05/27/2024
Chamber Community & Membership Guide Spotlight ✨
The nonprofit The GrandWorks Foundation ( Urbana Youth Center by GrandWorks and Gloria Theatre by GrandWorks) is making a significant difference in Champaign County with two projects – the Gloria Theatre and the Urbana Youth Center. The support of numerous businesses, individual donors, volunteers, and grants make it possible.
GrandWorks was founded in 2014 after the Urbana United Methodist Church bought the Urbana Twin Cinemas, which closed in 2013. The Foundation set out to bring back the theater, as the Gloria, to reach, restore, and revive the local community economically, culturally, socially, and spiritually. Since then, the theater, at 216 S. Main St., has made an amazing transformation as the place to go for newly released movies, live performances, and church-sponsored events. Completed improvements include state-of-the-art digital projection and surround sound technology, a renovated lobby, upgraded concessions, new restrooms, expanded stage for live performances, a new ticket booth and vestibule, and the Clifford Railcar Café (opening soon). In 2023, the Gloria launched the Stars on Stage concert series, featuring seven national touring acts in a variety of genres.
Fundraising is underway for Phase 3 of the Gloria project, says Staci Weller, Board Chair and CEO. This will support the addition of balcony seating, new stage lighting and sound systems for A-list concerts and Broadway tours, and new additions for dressing rooms, restrooms, and additional office and storage space.
Through the Urbana Youth Center, GrandWorks “helps students who need hope and a path forward to better futures,” Weller says. The Youth Center serves more than 600 students in grades 6 through 12 in the Urbana City School district. At 160 W. Market St., the center offers after school programming for students who need a place to hang out, enjoy meals together, get help with homework, learn life skills, receive guidance in career development, earn their GED, and obtain clothing, personal hygiene products, and other needed items.
GrandWorks’ two projects overlap, as many staff and volunteers work on both; some Youth Center members earn movie passes by volunteering at the Gloria; and many earn complimentary tickets to Stars on Stage concerts by participating in academic competitions. Weller adds, “The Gloria and the Urbana Youth Center both depend on volunteers and the generosity of the community.” They also host meetings and tours for local business organizations.
To learn how to support GrandWorks, visit
grandworks.org.
