Thank You | Sauk Valley
Thank You Teachers • Thank You First Responders: Sauk Valley • Thank You Veterans: Sauk Valley • Thank You Everyday Heroes • /internal-ai-feed
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.
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.
Lavita McKinzie believes she is receiving as many blessings from her volunteer work with CGH Auxiliary as she gives.
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.
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.
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.
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."
The chairman of the Amboy Depot Commission and a volunteer at the Depot Museum, Molly Haseman is determined to keep the depot moving forward.
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.
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.
For CGH Auxiliary volunteer Amy Wiseman, giving care started at home.
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.
“He was always so proud to serve,” said Dixon resident Carla Hill of her son, a veteran of the United States Army, who died in August 2024 after a long battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
After serving as an Army sergeant, Floyd Dunn of Sterling is now serving again – this time by helping veterans face the hardships of life back home.
Once a former meat locker, Morrison American Legion Post 328 has undergone a remarkable transformation thanks to years of dedicated volunteer work and leadership.
The music and celebration of the Dixon Petunia Festival were still buzzing when a young Elise Ulferts-Hume first felt a pull stronger than any summer memory – the call to serve her country.
Sinnissippi Centers, a behavioral health organization in Dixon, provides community-based services for veterans, from a veteran.
Sauk Valley Community College provides services to veteran students and their families to help them utilize their federal and state benefits and connect to area resources.