Support Laid-Off Soybean Lab Workers

The Non Tenure Faculty Coalition Local #6546 is hosting a fundraiser to benefit the 30 workers at the Soybean Innovation Laboratory on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.

DOGE's cuts to USAID have resulted in the shuttering of this globally significant and established lab. The lab's research has abruptly halted, and the workers have been laid off.

Let's come together as a community to support these researchers. This Friday 6-9:30pm, we are hosting an event at 25 O'clock Brewery in Urbana. The event includes a buffet from Baldarotta's, and performances by Mariachi Libertad and Afro D & Global Soundwaves. The event is open to the public.

There will be a suggested donation at the event, but you are encouraged to give what you can. It's not easy being abruptly laid off, and often this means having to move to a different city to find work. Our goal for the fundraiser is $15,000. This would allow each of the workers $500 to make this challenging time a little less stressful. And equally importantly, let's show up and show some love so they know the Champaign-Urbana community is here for them!

Some of the SIL workers will be at the event, so please come and let them know how much they mean to us.

And if you can't make it, consider donating what you can. If you like, you can leave a message on here for the SIL workers.

Here’s the link to the Facebook event: https://facebook.com/events/s/a-soybean-sendoff/593582623680804/