Round Up for Good!

Each month, Common Ground’s customers “Round Up” their change at the register to donate to a not-for-profit organization. The Round Up program began in February 2010, following the earthquake in Haiti. Customers had expressed a desire to donate to the humanitarian efforts in Haiti through the Co-op. After a month of doing so, customers expressed interest in continuing to donate, and so the Round Up program was born. The following year’s Round Up beneficiaries are nominated and chosen by Common Ground’s owners in an annual election.

MAY’S ROUND UP: Champaign County Health Care Consumers!

CCHCC Mission Statement

The Champaign County Health Care Consumers is a citizen action organization, founded on the premise of participatory democracy and the belief that meaningful reforms in the health care system will come only with the active involvement of consumers. From its inception, CCHCC has organized to increase the influence of consumers who have traditionally been excluded from the health care decision-making process. CCHCC uses the following principles to guide its efforts:

• All people should have access to quality health care at an affordable price.
• The health and well-being of all people is dependent upon a decent standard of living, including adequate food, clothing, housing, and necessary social services.
• Citizen empowerment through consumer participation is essential for achieving real improvements in the health care system.
• Coalition-building is an integral part of achieving significant reforms within the health care system.

How CCHCC carries out its mission:

CCHCC carries out its mission through consumer education, advocacy, and community organizing. The three principles of direct action organizing guide all of CCHCC’s community organizing efforts. These principles are:

1) Make concrete improvements in people’s lives;

2) Give people a sense of their own power; and

3) Alter the relations of power.