The Rochelle Area Community Foundation held a golf outing Friday, Aug. 29, at Fairways Golf Course in Rochelle. The event featured golfers from local businesses and community organizations and nonprofit partners and sponsors with booths at each hole.

RACF offers an opportunity for individuals, families and businesses to leave a legacy for future generations and is a public, charitable organization designed to attract gifts that will be shared with Rochelle-area nonprofit organizations for the benefit of the community. It supports the areas of Chana, Creston, Esmond, Kings, Lindenwood, Rochelle and Steward.

RACF Board President and Rochelle City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh kicked off the event with a speech ahead of the shotgun start.

“What makes RACF so unique is that every single dollar raised stays right here in the Rochelle area,” Fiegenschuh said. “When you support RACF, you’re investing in your neighbors, friends and the future of this community. None of this work would be possible without the dedication of our board of directors, who give their time, talents and leadership generously. Today is not only about enjoying a great round of golf, it’s about celebrating the differences we can make when we come together to support local needs.”

RACF Executive Director Emily Anaya thanked the outing’s patrons and sponsors for their support of the foundation. Sponsors included Burlington Junction Railway, Rochelle Municipal Utilities, Maplehurst Farms, Holcomb Bank, the Jacobs Family Fund, Hormel Rochelle, Operose Advisors, Americold, Stillman Bank, Fairways Golf Course, Jeff Perry Autos, Luna, the Hamilton Collection and the Village of Progress.

The Hamilton Collection, a world-renowned car collection with a large social media following, brought three supercars to be featured at the outing and has worked with RACF on events in the past.

“Today has gone great,” Anaya said. “We’re seeing great representation from our nonprofit partners. They’re scattered throughout the course today and we’re very happy to have them. We’ve had great showmanship from our sponsors. Everyone is coming together. What we are as a community foundation is represented today.”

Anaya said the day acts as a catalyst for networking and allows the organizations RACF supports to get the word out about their services. The event acts as more of an awareness raiser for RACF and its causes than it does a fundraiser, she said.

Anaya thanked RACF’s board members for their help with putting on the outing, along with Fairways Golf Course and Luna staff.

“It really shows we’re a tight-knit community and we’re here to help each other and support each other,” Anaya said.

So far in 2025, RACF has reached $1.3 million in giving back to the community over its lifespan and celebrated its 20-year anniversary. It has also opened a new endowment fund and has seen a “great” amount of donations. 2025 also saw the final year of From the Heart, a Rochelle-area fundraising group that raised money for RACF and eight other nonprofits that ceased operations.

Anaya said RACF is already looking at planning its own gala for next May to work to recoup some of those lost funds to help fund itself, the eight other nonprofits, and 40 additional nonprofits in the area that RACF supports.

“We’re doing great and we have great supporters,” Anaya said. “Today goes to show that our hearts are full because everyone just wants to help. Rochelle is a very giving community, along with the area around it. Today is about everyone coming together, showing who we are, thriving, and growing our community where we work, live, worship and where our kids go to school. We all do what we need to do to make sure everyone is served in the way they need to be served.”