2009 Reflections

As I reflect on the end of the year and what 2009 meant for This Is ME, I am struck by the number of people who came together to donate time, money, and/or talents to help us achieve so much in so many areas.  We are deeply grateful to our volunteers, donors, and leaders for making this tenth year of service a striking success!

Programming

We served 140 girls through 15 programming components and field trips:

• Hanson Park School Literacy Program
• Music Exploration Workshop
• Drop-In Program, Logan Square
• Reinberg School TIME Program
• Fine Art Exploration Workshop
• Give Girls Game Event
• GoGirlGo Game Day: Chicago Sky
• Girls in the Game Varsity Girls Summit
• Junior League of Chicago Kids In the Kitchen Outing
• Saint Andrew Girls Circles (6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade programs)
• Saint Andrew Assembly (6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade assemblies for boys & girls)

We worked with 9 organizations to deliver this programming:

• Hanson Park School
• Logan Square Library
• Junior League of Chicago
• Our Lady of Grace School
• Metropolitan Family Services
• Reinberg School
• Saint Andrew School
• Girls In the Game
• Women’s Sports Foundation / GoGirlGo Chicago

We provided 20 This Is ME families with snacks and tickets to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus; matched 10 of This Is ME’s neediest families with a real-life Chris Kringle; and connected a This Is ME 8^th grade grad with tuition assistance, enabling her to attend the high school of her choice

Volunteers

• We welcomed 42 new volunteers
• We began quarterly Learning Opportunities for volunteers so that everyone would understand our mission and approach to working with girls

Board Development

We recruited 5 excellent board members

• Sue Dunmore
• Lucia Giudice
• Lindsey Groves
• Milena Pavlova
• Amy Riley
  

Three active Board Committees drafted charters, recruited new members, and contributed significantly to the organization’s development

Coalitions

This Is ME representatives participated in or presented for the following groups:

• The Chicago Girls Coalition
• “Our Voices Our Action” Resource Fair for Young Women and Genderqueer Youth
• 8th Annual Just Us Girls Health and Wellness Conference
• Junior League of Chicago: Junior League University
• Delta Kappa Gamma International, Alpha Chi‏ Chapter

Development

We secured Corporate, Foundation, and Government Funding totaling $2,000:

• Second Unitarian Church of Chicago Fitts Fund
• Women’s Sports Foundation
• CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business
• Delta Kappa Gamma International, Alpha Chi‏ Chapter
• Jewel

Fundraising

We participated in 10 successful fundraisers that raised a total of $15,035 so far

Branding & Marketing

• We designed a 10 Year Anniversary Logo with participants’ artistic direction
• We updated our mission statement to:
  This Is ME fosters substance in the world of adolescent and teen girls through programs designed for the “whole girl.” With the guidance of exceptional women, girls have the opportunity to explore their individual strengths and learn to sustain positive relationships in a supportive, creative, and open environment.

If you’re not already a part of this fantastic organization, won’t you consider?  Find out more at www.thisismeinc.org.

Heather Sattler, Founder & Executive Director