Our Mission is to invest in an equitable and empowered future for Champaign Urbana by strengthening the community’s commitment to our public schools, teachers, and students.

 

Advocates, Allies & Ambassadors for Champaign Unit 4 & Urbana USD 116 schools.

Local Business Community Impact Honoree: GRIT Automation – Marco Nieto & Joel Danowitz GRIT Automation and its co-founder, Marco Nieto, a 1989 graduate of Champaign Central High School, have made an extraordinary contribution to student safety and hands-on learning at their alma mater. Marco, co-founder Joel Danowitz and their team donated and installed a state-of-the-art, $41,000 workshop safety and automation system for Central’s wood and automotive shops, an investment that included more than 100 hours of personal labor from the company’s founders. The system features RFID-controlled equipment access, real-time air quality monitoring, and fully automated dust collection, ensuring students can safely use tools only after proper training. This upgrade dramatically improves health, safety, and instruction, allowing teachers to focus on teaching rather than managing equipment risks. Marco’s commitment is deeply personal. A former Central shop student himself, he credits those early experiences with shaping his lifelong passion for woodworking and craftsmanship, skills he later used in building multiple local restaurants before launching GRIT Automation. His return to Central to evaluate the shop, redesign systems, and support the program reflects a profound dedication to giving back and ensuring today’s students have a safe, modern learning environment.
Local Hero Award Honoree: Tracy Parson – Community Coalition Tracy Parsons has dedicated more than three decades to uplifting youth, supporting families, and strengthening the Champaign-Urbana community. As the City of Champaign’s Equity and Engagement Manager and the longtime leader of the Champaign County Community Coalition, Tracy brings people together to address violence, poverty, education, and equity with compassion, urgency, and collaboration. Through his leadership, programs such as YES, DREAAM, Goal Getters, Self-Made Kingz, I Read I Count, The LIFT Program, Rising Stars, and CU Fresh Start have expanded opportunities for young people across both Unit 4 and Urbana 116 school districts. Tracy has also played a key role in building partnerships between local schools and the University of Illinois, ensuring students have access to mentorship, enrichment, and college- and career-readiness resources. The Community Coalition, founded after the tragic death of Kiwane Carrington, has grown under Tracy’s guidance from a small gathering into a countywide network of more than 100 stakeholders working collectively for safer, healthier neighborhoods. Tracy’s belief that “everyone has a place in this work” guides his efforts to ensure that community members, educators, service providers, and local leaders all have a seat at the table.
2026 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS HONOREE Andrew Whitford – Class of 1996 Andrew “Andy” Whitford, Centennial High School Class of 1996, has built an extraordinary career marked by service, scholarship, and global leadership. A West Point graduate and U.S. Army officer for more than two decades, Andy completed two tours in Iraq and has since served in key diplomatic and educational roles with the United Nations, NATO partners, and the British Army. A respected military historian, Andy earned both a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from Columbia University and has been published widely on military and political history. His excellence in research and writing earned him the General Omar Bradley Fellowship in Military History. Among his numerous leadership positions, Andy has taught courses in international, military, Middle East and religious history at West Point and is currently an Assistant Professor for the Department of Distance Education at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas. At home, he is a dedicated husband, father, Eagle Scout, and community volunteer.
Presidents' Day was originally established in 1885 to commemorate George Washington's February 22 birthday, but the holiday now informally includes Abraham Lincoln and all U.S. leaders, while officially remaining "Washington's Birthday."
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CU Schools Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization designed to enhance the quality of education in Champaign-Urbana through community support of the public schools. The Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization; our EIN # is 37-1273798