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The non-profit is a member of Lions International, which aims to help children and adults with hearing and vision impairments. It started in 1936 as a group of downtown Dixon businessmen.
Shaw Local
Thank You, Everyday Heroes
A tribute to everyday heroes
Sauk Valley/Shaw Local News Network
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Guided by his faith, Ryan Bivins cherishes the impact he is able to provide as Dixon’s Chief of Police and Faith Christian boys basketball coach. He is also a veteran of the Illinois Army National Guard and served in Afghanistan.
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Lavita McKinzie believes she is receiving as many blessings from her volunteer work with CGH Auxiliary as she gives.
For CGH Auxiliary volunteer Amy Wiseman, giving care started at home.
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Many individuals and families without housing don’t see staying at a shelter as an option because they’ll be forced to give up their pet. Dixon’s Granny Rose Animal Shelter and PADS Homeless Shelter aim to remove that barrier with their program the Stevie Project.
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Every Tuesday morning, a group of volunteers meets United Way of Lee County Programs and Operations Coordinator Elisa Gatz outside the Dixon Public Library to help her stock the organization's mini food center.
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When Roger Wittenauer sat down to chat with firefighters from the Amboy and Sublette fire departments at an Amboy Fire Department Depot Days breakfast a few years ago, he mentioned he missed the fire service.
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Susan Tyrrell’s teacher voice still is loud and clear when she’s working with fifth grade students at Teen Turf in Amboy.
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The chairman of the Amboy Depot Commission and a volunteer at the Depot Museum, Molly Haseman is determined to keep the depot moving forward.
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When Gordon Kelm was a 4-H member of the Hume Happy Hustlers 4-H Club, there was a 4-H club in nearly every township in Whiteside County and throughout Illinois.
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The program allows high school students who graduate in SVCC’s district – Whiteside, Lee, and parts of Bureau, Ogle, Henry and Carroll counties - to earn their tuition by volunteering at local organizations.
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When people comment to Beth Saffell about what the Jefferson/Lincoln PTO is doing or not doing, Saffell sees an opportunity.
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Larry and Anne Prindaville of Dixon say their volunteer work stems from “our faith and our belief that we need to do good works for others."
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A free store for neighbors in need. A teacher her students still call Ms. Rhonda, decades later. Meet the Sauk Valley’s reader-nominated 2026 Everyday Heroes — as told by the people who love them.