There is much more to the I.D.E.A.Store than the store itself!

The I.D.E.A Store strives to be the premier eco-edu-art create reuse marketplace and we are able to accomplish this by providing outreach and environmental education to our community. Over the past 15 months, we have provided over 120 hours of outreach and education. We reach out to a variety of people including K-12 students, college students, retirees at assisted living facilities, the Minds in Motion program for mature adults to improve their memory, families, and Professional Education Organizations. 

75 of those hours were letting people know about the store and all we have to offer while recruiting volunteers along the way. You may have seen us at  Parkland, Lakeland College in Mattoon, U of I, Rantoul, Danville and all around Champaign Urbana - we are everywhere!

At least 25 of our educational programming hours have been in our schools doing reuse projects, hosting tours and craft activities in our classroom for field trips, projects with Girl Scout troops, and teacher trainings. If you are interested in utilizing the I.D.E.A. Store and all it has to offer, contact us! 

Created by a Heritage High School Student

This past year, we have had the privilege of partnering with Krannert Center, Champaign Public Library, and local schools in our community. We have also partnered with South Side to host the HATCH's feature artist last spring and will be working with Garden Hills for the HATCH Reuse Festival in March.

The I.D.E.A. Store has also had the opportunity to work with Stratton Magnet Elementary School as part of their Micro Society Magnet Program, a program that facilitates student learning through project based ventures. For the past 3 years, The I.D.E.A. Store has been creating a plan to establish a mini-I.D.E.A Store that encourages sustainability. Stay tuned for a future post where we delve deeper into this partnership!  
Keep an eye out for the I.D.E.A Store where ever you might be. We are here to help you learn more about creative reuse in any way we can!