Celebrate the Arts | Womanspace 50th anniversary fundraiser
What: Womanspace will hold its 50th anniversary fundraiser celebrating connection, empowerment, creativity and transformation through the arts. Enjoy a vibrant art raffle featuring work by Rockford artists John Verl McNamara, Bill Burns and Gordie Johnson. There is also a silent auction with works from over 30 artists in the Womanspace community, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar. Former TV anchor Whitney Martin of Made for Rockford will emcee the event. All proceeds benefit Womanspace.
When: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8
Where: The Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club, 5151 Guilford Road, Rockford
Info/register: Go HERE
More than 20K brats to be served at 51st annual Alpine Kiwanis Brat Days
By Chelsea Meyer
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — It's not just the mustard, ketchup or buns that make up Alpine Kiwanis Brat Days — it's the community.
Karen Tilly, who serves as the public relations chairperson for Alpine Kiwanis, said they ordered 22,000 brats to be served at this year's event.
"Now that's just brats," Tilly said with a laugh. "Definitely the brats are the highest number of requests, but we do have Johnsonville hot dogs and we have a veggie-vegan bratwurst that's really good, and we also have a veggie BBQ."
Both of those will be made separately from the rest of the products and on a separate grill, Tilly said.
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The two-day event will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at two locations: U-Haul at the corner of East State Street and Mulford Road and Blain's Farm & Fleet, 7300 E. Riverside Blvd. in Loves Park.
At both sites, you can enjoy your meal with live entertainment. There is also the option to drive-thru or walk-up to grab your brats.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $7 and on-site for $8 and include your choice of Johnsonville brat, all-beef Johnsonville hot dog, meatless BBQ, vegan/vegetarian brat, and Mrs. Fisher's chips plus Pepsi product or water.
All proceeds from Alpine Kiwanis Brat Days are given directly to local nonprofits and area youth for scholarships. Alpine Kiwanis Club has given more than $2 million to support our community over the past 50 years.
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KFACT, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful, Children's Safe Program, YMCA, YWCA, are just a few of the nonprofits that this event has helped out in previous years.
"So all that money goes back into the charity, just to give out, and included in what we give out is we give scholarships to high school seniors from that pot of money," Tilly said. "So then starting in October, after Brat Days, we'll start taking requests for the rest of the year through next spring to give out all the money that we earned this year to agencies and to scholarship winners."
If you're a nonprofit looking to benefit from the money raised from Brat Days, or if your senior is looking to apply for the scholarship, head over to alpinekiwanis-il.org to make a request. All requests will be reviewed after the 51st Annual Alpine Kiwanis Brat Days and announced in 2023.
Know before you go | Alpine Kiwanis Brat Days
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, July 22, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23
- Take your brat to work: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday at Blain's Farm & Fleet only.
Where: Blain's Farm & Fleet, 7300 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park; U-Haul, corner of East State Street and Mulford Road
Preorders: For orders of 25 or more, call 779-221-4506.
For more information: Go to alpinekiwanis-il.org or Alpine Kiwanis Brat Days on Facebook for more info.
This article is by Chelsea Meyer. Email her at chelsea@b103fm.com.
Rockford Area of Habitat for Humanity gets $250K donation from nonprofit
By Mary Sisk
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity has received a second $250,000 donation from Rockford Housing Development Corporation.
The donation, which was made Monday evening, will provide more funds for repairing homes and expanding Habitat's capacity to increase access to homeownership. Habitat received the first donation in February 2021.
“We’re very, very happy to be able to partner with Habitat to provide housing," said Jerry Lumpkins, president of Rockford Housing Development Corporation. "That’s one of the reasons why we exist, is to provide affordable housing for our residents of the county, as well as the city.”
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The check was presented at Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 7141 Harrison Ave., Rockford.
Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit that partners with individuals and families to construct affordable housing, and this year the company plans to build seven new homes in partnership with local homebuyers.
"You are the single largest donor to our organization in our history, and we are so unbelievably grateful to have you as part of our family," Keri Asevedo, executive director of Habitat for Humanity, said to the nonprofit development corporation. "Thank you for helping us change lives.”
More information
Learn more about Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity here: rockfordhabitat.org.
This article is by Mary Sisk. Email her at msisk@rockrivercurrent.com or follow her on Instagram at @maryrrcurrent
Treasurer Frerichs Encourages Non-Profits to Apply for $250,000 Available Through Charitable Trust Program
Small non-profits that provide food, housing assistance, and workforce and economic development can apply for funding through the Charitable Trust Stabilization Program, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today.
“We are excited to kick off the new year with up to $250,000 available to small non-profits,” Frerichs said. “We all are experiencing the impact of the pandemic and this funding will help valuable organizations continue their mission to feed, house, and employ those in need.”
The Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund assists small non-profits with annual budgets of $1 million or less. Money comes from filing fees non-profits pay when incorporating in the state of Illinois, not personal or property tax dollars.
For this grant cycle, up to $250,000 is available to be split between 10 non-profits. The maximum award amount is $25,000 for each organization. Close to $3 million has been awarded to 134 non-profit organizations through the Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund since the program was established in 2017. Awardees are selected by an 11-member board, which oversees the management and guidelines of the fund.
Previous grant recipients are eligible to apply if the term of their grant has been complete for at least one calendar year.
Applications will be accepted through March 31 for this first cycle. The second cycle runs from July 1 – September 30, 2021. Visit ilcharitabletrust.com to complete an application online or contact the treasurer’s office at (217) 836-4590.