Social Action Offerings
Each month a selected organization is chosen to receive offerings from our congregation. You may donate to the social action offering for the month in one of the following ways:
- Online Donations
- 50/50 Shared Offering available via our online donations page (your contribution is equally split between UUCUC and the recipient of our monthly social action organization)
- 50/50 Shared Offering available via Text (your contribution is equally split between UUCUC and the recipient of our monthly social action organization)
- If you prefer mailing a check, please mail the check to the UUCUC office at 309 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801.
May 024 – Courage Connection
Connected to Community
Champaign-Urbana is a generous community with a deep commitment to its most vulnerable members. Indeed, the legacy agencies of Courage Connection began as grassroots, volunteer-run responses to local needs.
In 1971, A Woman’s Place opened as one of the first battered women’s shelters in Illinois. This shelter, operated by A Woman’s Fund, was started by a volunteer collective. It operated as an independent agency until 2010.
Meanwhile, in the early 1980s, another group of determined citizens and social service providers came together to address CU’s lack of homeless facilities for women and children. The Women’s Emergency Shelter of Champaign County (WESCC) opened in June 1985.
Over time, both agencies grew, added services, and saved lives. WESCC became The Center for Women in Transition and added additional shelters and a resale store to its operations.
Connected in Service
In 2010, The Center for Women in Transition acquired A Woman’s Place, thereby ensuring that life-saving domestic violence services would continue to be available in Champaign County. This alliance created a powerful continuum of services, connecting women in need to everything from emergency shelter to affordable permanent housing through one agency.
Connected to You
Today, Courage Connection celebrates the legacy of its parent organizations while focusing on a strong future for its clients and the community. As a member of the Champaign-Urbana Continuum of Care, the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and other community collaborations, Courage Connection is committed to identifying and addressing the growing and changing needs in the community. They are always guided by their mission: To help individuals and families achieve safety, support, and success.
Previous Social Action Offerings in 2023
- April 2024 – Green Team Academy
- March 2024 – Midwest Action Coalition
- February 2024 – Immigrant Services of Champaign Urbana
- January 2024 – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
- November 2023 – Greater Community Aids Project
- October 2023 – Survivor Resource Center
- September 2023 – Brave Trails
- August 2023 – First Followers
- July 2023 – Urbana Champaign Books to Prisoners
- June 2023 – Community Choices
- May 2023 – ICIRR
- April 2023 – CASA
- March 2023 – The Randolph Street Community Garden