Guest post by Emily Laugesen and Monique Rivera of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Krannert Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus is more than a venue for the performing arts. It serves as a classroom, laboratory, and public square in its mission to ensure that the arts are accessible to everyone. The Krannert Center serves its community as a locus of education, human connection, and innovation in the performing arts. Here are a few ways Krannert Center builds community through the arts. Krannert Center Youth Series The Krannert Center Youth Series (KCYS) is dedicated to sharing the life-affirming power of the performing arts with school communities throughout central Illinois. Formed in 1982 through a visionary collaboration with Children’s Theatre Incorporated and Krannert Center, the Youth Series has touched the lives of more than 360,000 young people in its 39-year history. Children who grew up participating in the Youth Series are now sharing these remarkable experiences with their own students. When the COVID-19 pandemic led to the canceling of many upcoming Youth Series productions last year, Krannert Center staff shifted to virtual performances that strived to deliver the same engaging and meaningful experiences that live performance brought. CONTRA-TIEMPO Krannert Center Youth Series offered a full-body movement class and performance with CONTRA-TIEMPO, a bold, multilingual, Los Angeles-based dance company. This free class had been designed for all ages and levels of ability. It was offered via Zoom in February 2021. CONTRA-TIEMPO will return to Krannert Center for a live, immersive dance experience at the Colwell Playhouse on November 18. ¡Viva la Cultura! by Las Cafeteras Krannert Center Youth Series presented a recorded performance of ¡Viva la Cultura! by Las Cafeteras for free and on-demand during March 2021 to the local CU educational community. Through this virtual musical storytelling adventure, Las Cafeteras delivered Afro-Mexican beats, rhythms, and rhymes with inspiring lyrics that tell of a community seeking love and justice in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Las Cafeteras will return to Krannert Center for a live, immersive dance experience at the Colwell Playhouse on November 18. KCYS Digital Subscription Service for the Classroom In its mission to create meaningful art encounters for children, the Krannert Center Youth Series has worked to develop materials to engage classrooms with a breadth of genres in the performing arts while providing supporting materials for educators to help navigate today’s youth towards deeper intercultural understanding. Study guides and curricular materials invite students to expand their understanding of the artists and art forms and to explore their own creativity through unique and engaging classroom activities. Upcoming Events: These events are available for classrooms and homeschool groups with a subscription. Sunny Days, Insect Hands, and Night Tree by Second Hand Dance: Second Hand Dance, a disabled-led dance company that creates bold, accessible, and sensory dance experiences for children and adults, bring subscribers three performances entitled Sunny Days, Insect Hands, and Night Tree, which will inspire children to get moving and go outside (Recommended for grades PreK-2 and available through November). The Snail and The Whale by Tall Stories: Internationally recognized for its exciting blend of storytelling theatre, original music and lots of laughs, Tall Stories brings to life the story of The Snail and the Whale (Recommended for grades PreK-2 and available through November 2021). Stories of Oceania by the Honolulu Theatre for Youth: The Honolulu Theatre for Youth brings the story of Kapili, a student at a new school, who learns about respecting and honoring people of different cultures through the stories of his classmates in Stories of Oceania (Recommended for grades 3+ and available through November). The engagement staff at Krannert Center is looking forward to bringing back live and in-person performances to the Krannert Center Youth Series in 2022. Dance for People with Parkinson’s In collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group, the Unity Parkinson’s Disease Support Group, Carle Clinic, and the Department of Dance at Illinois, Krannert Center developed the Dance for People with Parkinson’s workshop. Led by Dance at Illinois instructors, Laura Chiaramonte and Kate Insolia, this workshop explores gentle movement in a safe, welcoming environment for those living with Parkinson’s. Set to uplifting, familiar music, this class provides a full-body workout that can assist with the preservation and improvement of balance, flexibility, and strength. Since the pandemic, this monthly workshop has moved to Zoom and now offers the fellowship of communal dance from the comfort of your own home. The next Dance for People with Parkinson’s workshop will be held on December 3, 2021. Parable Path CU The Krannert Center and several Champaign-Urbana libraries have united to bring community members together for a compelling community reading of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. Parable of the Sower (1993) is an award-winning work of dystopian science fiction that explores the physical and spiritual journey of African American teenager Lauren Oya Olamina who searches for freedom as she navigates an unstable society devastated by climate change and social inequality, among other life-changing experiences. The original book by Butler, now considered a pioneer of Afrofuturism, has since been adapted as a graphic novel by University of Illinois alumni John Jennings and Damian Duffy. Both versions of Parable of the Sower will be available to participants for use during the 14-week community read. Community members can join a book club or reading group hosted by any of the collaborating libraries to participate in group discussions either in-person or via Zoom. Learn more about this Series: Future Spaces in Community Places: This art exhibit invites community members to experience the Afrofuturism art genre. Featuring works by Stacey (BLACKSTAR) Robinson, Shaya (Chocolate Star) Robinson, and Kamau (DJ KamauMau) Grantham. This exhibition will be on view in the Murphy Gallery of the University of Illinois YMCA until December 17, 2021. Community Book Read of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower: Join a reading group hosted by a collaborating library near you and participate in discussions to build a stronger reading community together! Various locations and groups hosted from September 27, 2021, to January 14, 2022. Opera Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower: As an endcap to this experience, Parable Path CU invites the community to view Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon. This work of political theatre explores gender, race, and the future of human civilization while bringing musical life to Butler’s genre-defying original novel. This live performance is hosted at Krannert Center for the Performing Art’s Colwell Playhouse February 25-26, 2022. Help Krannert with its mission. Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is able to pursue this important public engagement work and make an impact in the local community and beyond because of the spirited generosity and steadfast commitment of its supporters. Donations to the Center go beyond supporting visiting artist performances and free events. They provide critical funding to pursue initiatives that build towards an equitable and more preferable future for all. If you would like to learn more about how to make a gift to enact these positive changes in our community, please visit KrannertCenter.com/Give. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - About the Author Emily Laugesen, Co-Director of Engagement, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Part of the Krannert Center staff since 2009, Emily is endlessly fascinated by the power of the arts to bring people together through shared experiences. Her work with arts engagement is focused on creating opportunities for intercultural exchange, personal and professional growth, and community development. She is program director and collaborative curator of the Krannert Center Youth Series, a series of performances by professional touring artists designed to nurture creativity in students preschool through high school. Monique Rivera, Co-Director of Engagement, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Originally from Key West, Florida, Monique earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Florida State University and honors in French language and phonetics while studying at L’Institut Catholique in Paris, France. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the iSchool of Illinois. In 2006, she joined the University of Illinois and served as the senior program coordinator in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Access. Currently, Monique serves as co-director of engagement at Krannert Center and is the course administrator for FAA 110: Exploring Arts and Creativity.

Guest post by Matthew Hausman, Executive Director of Feeding Our Kids If there has been any silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been the outpouring of support that Americans have shown to those in need. In 2020, Americans gave a record $471 billion to charity, an increase of 5% over the previous year (4% when adjusted for inflation). Americans also donate an even more precious resource, their time. In 2018, Americans volunteered almost 7 billion hours. This investment of time and money has a tremendous impact on the local community, reaping both short-term and long-term gains for all of us. Whatever cause or interest may be close to your heart, there is likely an organization working to make a difference in that field. And all these groups could use your support in one way or another. Nonprofit organizations and community programs do as much as possible (and they do an incredible amount) with extremely limited resources. While they may qualify for government funding and have some staff, it is the support from donors and volunteers that allows these organizations to have a far greater impact than they ever could otherwise. How Feeding Our Kids Creates an Impact In the case of Feeding Our Kids, where I serve as Executive Director, we are currently serving weekend food bags to about 1,000 children at almost 40 schools and programs across Champaign Country in a given week. We do not receive any government funds to do this, and our entire staff consists of only 3 part-time paid positions, along with 3 part-time unpaid student interns. There is no way we could feed so many children in so many places without the more than 300 volunteers that unload delivery trucks, pack the food bags, and take the food bags to the schools (and this does not include the heroic school and program social workers that identify the children and get the food to them each week); or the more than 200 donors that allow us to purchase over 50,000 pounds of food. It is a cliché to tell volunteers and donors that we could not do it without them, but it is a cliché because it is absolutely true. Food insecurity contributes to poor academic performance which perpetuates the cycle of poverty. By alleviating that barrier of food insecurity, we are supporting their future development, hopefully breaking out of that cycle and contributing to long-term benefit for them and the community at large. Thanks to the support of these generous people, we are able to help children worry less about being hungry, and instead, they can focus on being students. Food insecurity contributes to poor academic performance which perpetuates the cycle of poverty. By alleviating that barrier of food insecurity, we are supporting their future development, hopefully breaking out of that cycle and contributing to long-term benefit for them and the community at large. All thanks to the giving spirit of local donors and volunteers. One of our donors encapsulated that spirit when responding to our yearly survey this spring: “I want the children to know their community loves and supports them even though we have never met.” “I want the children to know their community loves and supports them even though we have never met.” - Feeding Our Kids Donor Local Organizations All Around You Make a Difference Outside of Feeding Our Kids, I am fortunate to be able to be involved in other organizations as well, and these have given me insight into the impact that other local groups have in our community. Local groups, just like us, depend on the generous donations of time and money from our neighbors. Just in the span of a few recent days, I was reminded of how much these gifts improve our community. I took advantage of a recent beautiful fall day to enjoy some of our local natural resources and visited the Lake of the Woods and River Bend Forest Preserves. While the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, and other local park districts, are mostly funded by tax dollars and have paid staff, those resources only go so far. Volunteers are critical to help with a variety of activities such as serving as guides, helping with displays, maintaining trails and gardens, and removing invasives, among many others. Since tax dollars are primarily used for standard operations, many projects and improvements are financially supported by donations. In fact, the covered bridge at Lake of the Woods, a local landmark, needs a new roof soon and fundraising efforts are just beginning. A few days after my afternoon spent in nature, I was at a meeting where I listened to a presentation from a group called Hospice Hearts, which takes in animals from people who are no longer able to care for their pets due to their own health concerns. During the presentation, a touching story was told about a woman who was entering hospice and extremely worried about what would eventually happen to her dogs. She called the organization every day to check on her pups. When she eventually learned that her fur babies had found a loving home, her last worldly concern had been addressed. This amazing group, which is completely volunteer-based, were able to give this woman peace of mind in her final days and give her dogs a wonderful new home. Only a few hours after hearing that story, I was in a different meeting and heard another testimonial about the incredible impact that dedicated people can have on our community. Representatives from the Champaign County Community Coalition and the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club shared a recent news story of a local young man who had started his own business and was now striving to be an example to many of the local youth he knows. Only a few years ago, while a teen, this inspiring young man was on a vastly different path. The amazing staff and volunteers involved in these youth outreach efforts helped to mentor him and turn a potential statistic into a success story. There are many similar organizations in the community that need donations, and even more importantly, volunteers and mentors, to help create even more of these success stories. These are but a few of the ways that you can help to improve our community by sharing your time and treasure. Not that you needed any more of a reason, but there are returns on investment for the giver as well. Donating and volunteering can help to lower blood pressure, increase self-esteem, and relieve stress, among other health benefits. Commit to Making a Difference While the past couple of years have proven to be extremely difficult, it has also given us the opportunity to reflect on what is important and how we can help one another and our community. And the greatest part about giving is that whatever your interests, there are so many opportunities and ways to do so. I encourage you to find an opportunity to make a difference. Get started below. Consider supporting Feeding Our Kids: Sign up for our volunteer opportunities and/or make a secure online donation. Use United Way of Champaign County to connected with different organizations in the community. Look for one (or more) opportunities that speak to your heart. If you are retired and looking for a supportive group that can introduce you to various organizations that could use your help, check out the local Retired & Senior Volunteer Program. Final Thought. Time and money are extremely limited and precious resources. We should make sure that how we spend and invest them provides as high a return on investment as possible. When you see how your gift has improved the local community, helped a neighbor in need, or touched a life for the better, what can be more valuable than the knowledge that you made a difference? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - About the Author Champaign County native Matthew Hausman has served as Executive Director of Feeding Our Kids for the past two and a half years. He also serves as a member of the Champaign County Mental Health Board and the Champaign County Forest Preserve Friends Foundation Board and is an active member of Champaign West Rotary. Prior to moving back to Champaign County, he studied Nonprofit Management via UCLA Extension and spent a year and a half traveling the world, working with more than a dozen volunteer programs. Feeding Our Kids was founded in 2013 by two local mothers, Ann Kirkland and Jenelle Thompson-Keene, to help support some of their children’s schoolmates. The organization provides nutritious weekend food bags to children suffering from food insecurity at home. After initially serving 18 children in 2 schools, the organization has since grown to support more than 1000 children in more than 40 different schools and youth programs across Champaign County.

Happy National Chili Day! As a special treat for you, I'm sharing with you one of my absolute favorite cool weather dishes. This chili is healthy comfort food that only takes about 30 minutes to prep and 60 minutes to cook. We enjoy making it in the fall or winter when craving a hearty meal. Feel free to substitute other lean ground meat if you do not like turkey. Recipe below, or if you prefer to print - this is a printer-friendly PDF. Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: One hour Serves 8 people INGREDIENTS: 1lb 93% lean ground turkey 1- 15 ounce. cans red kidney beans 1- 15 ounce can black beans 1- 15 ounce can whole kernel corn 1- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes 1- 16 ounce can tomato sauce 2 - green peppers 1 - large onion 5 cloves garlic 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp red pepper flakes +/- 4 Tbsp chili powder SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS French bread Brie cheese Shredded cheddar cheese DIRECTIONS: Chop onion, garlic, and green peppers. Open, drain, rinse kidney beans and black beans. Open corn and drain. Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Cook onions, garlic and ground turkey over medium heat in olive oil until onions are translucent. Stir to cook evenly. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes. Add green pepper and continue cooking until peppers start to soften. When turkey is browned, add kidney beans, black beans, and corn kernels. Add chili powder. Pour in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir mixture together. Let cook on medium heat until the chili bubbles in the pot. Turn down to a low heat to let simmer. After about 15 minutes, stir and season to taste. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Let simmer for another 45 minutes. While chili is finishing, toast french bread and let brie come to room temperature Serve in a bowl and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Include toasted french bread and brie on the side.