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Learn more about Jordan Holcomb, who has lived in Galesburg his entire life:

What attracted you to the position? I worked in customer service for nine years, the last two as a manager. I’m just very comfortable meeting and talking with new people. When I interviewed, it just felt like a perfect fit.

What do you enjoy about the work you do? I really like being that friendly face when people come into the store. I want them to remember me, because if they had a good experience talking to me or dealing with me, they’ll come back to Community Treasures. I like being able to provide that level of customer service and helping our volunteers learn to provide that kind of service.

What are you learning? I’m always learning in this kind of environment because there’s always new stuff coming in or there’s new volunteers. I’m either learning about new people or learning how to do things better.

Are there any interesting donations that have caught your eye? Not one thing specifically, but I’m flabbergasted by the amount of holiday stuff that comes in! The volunteers tell me that I’ll be surprised by how quickly people will buy it up when we put it out. I’m looking forward to seeing what the holiday looks like here.

Community Treasures is located at 444 East Main Street, Galesburg, and is open Tuesdays through Saturdays. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Proceeds from Community Treasures benefit the Galesburg Community Foundation Impact Fund, which awards grants to nonprofits serving Knox and Warren Counties.

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“My husband and I originally thought we’d stay for a couple of years and then follow a job someplace else, but we really fell in love with the community, and now I’ve lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere else,” said Siebken. “I see this role as a chance for me to take all my experience and contribute more fully to my community so that it can grow and continue to be the wonderful place it’s been for my family. That excites me.”

“We’re so pleased to welcome Cheri to our team,” said Joshua Gibb, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. “With her passion for this region and her diverse communications expertise, she brings us an opportunity to engage even more people and nonprofits in Knox and Warren Counties around our mission and the work we do.”

Siebken comes from Knox College, where she has spent nearly 18 years in a wide variety of communications roles, from website and content management to advancement and alumni relations to, most recently, admissions. Before Knox, Siebken held several other positions in the local community, including as a marketing representative for Galesburg Broadcasting, a marketing director at Galesburg Cottage Hospital, and a magazine publisher. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri.

In her new role, she’ll lead the Community Foundation’s communications planning and implementation, working closely with the development, grantmaking, and leadership teams to oversee digital and print storytelling, media relations, and social media.

“I believe strongly in the mission of the Community Foundation, and I’ve been impressed with the work it’s been doing to drive opportunities within the region,” said Siebken, citing the organization’s match challenge to help build the new Galesburg Public Library and its support in developing a number of Community Funds. “You’re starting to see Galesburg Community Foundation popping up in a lot of different contexts. It really is the ‘foundation’ of the community, in terms local resources.”

Siebken intends to play an active role in spreading the word about the Community Foundation’s work even further and, above all, helping Knox and Warren Counties flourish. “When our big manufacturers left, some people worried that our communities might disappear,” she said. “That didn’t happen, and it’s because people truly wanted to stay and maintain the integrity of what we have here. All the exciting things happening now—they’re a testament to people’s commitment to Galesburg and this region.”

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As the newest manager of Community Treasures, the thrift store established in 1976 and run since 2004 as part of the Galesburg Community Foundation, she’s excited to open the shop’s next chapter and explore fresh ways of engaging the Galesburg community.

In the Q&A below, Riggs, who first came to Community Treasures as a volunteer and later returned as assistant manager, shares what she wants shoppers, volunteers, and donors to know—and what it means to her to be part of the Community Foundation.

What do you love about the Galesburg community?

We’re good at coming together. I see people getting more and more involved in the community, and that’s great to be a part of. I started a pantry movement here similar to those walk-up libraries but with items like hygiene products and school supplies. I put the first one up, and now it’s really taken off.

Congratulations on the new role! What does a typical day look like?

That’s a tough question! I do all kinds of things—book work, cleaning, pickups and deliveries, phone calls. I spend some of my time merchandising, changing our mannequins, and running the register. Then there’s managing the volunteer base. Without our volunteers, we wouldn’t have a store.

What are you looking forward to?

We’re going to start offering more specials, for one thing. We’ll have a thank-you special for teachers and anybody who saves lives—EMTs, nurses, other medical staff. We’ll have a senior special day, a high school student special. At the end of the month, we’ll run more specials to make things affordable for shoppers who can’t pay full price. My hope is to get more people in our community into our store.

What do you want the community to know about Community Treasures?

People may not realize that this shop truly would not run without volunteers and donors. To anyone who wants to volunteer, whether you’re in high school or a senior citizen, you’re always welcome here, and we’re a great organization to be a part of. To our donors—and our shoppers—know that your contributions mean so much to our community. The Thrift Store supports the many ways the Community Foundation improves the health of our region.

What does it mean to you to be a part of Galesburg Community Foundation and the work it does?

I wholeheartedly believe that giving is better than receiving, so it’s awesome for me to be part of a philanthropic organization like this.

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“We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring Sarah on board in this new position to support a growing philanthropic region,” said Joshua Gibb, president and CEO. “She has proven herself a master of understanding constituent needs and building strong relationships, talents that will serve us and Knox and Warren counties well.”

As Director of Development, Grant will organize, plan, direct, and evaluate the Community Foundation’s fund development efforts. In this capacity, she will work closely not only with Gibb and the Community Foundation’s board and staff but also with donors and their trusted advisors, stewarding gifts that connect them to the causes they care about and improve the quality and health of the community.

Grant values the opportunity to be a part of the Community Foundation, as well. “Watching the growth of this organization over the last 15 years, I’ve been so impressed,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the role I can play in helping the Foundation continue to grow.”

As head of the McDonough County Farm Bureau, a grassroots agricultural membership nonprofit, Grant has been responsible for a broad range of duties and functions, from daily operations and budget oversight to fundraising, marketing and communications, and membership management.

“At the end of the day, the Farm Bureau is all about people, and so is the Community Foundation. I think there’s a lot of carryover there,” said Grant. “I’m excited to tap into the passions and ideas people in the region have that we haven’t heard yet. The past couple of years have brought clarity to a lot of people and what they care about—what they want to do with their lives and the legacies they want to leave.”

Alongside her work with the Farm Bureau, Grant has served on multiple community committees, including the McDonough County CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) and the Macomb Agricultural Association. She is a graduate of Galesburg High School and Illinois College, where she majored in management and organizational leadership.

Grant said that she, her husband, and their two daughters are looking forward to the chance to move back to the area. “It’s good to go away, but it’s nice to come home, too.”

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Galesburg Community Foundation President and CEO, Joshua Gibb, said, “We are pleased to have Shawn join our team. We look forward to his expertise in managing the Community Foundation’s growing number of philanthropic funds, assets and investments that positively impact our communities across Knox and Warren Counties.”

Shawn brings his experiences as a staff accountant at local accounting firm Blucker, Kneer & Associates, Ltd, to the organization. There he was responsible for performing financial audits and reviews of local governmental and nonprofit organizations, prepared financial reports and statements and recommended new procedures and controls to help improve operative results for clients. Prior to his position at  Blucker, Kneer & Associates, Ltd, he served as a credit analyst at The Farmers & Mechanics Bank and as an insurance producer for a local State Farm Agent. In addition to his professional experiences, Shawn is a graduate of The University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and is a Galesburg High School graduate.

Shawn said, “Working at the Community Foundation allows me to not only use my accounting skills but to also give back to the region I call home. Growing up, living and now raising my family in this area I see the great potential here and am pleased to help our region grow even more through local philanthropy.”

About Galesburg Community Foundation

Galesburg Community Foundation develops and supports the efforts of local people and organizations to promote healthy communities. The Community Foundation makes giving easy and believes that generosity can positively change Knox and Warren Counties forever. The Community Foundation partners with individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits to help them have the greatest impact with their giving. The Community Foundation is working for the good of your community.

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