With so many things going wrong in our community (funding shortages, layoffs, gun violence, and more), it’s nice to be able to take an evening to celebrate what is going right. On Sunday, May 7, 2016, McKinley Presbyterian Church and Foundation held its seventh annual Social Justice Awards Gala, recognizing positive community contributions by students, community residents, and student and community groups here in Champaign-Urbana.
Since 2009, the awards program has sought to recognize exceptional dedication and work which results in greater awareness of injustice and improves the lives of those who suffer unjustly. Any individual or group can be nominated as long as they reside in, or are based in, Champaign County.
The program awards $500 gifts each to the winners of the student and community organization awards, as well as $500 each to charities chosen by individual student and community award winners. This year’s winners included:
University of Illinois student Jason Yue, who was recognized for his work as a co-coordinator of iHelp, a day of service involving 2,000 U of I students. Yue also serves as a mentor in the Eye to Eye program which works to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. He also volunteers with the Salvation Army’s Canteen Run which distributes food, clothing, and other necessities for those in need. Inspired by the Facebook page, Humans of New York, Yue and fellow student Alex Fung started Humans of Champaign-Urbana to tell the stories of C-U residents in an effort to connect U of I students with the larger community.
Robert King was selected for promoting diversity and inclusion through his work with the University of Illinois, as well as his involvement in community organizations including Black Lives Matter, the Independent Media Center, Urbana Parks and Recreation soccer, and the C-U One to One Mentor program. In addition to serving as senior Assistant Director of Family and Graduate Housing, King has assisted with facilitating and developing curriculum for the Student Affairs Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations’ program Five Days for change, which increases students’ effectiveness as social justice allies. King also serves as a member of the Black Faculty and Staff Association, Campus Ally Network, and as a member of the Faculty Staff Advisory Committee for Special Populations at McKinley Health Center.
Jill Johnson, assistant principal of Garden Hills Elementary School in Champaign, was the recipient of the first Community Partnership award in recognition of her work designing and implementing the McKinley/Garden Hills Food Pantry. The pantry grew out of a back pack program which literally sent food for the weekend home with children, as over 80 percent of the school’s children qualify for free or reduced cost lunches. The now two- year old pantry serves over 300 adults and children on two Tuesdays a month, with an emphasis on providing nutritious food with dignity.
The students of Urbana High School’s Habitat for Humanity Club were recognized as outstanding Student Organization for their work building and repairing houses in Champaign County and in Tutwiler, Mississippi. More than simply raising funds and learning building skills, the students are learning about the importance of stable housing and education in reducing poverty. For many, the experience is influencing their future college study and career plans.
Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County received the Community Organization award for its work in creating safe, affordable housing in partnership with local families. Since 1991, the organization has went from a rate of building two homes per year to building and rehabilitating 16 homes in 2015. Eleven more homes are slated for 2016, which will bring the total number of families helped to 77. In 2014, Habitat was able to build new homes for several families displaced by the Gifford tornado thanks to funds from fifteen churches. And, Habitat’s ReStore venture annually keeps 200 tons of materials out of local landfills while generating enough income to cover operations and contribute to the building fund.
There were also five individuals and organizations receiving honorable mention in the awards competition: Arlene Anderson, Church Women United, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, RISE, and Sister Cities of Urbana.
The awards program stems from McKinley’s long history of social justice programming. McKinley has been at the forefront of supporting women’s education and civil rights, as well as resettling refugees. It served as an incubator for projects like the Marilyn Queller Day Care Center and the Men’s Winter Emergency Center (now the T.I.M.E.S. Center), and was one of the U.S.’ first fully inclusive LGBT churches.
Says McKinley Foundation Director Kathleen Robbins of the awards program, “It’s easy to get wrapped up in what’s wrong and not recognize what’s going right. That’s the point of the social justice awards. We want to figure out what’s going right in our community and figure out how to do more of it.”