Capital Campaign Archives - Page 2 of 3

Our New Kitchen: The Big Reveal

Over the past four weeks we have unveiled photographs of the new UCE kitchen. Now, you can experience a virtual tour narrated by Carol Nielsen, filmed by your Executive Operations Director and novice videographer. Enjoy….

This has been such an experience from start to finish and here are the many people involved in the creation of our new kitchen space.

Carol Nielsen and Sandra Robinson, Project Management
Janelle Brittain, Chair, Capital Capaign Implementation Committee
CCIC Team Members Sandy Danforth, Vickie Doebele, John LaPlante and Ann Peterson
Alice Crostowski and Brian Nielsen for restocking kitchen
Robb Geiger for assembling our beautiful serving tables
Karen Courtright for sharing ideas and for sewing lovely aprons
Liz Kennedy and Steven Eason for cleaning up after each restocking

The talented people we hired and had the pleasure of working with:

Architect Thomas Ahleman, Talo Studio
General Contractor, Scott Perstangen, Parallel Design Build
All the subcontractors—plumbing, mechanical, electrical, painting, carpentry, flooring

We look forward to when we’ll be able to use this beautiful kitchen for our Sunday coffee time, social events, rentals and feeding the homeless. Serving food warms the heart and the soul, thus helping us meet our mission of Nurturing the Human Spirit for a World Made Whole.

From Sandra Robinson, Executive Operations Director

Our New Kitchen: The Big RevealUCE UCE2020-05-21T21:41:09+00:00

Kitchen Renovation Update #4

Karen Courtright has been busy during the quarantine sewing 14 new butcher aprons for the kitchen. Here she is smiling and ready to cook in our new kitchen.

The new serving tables arrived and Robb Geiger aided by Brian Nielsen put them together. They are gleaming white with chrome legs. They will offer a versatile serving area—they are wide so we can have two serving lines if necessary, and, also have room in the center for additional food. Thanks to Robb and his tool box and Brian for helping us get ready.

Meanwhile Carol and Brian continue to unpack and organize the kitchen putting each item in its logical, convenient place so that when we return all will be ready to go.

Check out the link below for Illinois Food Handling Certification. The online course takes about 90 minutes. When you pass the exam you will be qualified to work in the UCE kitchen. We encourage everyone who will work in the new kitchen to do this so that we can comply with safe food handling at such time we are able to serve food again.

If you have questions about the kitchen, please contact Carol Nielsen.

Kitchen Renovation Update #4UCE UCE2020-05-21T18:10:12+00:00

Kitchen Renovation Update #3

Inside Our New Kitchen: Keeping Everything Clean

We want to share with you more fabulous features of our new kitchen. Remember our old cranky and cumbersome dish washer? It is now replaced with two (yes 2!) new commercial grade under counter dishwashers with a high temperature water pump that heats water & washes dishes in a 10-minute cycle (WOW!) It saves energy too.

Lots of Sinks!

This 3-sink combo allows us to wash large items according to health department standards. We also have drain tables next to it with compost buckets under it.

Additionally we have a dedicated hand washing sink (per regulations) and a separate prep sink which allows us to wash vegetables and fill water pitchers without being near dirty dishes.

Now prep and clean-up crews will have jobs that are cleaner, quicker and easier. So when we return to the church, be sure to volunteer for one of these teams!

Kitchen Renovation Update #3UCE UCE2020-05-08T18:10:15+00:00

Kitchen Renovation Update #2

May 1, 2020

With the opportunity to renovate our kitchen due to the Capital Campaign, the Kitchen Team came up with the idea to have a Coffee Station that is easier to access, can serve more people simultaneously, won’t blow our fuses, saves us lugging huge 100 cup coffee percolators and is safer. How did they do this? They created a Coffee Station that has water automatically piped into permanently positioned coffee makers. These commercial grade coffee makers produce coffee quicker, so kitchen staff doesn’t have to come to early to get the coffee going. Brewing coffee will be easy by following touch screen instructions. They are easier to clean and more hygienic. Because it fills carafes so quickly, we can have multiple carafes filled and available so more people can serve themselves more quickly.

The new Coffee Station not only will brew coffee but will also provide hot water at a spigot. Tea and hot cocoa drinkers will not have to go into the kitchen for the hot water. Additionally, it is safer because it is located in a place where people won’t bump the table and risk tipping it over. The countertop is located right under cupboards where the tea, coffee and other supplies will be located. The cupboards below the counter have pull out trays where new clean coffee cups will be stored. We’ll no longer have to transport platters of cups to the side table. The UCE Endowment Fund provided a generous grant to buy new cups and other dishes and housewares.

We’re very excited about our new Coffee Station! Yet another thing to look forward to when we return to the church.

Kitchen Renovation Update #2UCE UCE2020-05-02T05:21:34+00:00

Kitchen Renovation Update #1

April 24, 2020

Our new kitchen is excited to share its clean shiny splendor with you. As we wait for our return to the church, we’ll share various parts of the newly remodeled kitchen each week. This week, Carol Nielsen, Kitchen Project Coordinator, is opening the doors for you to peek inside and see the new island and counter that has built-in cabinets (no more plastic ones- yeah!). And you can see the shiny stainless steel (easy to clean) backsplash behind the stove. The cabinets next to it are just the beginning of many new cabinets to store our new plates and kitchen items.

Much gratitude goes to Carol for her expert and creative decision making, contractor management and making sure that every iota is just right. She had dedicated several months of her time to see this project through for us. Thank you Carol!!!

Kitchen Renovation Update #1UCE UCE2020-05-21T18:07:24+00:00

Why I Gave: Eileen Wiviott

I made my gift to the UCE Capital Campaign because I think Unitarian Universalism makes the world a better place, and I want more people to discover our liberal religion. I will be forever grateful for the way my life has been transformed and enriched by my time among you. Here at UCE I discovered myself as a leader, an activist, and a person of faith.

And I want more people to have the chance to be part of a community like ours, where we support each other in our commitment to creating a more just and equitable world. I want UCE to be even more accessible, more inclusive, and more empowered to give back to our neighbors and the world.

I hope you’ll join me in doing what you can to ensure that this spirit of love and justice will thrive for many years to come. Please make a gift on behalf of the future of our faith and our congregation. Thank you!

Why I Gave: Eileen WiviottUCE UCE2019-10-24T19:34:25+00:00

Capital Campaign Q & A – Oct 11, 2019

Q. Now that the Capital Campaign is coming into the home stretch, when will the congregation begin work on the proposed projects?

A. The Board of Trustees has created the Capital Campaign Implementation Committee to oversee the implementation of the capital improvement projects. These volunteers will work closely with Sandra Robinson, the Building and Grounds Team, and the Project Coordinators.

In order to be as financially responsible as possible, we will only start projects when we know we have sufficient income from campaign pledges. Many of you have already told the Capital Campaign Leadership Team when you will fulfill your pledge, but some of you have not.

So if you haven’t yet committed to a payment schedule for your gift, please do so as soon as possible. Otherwise we will reach out to you in the next few weeks to ask about your plans. Having this information will really help our cash projections and allow us to set a projected timeline for when projects can be implemented. Thank you!

Q. What’s the plan for involving the congregation in project implementation?

A. For larger projects where there are choices on which direction to take, we’ll have informative Town Hall meetings to share research and discuss options.Then the Board of Trustees will be presented with this information to inform their final decisions.

Because we have a long list of projects, it will take multiple years to complete them. Keep an eye out for dates in the Friday e-newsletter for more updates!

Our thanks to the Implementation Committee members: Janelle Brittain, CJ Presto, Ann Peterson, and John LaPlante. They’ll be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

Capital Campaign Q & A – Oct 11, 2019UCE UCE2019-10-09T14:37:45+00:00

Why I Gave: Dave Griebler

As a new member, what keeps me coming back is how UCE continues to challenge me. I enjoy being surrounded by so many bright and intelligent people of all ages, who treat life like a journey rather than a destination. There’s also something inspiring about leaving UCE on a Sunday morning/afternoon and wanting to delve deeper. What I learn on a Sunday stays with me throughout the week.

Marianne and I knew there was so much good that could come because of the Capital Campaign. I thought about the original UCE families and how they built a place not only for themselves but also for future generations. As part of that future, we felt one way to honor that initial generosity was to support the Capital Campaign. This was our opportunity to honor those who came before us and support our current membership while also keeping on eye open to those who have yet to come to UCE.

The proposed updates and enhancements excite me for all that they have to offer. Whether it is in an air-conditioned sanctuary, a well-designed garden, a newly paved parking lot, a redesigned kitchen or an updated entrance, I believe each of these improvements will make UCE a more welcoming place, because our church building is more than square footage. It’s about our spirit of hospitality toward new members and old, visitors, guests, and neighbors.

So when the Capital Campaign project began, even before our home visit, we had our check ready. I hope you’ll join me and Marianne in making your gift today too.

Why I Gave: Dave GrieblerUCE UCE2019-10-03T18:38:12+00:00

Why I Gave: Greg Grabowski

As a recently retired project mechanical engineer, I’ve had some free time available, and I looked for an additional way to volunteer at UCE. So when I was asked by Martha Holman and Rev Eileen to help with some of the projects for the UCE Capital Campaign, I said YES!

The Capital Campaign will allow UCE to enhance the opportunity to welcome both current and new members.

Replacing the parking lot will make sure we will have the full use of all the spaces while adding to the aesthetic appeal of our beautiful building.

Cooling the sanctuary is a good idea because air conditioning has become an expectation during summer months. We’ve become quite used to living in air-conditioned homes, driving in air-conditioned cars, riding in air-conditioned buses and trains, and attending a theater or restaurant, working, or even shopping for food in buildings that are air-conditioned.

Cooling will contribute to better air quality in the sanctuary, allowing us to close the building doors to improve security. And cooling will also increase rental opportunities for UCE.

For both projects we are being mindful of their impact on the environment. We are evaluating several kinds of parking lot paving systems. With cooling, we are exploring systems that will be as small and efficient as possible, with refrigerants that do not contribute to global warming.

And of course, when my spouse Amy and I were ask to make a financial gift to the Capital Campaign, we said YES to that as well and have made our first payment. Please join us with your YES to caring for our beautiful church building.

Thank you!

Why I Gave: Greg GrabowskiUCE UCE2019-09-12T14:56:39+00:00

August 23rd Capital Campaign Q&A

Q. When will I be contacted about making my gift to the Capital Campaign?

A. If you haven’t already heard from the Capital Campaign Leadership Team, you will receive a letter and a brochure in the mail from them between now and early October.

Because we believe it’s important to be in conversation with each other about this important initiative, we have taken a phased-in approach to talk with our members. Given the size of our congregation, it’s going to take a while to reach everyone … as you can imagine!

Your ideas, input, and generosity are essential to the success of the campaign, and we are eager to hear your thoughts. Decisions about which projects will be funded will be guided by your feedback as well as consultation with the board.

August 23rd Capital Campaign Q&AUCE UCE2019-08-22T17:16:53+00:00

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