Make a Difference with Year-End Giving

by C. Eliana Brown, RORG Director

As the year comes to a close, I want to take this time to thank the Red Oak Rain Garden’s Community of Supporters, who made it possible for us to install thousands of early-blooming plants giving us all something to look forward to come spring 2021. I’m also eagerly anticipating our sustainably-harvested timber bridge, which will be built in a few months. Both improvements are made possible because of generous gifts.

As you may know, the RORG Team partnered with the Champaign County Design and Conservation Foundation (CCDC) and were awarded a 3 to 1 matching grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. This grant gives all contributions the power to make a big difference. Happily, we are very close to meeting our $7,000 goal. We are at 95% — ALMOST there — and still need some help to meet this mark.

If you are in a position to make a year-end gift, please consider the Red Oak Rain Garden. As RORG’s 2020 Year in Review shows, this year many people discovered a new-found appreciation for outdoor spaces. When the UIUC Child Development Lab could not enter university greenhouses (per Covid-19 precautions) for lessons about plants, they instead brought their young students outside to RORG. Our own RORG Student Team cherished their visits to the rain garden as “an enjoyable and de-stressing time” and “therapeutic”. Likewise, on a personal note, I found out firsthand how helpful nature was during springtime garden maintenance sessions. It helped ground me in unpredictable times.

I hope the garden has been a source of joy, wellness, and education for you too.

If RORG fits in with your year-end giving plans, please consider a tax-deductible gift. Supporters at $100 are acknowledged as “Bridge” Donors. Supporters at $250 level also receive notecards featuring RORG’s ceramics. Supporters at $500 level additionally receive a basket from Berries & Flour.