Endowed Fund Honors Values of Three Generations
The Huff family believed strongly in a Catholic education. When George and Florence moved to the area in 1941, they chose to live in Galesburg because it had what they considered the best Catholic school in the area for their daughters Alice, Betty, and Kathleen. George drove 100 miles each day to his job as […]
Alumnus Creates Connections to Improve Education
Dr. Hugh Hawkins, a 1967 Galesburg High School graduate, was a true visionary; in fact, his friends would say he was a constant thinker who always looked at problems from a different perspective. After retiring from his radiology career in Cincinnati, Hawkins turned his focus to his hometown. He began connecting with current leaders and […]
Scholarship Expands Opportunities for Ag Entrepreneur
When DJ Cain applied for a scholarship through the Galesburg Community Foundation back in 2020 to offset the cost of his education at the University of Illinois, the ROWVA senior knew exactly where he wanted to end up after graduation: back home on the family farm in Rio. “I want to work for my dad […]
Trio Establishes a Legacy for Their Hometown: the Knoxville Community Fund
Leaders are individuals who inspire passion and motivation in others. Three leaders in Knoxville—Lance Humphreys, Charlie Knapp, and Jim Wenstrom—inspired their community to establish a legacy that will benefit their hometown forever. The three have reached their term limits as the last of the founding advisory board of the Knoxville Community Fund, which was established […]
Endowment Allows Jack Larson’s Vision to Live on
Jack Larson’s goal was simple: help children. It started with the students he saw from his home across the street from Lombard Middle School. “He said if I had a child that needed something, that if he could be of assistance, to give him a call,” said Diane VanHootegem, who was the school principal. He […]
Coming Together to Combat Hunger: Lions Club Leverages International Investment for Regional Impact
“We knew there were food access issues in the community, but not until the pandemic did it really strike home for us,” said Kim Norton, past president of the Club. “We helped distribute weekly meals to clients of FISH and VNA and realized the importance of a pantry in town.” Today, a partnership between Galesburg […]
Celebrating Our Largest Mission Impact Investment: River Bend Food Bank, Galesburg Branch and Fish of Galesburg Food Pantry
At the open house and ribbon-cutting celebration, hundreds of people from around the region toured the renovated space to learn how this crucial project will benefit thousands of children and adults who experience hunger in the region. Prior to the ribbon-cutting, Joshua Gibb, president and CEO of Galesburg Community Foundation, explained how the journey to […]
Catalyzing Rural Education—and Communities
For a family to make a home in a new community, at least two pieces need to be in place: job opportunities and access to high-quality education. Understand the power of those two things and you begin to understand the power of the Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC), a nonprofit focused on recruiting and developing teacher-leaders, advancing place-based […]
Enacting Community
Deep within the implications of “community” is an intertwined network of actions we all take to sustain, enhance, and grow that relationship which connects us. Intentional acts of volunteerism, charity, service, and generosity toward each other affirm the foundation of the community and leave it stronger for the generations to come. This positive sense of […]
Putting Our Future in Good Hands
During the final months of his life, one priority was never far from Dan Stoerzbach’s mind: to make sure his clients and staff at his law practice would be in good hands after he was gone. In the fall of 2020, he called up Pat Egan, a younger lawyer he’d helped welcome to the legal […]
