April 2026

Dissolution Vote

Thank you to everyone who attended our March General Membership Meeting (GMM). The meeting included an in-depth discussion among JLCU members, and ending with an official vote about our future.

At this meeting, a majority of our Active Members voted to officially dissolve the Junior League of Champaign-Urbana.

Obviously this is sad news, but it seems to be the best course of action given our current circumstances.

Our relationship with The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) will end with our current League year on May 31, 2026. After that time, Champaign-Urbana will no longer be considered a chapter of Junior League/AJLI. However, we will continue to operate as a nonprofit in the state of Illinois until all our legal, financial, and logistical matters are resolved. Our Board of Directors will continue to share info with the membership as we embark on this process.

To assist our Board, we are creating a JLCU task force to focus on preserving our legacy by archiving important documents, photos, and mementos. We also plan to convert our members-only Facebook group into a “JLCU Alumni” group so we can continue to engage with one another and plan occasional meetups.

Additionally, all members are encouraged to consider transferring to another League. For more info, please see our March GMM Minutes and keep an eye out for updates in Tuesday Tidbits.

If you would like to join the task force or begin transferring to another League, or if you have any questions, please email admin@juniorleaguecu.org.

-Michelle Marquart, JLCU President

December 2025

That’s a Wrap on Festival of Trees!

I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who donated their time, energy, money, and talent to make this event a success. You’re rockstars! Festival of Trees has been a beloved part of C-U’s holiday season for 3 decades, and the proceeds have enabled us to do a lot of good through our community grants and scholarships. It’s bittersweet to see FOT come to an end, but let’s be proud of what we’ve accomplished! Cherish the memories of beautiful rooms full of glowing trees, kids running up to greet Santa, and excited raffle winners coming to claim their prize. Here’s to all the runaway ornaments, green zip ties, bits of fake snow, cinder blocks, Saran wrap, and glitter! Sooo much glitter.

-Michelle Marquart, JLCU President

June 2025

Welcome to the 2025-26 League Year

Hello! I’m honored to serve as JLCU President for the upcoming year. I’m especially grateful for our long-time members who continue to stay highly engaged, serve in leadership positions, and help problem-solve because they’re committed to this organization and its mission. Their knowledge, experience, and mentorship is such a valuable resource. I feel way more comfortable and confident stepping into this role knowing they’ve got my back.

So, what brought me to League? I wanted to get more involved in my community, meet new people, and volunteer. JLCU was on my radar… I’d occasionally see a friend or coworker post something about it on Facebook. I’m pretty shy and introverted, so I really had to push myself out of my comfort zone to finally go to a summer social and check it out.

Now I feel like I blinked, & I’m a 5th year Active. The pandemic started at the end of my New Member year, so I guess I haven’t really known what a “normal” League year was, pre-COVID.

So what keeps me coming back? The people! I’ve met a lot of awesome women through League. All different kinds of personalities, many intimidating – but above all else, inspiring. I also enjoy the variety of causes and opportunities offered thru JLCU. Each year is different. I’ve done all kinds of different volunteer activities and learned about many other nonprofits in our community.

We’ve faced some unique challenges in recent years, but I’m optimistic & excited about the year ahead! I attended AJLI’s Executive Leadership Training back in February, and there was a lot of talk about “right-sizing” Boards and committees. We continue to undergo this process to better reflect the size and makeup of our chapter. So, our incoming Board is about half the size of our current Board. Small but mighty; I look forward to working together!

JLCU has a 93-year history. Despite wars, recessions, political strife, a pandemic – we consistently do good things and give back to our community. But, we need to do a better job of telling our story and what makes us unique, in order to recruit new members. I’m also hoping we can re-engage many of our Sustainers and utilize their wealth of knowledge and experience to help us move forward.

In lieu of a new NPACT Partner, we plan to revisit some of our past Partners, see how they’ve grown and evolved, and host a volunteer activity with them.

In general, we’ll keep the same schedule as this year, alternating between GMMs and volunteer activities. Tues. evenings will still be our primary JLCU nights, but we’ll offer some socials and events on other days & times, to try to be more inclusive. Throughout the year, we’ll plan informal social activities based around free or low-cost events already going on around town… outdoor concerts, park walks, yoga, Illini sporting events, and more. And this November will be our 30th Festival of Trees, so I’m definitely looking forward to that!

So, there are ideas. And plans. But things aren’t set in stone. I want to hear from you… What are you looking to get out of League? What would help you engage more?

I look forward to our first GMM in September, but in the meantime, I hope to see you at some activities over the summer. Keep an eye out for information in Tuesday Tidbits and on social media!

-Michelle Marquart, JLCU President