City Hosts Community Gun Violence Response Meeting
In response to a recent uptick in gun violence, the City of Champaign’s Department of Equity & Engagement hosted a Community Gun Violence Response Meeting on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. The meeting brought together community members, City leaders, elected officials, and representatives from local non-profit organizations, all united by a shared commitment […]
Mittendorf Neighborhood Association Light Installation
On June 2, 2025, the Mittendorf Neighborhood Association held a small block party to celebrate the installation of solar powered yard lights. The lights were purchased using neighborhood small grant funds. Group leaders spoke with Public Works Engineering staff to discuss placement of the lights in the parkway to help deter vehicle break-ins. Neighborhood volunteers […]
Community Canvasing
On July 28, 2024 a tragic gun violence incident that took the lives of two 18-year-olds in the community. The Equity and Engagement Department staff, aided by the Neighborhood Ambassadors, and Summer YES intern, Iris Kim, canvassed the area surrounding the Mattis North Apartment complex throughout the week of July 29. Flyers were passed around […]
National Gun Violence Awareness Day
National Gun Violence Awareness Day falls on the first Friday of June. Friday, June 7, 2024, marks the 10th anniversary of this awareness day. Following the death of Hadiya Pendleton in 2013, her friends wanted to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. Over […]
City Uses Yard Signs to Promote Modified SLEEP Enrollment
During Modified SLEEP installations, the City is posting signs in participants’ yards to promote the program. The new signs will lead neighbors to the enrollment form through a convenient QR code. This new method of promotion was implemented in response to neighbors approaching contractors to learn how they could get enrolled. The Modified SLEEP Program […]
Champaign County Community Coalition
On May 10, 2023 the Champaign County Community Coalition hosted a wide variety of speakers highlighting work being done in the community. We heard from local law enforcement that were excited to share a steady downward trend of gun violence. They also shared a few community engagement events like Touch-a-Truck, Coffee with a Cop, and […]
Four Workshops Held for Garden Hills SLEEP
Champaign’s Neighborhood Services Department, along with the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, and Ameren Illinois, hosted four Garden Hills SLEEP Workshops over the last month. Workshops were held on June 12 at Arrowhead Lanes, June 13 at Developmental Services Center, July 11 at Illinois workNet and July 13, 2019, at Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church. […]
Champaign Fire and Police Encourage Fireworks Safety for Holiday Celebrations
As Independence Day approaches and the nation prepares to celebrate July 4th, the City of Champaign reminds residents and visitors that fireworks can be dangerous and to celebrate safely by leaving the fireworks to the experts. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were approximately 9,100 fireworks-related, emergency department-treated injuries in 2018, with […]
Garden Hills SLEEP: New Program Seeks to Increase Safety in Champaign’s Garden Hills Community—While Also Making Its Homes More Energy Efficient
The Safety, Lighting, Energy Efficiency Program—coming in spring 2019—is a partnership between the RPC, Ameren Illinois, and the City of Champaign A safety and energy efficiency program designed to benefit homeowners and single-family renters is coming to Champaign’s Garden Hills community this spring. The Safety, Lighting, Energy Efficiency Program—or SLEEP—is a partnership between the Champaign […]
Champaign’s Fire Factor Partners with UI New Student Programs for Move-In Night Events
On Thursday, August 23, Champaign’s Fire Factor and the University of Illinois New Student Programs partnered to offer over 4,500 incoming students a Safety Festival, their first night on campus. Champaign Fire Department, Neighborhood Services Department, and METCAD partnered with other agencies and organizations to share their expertise on the Quad at Ikenberry Commons, along […]