Friday, October 30, 2015

November's Shared Offering: CCHCC

Founded in 1977, Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) is a grassroots citizen action organization which believes that health care is a basic human right; as such, it is dedicated to the mission of working for quality affordable health care for all. CCHCC organizes individuals and communities to have a voice in the health care system and to affect social change. CCHCC carries out its mission through consumer education, advocacy, and community organizing. Its current issue campaigns include: Access to Care for those with low income, those with significant medical debt, and those for whom English is not their primary language; Environmental Health campaigns, focusing on the Fifth and Hill toxic manufactured gas plant site as well as working to protect the Mahomet Aquifer from toxic waste being dumped at the Clinton Landfill; organizing to address harmful medical billing and collection practices by local health care institutions; and organizing the Medicare Task Force to protect, strengthen, and improve Medicare and other vital programs like Medicaid and Social Security.

In addition, CCHCC provides services directly to clients through programs like the ACA Enrollment Program, the Consumer Health Hotline (a free resource for Champaign County residents who need help navigating the health care system) that receives hundreds of calls a month, the Dental Referral Program, and the Medicare 100/Plus Discount Program (which offers eligible Medicare beneficiaries free and discounted care at area providers).

CCHCC could not sustain their current efforts without the active involvement of volunteers for many of their campaigns, as well as volunteers for the Consumer Health Hotline. Most of CCHCC’s community organizing campaigns grow out of calls to the Hotline, as affected consumers are brought together to work to create system change.

For more information about CCHCC, their numerous victories and community campaigns, as well as volunteer opportunities, check out their website at www.healthcareconsumers.org.

Holiday Pageant Volunteers Needed

We need a few kind folks to help with costumes and scene painting in preparation for our annual Holiday Pageant, to be held on December 13. We have plenty of costumes, but they need sorted and assigned to students. Some costumes are also in need of light mending and sizing adjustments. We even have materials and a potential scene constructed; however, we need hands for painting and energy for preparation! If you are able and willing to lend a few hours of your time in this season of giving, please contact Director of Religious Education Cindy Wakeland at re-director@uucuc.org

A Conversation About Kids, Guns, And Safety

The Religious Education Committee is proud to sponsor and invite you all to a special presentation and potluck gathering on Saturday, November 14 in Fellowship Hall at 5:30 p.m. titled Keeping Children/Youth Gun Safe. The Be SMART campaign was created to bring together all responsible adults to reduce the number of unintentional shootings that occur when children and teens get ahold of an unsecured firearm. We will discuss how we, as a community, can keep our children safe. Church member Sophie Meyn will be our leader, and childcare will be available.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Kid's Klub Activities

The year of 2015 is the year of… CHANGE! From new staff to newsletters, this is an exciting time of transition you don’t want to miss. And now, the changes bring new adventure for our children as well with the introduction of Kids Klub! This program will bring many new activities to UUCUC.

Parents and guardians of children and youth of all ages are invited to join us at the Arthur Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, October 24 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Children's participation fees will be covered, but adults should plan to pay for themselves.

Parents of fourth and fifth graders, please save the date: Saturday, November 21 at 2:30 p.m. marks our first ever visit to Prairie Fire Glass, a professional glassworking studio and gallery in Monticello, IL. Be sure to sign up at the RE Table in Fellowship Hall so you can create your own ornament using a unique new skill set.

If you’d like to reserve a spot for any of these activities, please register at the Religious Education (RE) bulletin board in Fellowship Hall or contact Cindy Wakeland, our RE director, at re-director@uucuc.org. Hope to see you and the entire family soon!