00pm greeted by the admissions staff with smiles, information folders, and Concordia t-shirts. If there’s one way to capture the attention of H.S. students, it’s with free t-shirts. Then we were off to the start the tour. As many of my jokes fell upon straight-faced students, the staff, Dan and Tony, boosted my self esteem with their laughs.

One of the biggest lessons I learned through self-discovery upon attending Concordia is “Life is what you make it." I soon realized that test information was not going to be memorized for me, or setting up my class schedule was not the responsibility of my mom, but everything I did or didn’t do was purely from my decisions.

In life, not just in college, I am responsible for where I am today because of the decisions I made. That lesson was something I tried to explain to the College Readiness group. Explaining that whether they go to college or not is purely their decision and wherever they end up is because of their actions. I wanted them to start grasping the idea that their future is limitless, but their future is controlled by their decisions.

The point of this tour was ultimately about exposing the CR students to the future of attending college. If they are constantly receiving the encouragement to continue their education into college, hopefully they will consider the opportunity seriously, prepare themselves, and apply. Whether they attend Concordia or Texas A&M, I simply want these students to understand this message: “Life is what you make it."

Note from Dan -- Thoughts on the First Couple Weeks of Summer Scholars

So, we launched our pilot summer programming for College Readiness, called Summer Scholars last week. It's hard to believe we're already one third of the way through our six week program...Things are going quickly!

On top of discipleship, study skills development, and community service, a major focus of Summer Scholars is to provide participating students with exposure to a wide variety of educational, career, and cultural opportunities here in Chicagoland, giving students a glimpse into positive options that are there to be pursued through education.

In this second week of programming, one of our groups of students visited the FedEx Ground Chicago Hub, Concordia University, and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).

At IIT, the incoming 9th-11th graders started getting really excited about going to college. (It didn't hurt that our tour guide talked about incoming IIT freshmen receiving iPads for use in their classwork.) Regardless, the students were excited... not about popular music artists, not about seeking immediate gratification through risky behavior, not about a video game...They were excited about college. They have begun shifting their focus from the immediate to the long-term.

Realizing that there is something positive to work toward in the future gives all of us hope, and our summer scholars are no exception.

God has really blessed us with many open doors this summer to help our kids see the opportunities that are out there for them through education. We thank Him for His faithfulness and look forward to seeing how He uses this program to continue to touch these young peoples' lives.

College Readiness is busier than ever this summer with multiple trips planned EVERY week. These students will surely become scholars with visits to college campuses like Concordia University close by in River Forest and Northwestern in Evanston. Then there are the adventures of exploring options after college at different potential job site. Visiting places like the FedEx Ground Hub,World's Finest Chocolate, and the Federal Reserve Bank will certainly spark these students’ interests in career fields they otherwise might not consider.

This summer has many things planned, but not all are related to academics and careers. Certainly understanding the vital role education plays into their future is important, but students’ spiritual growth is even more important. Dan and Tony are sure to lead the scholars in a Bible study each day and conclude their time together with a journal prompt. At a younger age, sharing your thoughts verbally amongst friends can be intimidating. Journals were given to each student to allow the freedoms of their thoughts to flow onto paper.

Dan and Tony use a Bible study guide known as “talk sheets” which help ask age-appropriate questions. For example the first question students answer: What words describe Jesus? With a list of 21 words to follow, the students determine whether these words accurately, or inaccurately describe Jesus. Another example: If someone asked you why you believed in Jesus, how would you respond?

These questions help students process the meaning and relevance of Jesus in their own lives as students think about how Jesus’ actions a long time ago, affect them today. Dan and Tony are always available to answer more questions if any arise. College Readiness wants these scholars to know the love of Jesus Christ that is lavished upon them.

Summer Scholars Program Kicks Off

Post by Eric the Intern:

The summer for College Readiness (CR) certainly has exciting things planned for these middle school and high school students. On Wednesday (7/14) Dan and Tony, CR staff, took our middle school students to tour Westinghouse High School, a new multi-million dollar public high school facility here on the West Side.

Staff also walked with the high school students to the Austin Library to encourage them to get library cards. This is something so simple, yet I underestimate its value. With this card I have access to “The world at the turn of a page” or so the library poster tells me.

With these library cards, students will be able to read any books that strike their interest, not just the assigned school reading. To promote reading over the summer, the program has set up an incentive plan: for each book they read and successfully share the main points, the students can receive 25 Scholar Dollars and use this money to buy REAL items in the CR store. Before you know it, parents will be tired of driving back and forth to the library. (Maybe not, but it’s nice to dream)

Also this week, was a trip to the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen. These students enjoy the field trips because of the freedom to explore everything the museum has to offer. Museum trips are a way of letting the students explore and learn about different topics, becoming more well-rounded, renaissance scholars. Visually experiencing history is also another element that allows the museum to be an engaging trip.

Exploring the National Museum of Mexican Art, scanning rows of books trying to find a mystery thriller, or walking the hallways of a student's potential future high school are fun ways to engage these students in educational learning. Throughout the summer College Readiness has more events planned to engage the minds and interest of the students.

Some photos from a couple of this week's trips are posted below:

Observing College Readiness

My name is Eric Hawley and I’m an intern here at Circle Urban Ministries. Among my responsibilities I get to observe the Mentoring and College Readiness (CR) programs. Currently writing for the Mentoring blog, I was asked to post an entry for the CR blog too.

Previous entries have been from students of the program and their thoughts about different trips they went on, but these kids are involved in more than trips. This program is about preparing kids for college success with a promising vision for their futures. Living in a neighborhood where 37% of adults have received a bachelor’s degree or higher doesn’t do a great job of promoting education.

To combat this, CR also provides its participants with academic assistance. High school participants receive tutoring twice a week from Linda, a college math professor. Her snacks and energy keep the kids’ attention while learning difficult concepts. College campus and career exposure visits are used as a way to encourage students to work hard in high school so they can be equipped for higher education. As you can read in posts below, many different career site visits have been made to demonstrate to kids the importance of a college degree.

Bible studies have also become part of the College Readiness program, encouraging kids in their faith. Armand wrote: “I enjoy the Bible studies during this time because it prepares me mentally for a Christ like attitude in college.” As the kids meet 2-3 times per week, they form friendships with each other and the staff, Dan and Tony. Darrell wrote “ I am not on the streets, I am safe here. It helps a lot because my parents don’t have to worry about me because I’m in a safe environment.”

Kids are being cared for in many ways, spiritually, emotionally, and academically. The College Readiness program will continue to encourage kids to grow and learn.

If you want to get involved being a mentor for a student, a tutor, or have ideas on where to visit college campuses or career sites, please send us your information.

Headstand Media

My name is Amari and last Friday we took a trip to Headstand Media. It was in downtown Chicago. Our transportation was the Green line train. At Headstand Media, we were given snacks, and were introduced to four important people who worked at Headstand Media. They told us about their jobs and how they reached the position they were in. From the knowledge they gave us, they were very intelligent people who had their own skills in the element of technology. Not all of them went to or finished college. The fun thing about this trip was learning about their different positions and how they enjoyed their work. One thing that I learned about this trip was that anything is possible, but you can only achieve your goal by working hard and being dedicated. This trip also showed me that college is a valuable aspect of life that will help you meet your fullest potential in the career of your choice. Lastly, I would like to thank Headstand Media for taking out their time to talk to us about their jobs and giving us advise about our future.

Architecture Trip, March 12

Two Fridays ago, we visited the Chicago Architecture Foundation for a walking tour of 10 of the city's most notable buildings. Please see below for our student-written post and some pics from our trip!

Post by Tijuana and Dion:

Last week we went on an Architecture trip we saw different buildings like the Marquette Building. We saw the story of Chicago in the Marquette Building we learned that the building had three parts to the building: the foundation, the shaft, and the crown. We saw the Santa Fe Building. We saw the Harold Washington Library and it had a man blowing that represents the Windy City.

Culture Trip: Garfeld Park Conservatory

A defining characteristic of the College Readiness program for participating 8th graders is the Friday outing. Most Fridays we take a trip that relates to one of "4 C's:" College, Career, Culture, and Community Service.

A friend of Circle suggested that, rather than having staff tell about these trips, we should ask College Readiness scholars to post a blog entry following each outing, and I (Dan) thought that made great sense.

Below, you'll find our first, very brief, student-written trip summary, along with some pictures from our recent "Culture" trip to Garfield Park Conservatory:

On the field trip there were many things that I learned and that I found interesting. One was the Double coconut. The double coconut is the largest kind of palm growing under glass. I roamed around the building and took pictures of the different sights that i enjoyed. There were different kinds of flowers and palm trees of different kinds of colors.

Career Outing: Wi-Tronix

Last Friday, the College Readiness 8th grade scholars and I were treated to a fantastic career visit to the electronics designer, Wi-Tronix in Bolingbrook.

(As a bit of background, a unique feature of this program for the 8th graders is a weekly outing on Friday afternoons. These outings revolve around 4 "C's": College, Career, Culture, and Community Service.)

Wi-Tronix "provides products and services to wirelessly monitor high-value mobile assets such as locomotives, industrial equipment and marine vessels." During our visit, our scholars were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour and information session, highlighting career options from engineering to manufacturing available in the field of electronics. Presentations were made by company president, Larry Jordan and several of his staff.

This outing provided many of the scholars with their first glimpses into careers in engineering and the college training needed to work in this type of field.

Wi-Tronix not only generously opened their doors to our scholars for the afternoon, they also ended our afternoon together by providing pizza and Wi-Tronix baseball caps for our group.

The 8th graders enjoyed the opportunity. I've already been asked by one of the scholars whether we would get to visit Wi-Tronix again. Many thanks to the generous folks at Wi-Tronix for sharing their time and talent with us!


We are always looking for additional college and career outing opportunities. If you or someone you know would be willing to host us on a Friday afternoon, please contact me at (773)854-1613.