GCF NEWS & STORIES

The Rev. Jon A. Sibley Sr. Fund at Galesburg Community Foundation was created to continue Rev. Sibley’s legacy and dedication to community service.

Marge Dickinson was a longtime Galva High School art teacher, former president of the Illinois Art Education Association and now, a retired teacher. She started the council to support and encourage artists in her small community and quickly found success thanks to the community’s support.

For the second year in a row, the Galva Arts Council was selected as a recipient of the Levitt AMP $25,000 matching grant, a national creative place-making program dedicated to strengthening the social fabric of America through the power of free, live music.

“A gateway to something greater for all,” Krista Bushmaker says without hesitation. “That’s what Galesburg Community Foundation is to me, and I know to so many others.”

Rev. Jon Sibley Sr. simply loved people. It was in his laugh, his legacy of service and in the many interactions he had with others as a pastor, family man and as an Illinois State Trooper. “He was fun-loving,” his wife Vicki recalls. “He loved this place and he wanted to give back.”

Her devotion to the hobby is for a good cause. Jodie is currently knitting her 3,507 hat for children with cancer in five different hospitals. Her goal is to knit 10,000.

We heard the cheers from half a block away: A pickup truck filled with kids whooped and waved their arms when they realized the new playground had finally opened.