Tutor/Mentor Connection

One of the great things about comments sections on blogs is that they often contain great follow-up information. Because of a post about mapping philanthropy, I was introduced to a great interactive website called Tutor/Mentor that uses Google maps to show where tutor/mentor programs are located, poorly performing schools, churches, Boundaries of Chicago zip codes, Counties, Chicago communities and District maps. It is part of TMC Program Locator Cabrini Connections & University of Michigan. Reading through the site and the background of its founder, Daniel F. Bassill, makes me feel like I am at an ESRI plenary. At every plenary, Jack Dangermond, showcases how geospatial technologies are being used to make the world a better place and encourages people to make their own impact on society.


One Reply to “Tutor/Mentor Connection”

  1. Dan Bassill

    Thanks for writing about this. I met Jack in about 1995 at a conference in Chicago. His company had already made its first donation of ESRI software to help us start mapping. He promised to “do all he could to help”. We’ve received ESRI donations every year since then, and the maps at http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com are work done using that software. The interactive map was built based on what we are mapping using the desk top ESRI.

    However, as much as ESRI software donations are helping, they have not provided the dollars needed to hire a GIS specialist to make maps, or to pay for the marketing and public education needed to get millions of people to learn to go through the map, to a zip code, to a non profit web site, and make a decision on how much they want to do to help that non profit achieve its mission. It would revolutionize philanthropy, and dramatically improve the impact, and lower the costs of finding resources, for the entire social sector if we can teach this concept. It would also make non profits doing similar work become more available in all of the locations of a city, country or world where they are needed.

    If I were in an ESRI planning session with Jack today I’d be encouraging him to mobilize leaders in his own company, and in other industries, to provide dollars and manpower, not just software and inkind donations. That way we could innovate even more ways to use the software to have an impact on society.

    We incorporate our maps and these ideas into the blogs that we write and hope others will share the message through their own media. Thank you for doing this.

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