At our CU Schools Foundation Kick-Off Breakfast on August 20, 2025, we had the privilege of celebrating the very first Adopt-A-School Award recipients, community partners who have stepped forward to build lasting, meaningful relationships with our schools in this pilot program.
The Adopt-A-School program was born out of a simple but powerful vision: what if every school in Champaign-Urbana had a consistent, long-term community partner, someone who showed up again and again to support educators and encourage students?
This past year, we launched our pilot program, matching a handful of community partners with schools and giving them the freedom to imagine what partnership could look like. At the breakfast, we paused to honor those trailblazing partners with our very first awards.
🌟 2025 Adopt-A-School Award Winners
🏆 Trailblazer Award
Awarded to Abby Hobbs (accepted by Melissa Keeble) and Copper Creek Church, who established a relationship with Barkstall Elementary years ago, long before Adopt-A-School officially began, and whose faithfulness has been a model for how we structure the elementary program today.
🏆 Steady Presence Award
Recognizing a partner who consistently showed up—not with fanfare, but with faithfulness. Congratulations to Matt Kelly, whose support of Nathan Westerman and the Urbana CTE Department has made a lasting impact through field trips, brainstorming sessions, and constant encouragement.
🏆 Reignited Relationship Award
Celebrating partnerships that have come back to life after COVID disruptions. This year’s award goes to Meadowbrook Church, led by Kent Hollis & Cooper Frank, for renewing its relationship with Kenwood Elementary and supporting teachers and students in meaningful, intentional ways.
🏆 Above & Beyond Award
Honoring partners who dove in with energy, creativity, and generosity. Congratulations to Webber & Thies Lawyers, who provided food for teachers, snacks for students, mock trials and guest speakers for classes, and even a two-day “Lawyer Bootcamp” for nine students this summer, including a courthouse visit and up-close exposure to the legal field.
Looking Ahead
These first awardees remind us what’s possible when community members invest in schools…not just once, but over and over again. They’ve laid the foundation for what we hope will grow into a city-wide movement of partnerships across every school.
As we closed this portion of the program, we issued a challenge: if you’re a business owner, a team leader, or part of a church or civic group, consider adopting a school. Every school deserves a champion, every teacher deserves an advocate, and every student deserves the chance to rise to their full potential – contact Erin (etarr@cuschoolsfoundation.org) to discuss how you might get involved!
✨ Congratulations again to our 2025 Adopt-A-School Award winners—and thank you for showing us what’s possible when community truly connects with education.
