Rochelle Area Community Foundation awards over $150,000 at Granting Futures event

The Rochelle Area Community Foundation awarded just over $150,000 on April 29 through its competitive grant process to local nonprofit organizations.

The grants were awarded during the RACF’s annual Granting Futures event at the Lincoln Arts Center. Since its founding, RACF has granted more than $1.5 million to diverse causes in the greater Rochelle area. The foundation serves as a vehicle for local philanthropy and donor stewardship.

“Tonight is more than a celebration,” RACF Executive Director Emily Anaya said at the event. “It’s a powerful reminder of what happens when a community comes together with purpose. It’s about generosity in action, and the real, lasting impact it creates right here at home.”

RACF was founded in 2005 by the late Leonard Carmichael. Thirty-seven grants were given to local organizations April 29. All 13 members of the RACF board reviewed grant applications this year.

RACF Board President Yazmin Nambo called that process “powerful and collaborative.” She thanked donors and community partners that made the night possible.

“Together, we focused on supporting programs, projects and services that directly reflect our mission and vision – investing in initiatives that will create meaningful, lasting impact right here in Rochelle and the surrounding area,” Nambo said.

Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows spoke at the event and told stories of Carmichael and the leadership he showed in the community.

Bearrows called Rochelle a “very giving” community and said RACF stands as a pillar for nonprofits organizations in the area, strengthening the fabric the community is made of.

“None of this would be possible without visionary leadership,” Bearrows said. “Leonard Carmichael was an amazing person whose gift of giving is why we’re here tonight, and it keeps on giving. When Mr. Carmichael said something was the right thing to do, you listened to him. I feel very blessed to have been able to know him. His generosity and dedication to this community has left a legacy that will forever inspire us all.”

Recipients

Donor-advised funds

Rochelle Elementary District – Giving Every Child a Voice – $1,242 – Steve Pfeiffer Memorial Endowment Fund.

Rochelle Township High School Alumni Association – Alumni scholarships – $5,000 – Tobler Family Fund and an anonymous donor-advised fund.

Foundation for Focus House – Alternative to suspension program – $5,500 – Berg-Burkholder Family Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Creston-Dement Public Library – Plant a Seed and Read summer reading program – $1,541 – Berg-Burkholder Family Fund.

St. Paul Lutheran School – Bringing design thinking to life through 3D printing – $1,750 – Danny and Stephanie Williams Fund For The Arts.

Rochelle Elementary District – Wiggle and Work Grant – $1,575 – Ed and Ann Rice Giving Fund.

Village of Progress – Connect & Empower program – $2,600 – Empowering the Community Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Rochelle Christian Food Pantry – Supplemental proteins – $15,000 – Jacobs Family Fund and an anonymous donor-advised fund.

Pegasus Special Riders – ADA-compliant accessibility ramp – $6,251 –Tom Hall Community Giving Fund, an anonymous donor-advised fund and the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Fund.

Rochelle Rescue Mission – Compassion, comfort and safety – $10,000 – Anonymous donor-advised fund.

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois – Lincoln Manor affordable housing – $2,500 – HP “Jim” Walker Memorial Endowment Fund.

Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center – Safe Spaces for Healing facility security enhancement project – $10,431 – John Bearrows Family Endowment and the RACF Endowment Fund.

4C Community Coordinated Child Care – Family Fun Fest and laundromat reading kits – $900 – Tyler “Smitty” Smith Memorial Endowment Fund.

Stepping Stones, Rochelle Elementary District – Preschool-age board games for social and emotional development – $105 – Tyler “Smitty” Smith Memorial Endowment Fund.

Tilton School, Rochelle Elementary District – Dual language immersion program – $451 – Tyler “Smitty” Smith Memorial Endowment Fund.

Hub City Senior Center – Celebrating life, promoting wellness – $2,500 – Tyler “Smitty” Smith Memorial Endowment Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Field Of Interest Funds

Rochelle Elementary District, HUB Project – Play-based learning at Lincoln School – $3,375 – Hintzsche-Hinkston Class Support Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

HOPE of Ogle County – Emergency food and transportation – $8,000 –Disaster Preparedness Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Chana Education Center – Moving in the classroom – $1,826 – Inspire Learning Fund and the Kay and Jim Beardin Community Endowment Fund.

Rochelle Community Action Network (CAN) – CAN Annual Christmas Shopping Trip – $11,000 – Jeffrey W. Cole Memorial Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Northern Illinois Food Bank – Mobile market in Ogle County – $10,000 – RACF Endowment Fund and the Rochelle Foods Hunger Challenge Fund.

Flagg-Rochelle Public Library – Growing wiser adults, one library program at a time – $4,449 – Plant the Seed Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery – Rochelle recovery support services and center – $5,000 – Human Service Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Kings Consolidated School District – Kings School physical education equipment – $2,161 – Kay and Jim Beardin Community Endowment Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Flagg Township Museum – Market the Museum, A Plan! – $2,077 – Arts Enrichment Fund, the Community Advancement Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.

Camp Cedar Illinois – Camp Cedar – $2,500 – Youth In Philanthropy Fund and the RACF Endowment Fund.