Champaign School District Unit 4 Superintendent Judy Wiegand said her district has gotten into the holiday spirit with multiple student and staff initiatives to encourage giving.
Wiegand highlighted a number of the contributions in the latest issue of her newsletter "To The Point." Unit 4 staff raised $22,500 for the local United Way's annual fundraising campaign, collected hundreds of coats through its Warm-A-Kid coat drive, and held a fundraiser for former staff member Lynda Holman, who's been battling ALS.
Wiegand also highlighted the work of Homeless Liaison Lekevie Johnson and his task force, which addresses the district's rising number of homeless families with children attending Unit 4 schools. Wiegand said the community leadership from the staff establishes a positive precedent of giving that will inevitably influence Unit 4 students.
"The generosity of our staff has been displayed time and time again not only by the work they do in the classroom, but in the ways they support our school community as a whole," Wiegand said. "I am so proud that our Unit 4 community is preparing a new generation of leaders who are not only college- and career-ready, but willing and ready to serve others."