Monday, January 21, 2013

Wrapping up 2012

On Saturday, December 15th, 28 of Santa's most warm-hearted elves gathered at the CASL headquarters to wrap gifts for nearly 200 kids from the following CASL programs: Family Learning & Resource Center (FALREC), Child Development Center (CDC) and School Age Center (SAC). 

 

 Bernie Wong, founder and president of CASL, came down the chimney and was amazed to find the boardroom so packed with giftwrapping elves and beautifully wrapped presents!

 

With the presents piled up nicely for Santa to distribute them, Stephanie Chan, Community Service co-chair, took the elves on a tour of the incredible CASL facilities. Do YOU want to go on a tour? Or want to meet and network with other like-minded young professionals and find out why they give back to the community? Come join all of us on January 26th for our General Membership meeting!



AB Goes Back to School!

On November 10th, CASL AB members took park in our first sponsored college campus tour with CASL's WIA Youth Program High School students! Students were paired with AB mentors for a day of college exploration at the beautiful University of Chicago. 

The day started with everyone's favorite ice breaker activity: 2 truths and a lie!  During the ice breakers, mentors quickly learned that the students are all very driven and bright, with many stating they want to go into science fields in college. 


Once we arrived on campus, we joined the university run Information Session for applicants where students learned about the school highlights, education philosophy and how to apply.

 
After the info session we headed over to one of the many dining halls, where many of the students experienced college dining for the first time, while mentors reminisced on their college dining days! 

 
We worked off our lunch, by going on a campus tour, led by Katherine Li, a CASL volunteer and current UofC student.  Kat provided our group with a great tour which included the new and famous Mansueto Library. 

 
 
The day ended with an exclusive meet n' greet panel info session with several current UofC student leaders from a wide range of student groups.  The panel members each talked about their experience with choosing a college, major and activity to join while in school.  CASL students asked questions like "Is it important to decide your major before entering college?" or "When do I apply for financial aid?". After the panel discussion, they broke up into smaller groups and were able to ask more questions. A big thank you to Kat Li for putting the panel together!


The day was such a great experience for everyone involved! AB members were able to share their knowledge, personal experiences and help answer questions. CASL students were able to ask questions, meet and network with young professionals, and learn about the range of college opportunities.