From March 3-9, the University of Illinois celebrates Orange & Blue Week, a chance for Illini and friends to unite and make a difference. The Red Oak Rain Garden is honored to be a part of the inaugural effort to highlight crowdfunding projects that directly impact our students and campus.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus is home to a beautiful, thriving natural space, the Red Oak Rain Garden, and we need your help to keep it healthy and vibrant for years to come. After successfully building the garden, we focus on maintaining it — and we can’t do it without YOU!
What are Rain Gardens?
For those who may not be familiar, rain gardens are specially designed shallow basins planted with native plant species that help manage rainwater and snowmelt. They capture and temporarily hold water that runs off hard surfaces, like sidewalks, letting it soak into the ground. This process mitigates flooding and filters out pollutants, while the plants support wildlife.
For years, when it rained in Champaign-Urbana, pedestrians avoided the sidewalks between Allen Hall and McKinley Health Center. Now, they swing by after a storm to watch the Red Oak Rain Garden at work.
The Red Oak Rain Garden in action doing its job immediately after a rainstorm, quickly soaking up standing water within 48 hours!
This 13,000-square-foot demonstration site is a dynamic symbol of our campus commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. It also serves to promote well-being for our students, staff, and faculty, providing a beautiful respite for their busy days. In the words of one student, “There is no other space on campus this naturally beautiful!”
The Red Oak Rain Garden is also a venue for fun, interactive events that enrich lives. Last fall, we hosted Illuminating Art in Nature, which celebrated art, sustainability, and natural cycles. Centering student talent and creativity, this event featured a fine art sculptural exhibit and glowing jack-o’-lanterns in the fall brilliance of our rain garden. As an attendee said, “Loved what you all put together. What a wonderfully melding of nature, art and whimsy.”
With the help of Orange & Blue Week, we’re focused on making sure the Red Oak Rain Garden continues to flourish as an educational, ecological, and aesthetic resource for our community for years to come.
Over the past five years, staff have given tours to more than 900 students and visitors. They’ve also provided hands-on learning opportunities for 258 students and more than 20 community volunteers. Nearly 400 people attended Illuminating Art in Nature, a family-friendly event with nature-themed art. Bottom right photo by Fred Zwicky / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Why Your Support Matters Now
The rain garden is already working wonders, but it requires ongoing care to maintain its health and effectiveness. Your donation will go directly toward:
- Plant Care and Replacement: Ensuring the continued success of native plants and make plant replacements, when needed.
- Water Management: Maintaining the garden’s pipe conveyance system to ensure it continues to effectively manage runoff.
- Weeding and Pruning: Tools for regular care to prevent invasive species from taking over and ensuring the garden remains aesthetically pleasing and functional.
- Educational Resources: Providing opportunities to engage students and visitors, such as tours that teach about native plants and the benefits of using water where it lands.
How You Can Help
To keep the rain garden in top shape, we are raising funds for ongoing maintenance. Your donation will help us ensure that this magnificent green space remains vibrant, functional, and educational for all who visit.
Your dollars go towards supporting a space that directly benefits the ecological health of our campus, improving water quality while ensuring that we provide a place where pollinators and other wildlife can thrive.
Red Oak Rain Garden is certified as wildlife habitat by Monarch Watch, Illinois Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Wild Ones, North American Butterfly Association, and Extension.
Why Your Support is Vital
Your donation helps continue the legacy of our mission. The Red Oak Rain Garden provides a venue for exemplary rainwater management, outreach and education, and service learning and research opportunities integrated into the university system.
The rain garden isn’t just a beautiful addition to our campus — it’s a living, learning laboratory where research into resilient landscapes informs statewide education, having a meaningful impact throughout Illinois. With your support, we can continue to care for this vital green space and ensure that it continues to benefit our environment and the community.
Join us in maintaining the health and beauty of the rain garden. Your contribution will help preserve this important part of our campus and keep it flourishing for future generations!
How to Donate
Donating is quick and easy! Visit our Orange & Blue Week crowdfunding page and choose your donation amount. Your support makes a world of difference!
Every contribution helps keep the rain garden growing strong. Here’s how your gift — no matter how small or large — can support our project:
- $10 Donation: Helps purchase one plant!
Every native plant is crucial to the health of the rain garden. Your $10 helps cover the cost, delivery, and short-term storage of one plant, contributing to the garden’s ability to absorb rainwater and support wildlife. - $25 Donation: Provides garden gloves for volunteers.
Your $25 ensures volunteers’ hands are protected while they care for the rain garden. - $100 Donation: Buys topsoil for plant replacements.
When installing or replacing plants, it’s essential to have topsoil to give them the best start. Your $100 helps cover the cost of topsoil for plant replacements. - $250 Donation: Provides essential tools for maintenance.
From trowels to shovels, your $250 ensures the tools needed to care for the garden are available for volunteers and staff. - $1,000+ Donation: Sponsors a full year of rain garden maintenance!
This contribution covers the annual upkeep of the campus rain garden, ensuring it remains effective and beautiful year-round — from materials to labor.
Spread the Word
Even if you can’t donate right now, you can still help us by spreading the word! Share our campaign on social media and encourage friends and family to get involved. Every little bit counts, and your efforts in spreading the word can help us reach even more supporters.
Thank you for your support, and for helping us continue to promote sustainability on campus. Together, we can make a difference!
Red Oak Rain Garden Director
Eliana Brown is the Water Quality and Stormwater Specialist for Illinois Extension and Illinois Indiana Sea Grant working in the Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy team. In addition to serving as the Red Oak Rain Garden Director, she coordinates Illinois’ Extension’s Rainscaping Program and Illinois Indiana Master Watershed Program. Her education includes a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and her accreditations include LEED AP, NGICP, CPESC (2014), and certified Master Gardener.
Red Oak Rain Garden 