Annual budget: $1.3M
Mission: To enlighten, educate, and entertain through symphonic music
What the nominator said: “While there are many hard-working organizations in Rockford involved with helping the least of us and other groups that provide for the elite of us, the Rockford Symphony Orchestra caters to what is the best in us. The RSO is the soul of the city. Of course, they perform to entertain their audiences, but they do so much more. Every time this organization performs someone comes into their concert venue, whether it be the Coronado, Starlight, Sinnissippi Park, or even a local polling place, someone comes in hurting, lost, or feeling hopeless and is uplifted by the power of live music and its ability to literally bring harmony, healing and peace into one s life. The years of dedication and practice from this marvelous group of musicians and teachers and the leadership of its director and staff give everyone who hears them a new outlook on life. They affirm everything
The Rockford Register Star’s Excalibur Award is given to an individual who through excellence in community service has made a difference in the Rock River Valley. The Excelsior Award goes to an organization for doing the same. Gary Anderson is an Excalibur finalist.
Name: Gary W. Anderson
Occupation: Architect, owner of Studio GWA
About the nominee: Architect and historic preservationist Gary Anderson has played a key role in the resurgence of downtown Rockford, culminating with the redevelopment of the dilapidated former Amerock factory into the four-star Hilton Embassy Suites and Lawrence J. Morrissey Conference Center. If not for Anderson and the Friends of Ziock a group of preservationists and residents he helped to form it might have been demolished years ago.
Annual budget: $1.6 million
Mission: The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is responsible for promoting the Rockford area as an attractive travel destination and enhancing the region s public image as a dynamic place to live and work. Through the impact of travel, RACVB strengthens the economic position of the region, enhances quality of life for residents and provides opportunities for people in our communities.
What the nominator said: RACVB has been a driver in marketing our region and in turn helping it generate increasing amounts of tourism revenue. Today, visitors spend more than $408 million annually in Winnebago County, up from $42 million when RACVB was established in 1984. Prior to the impact of COVID-19 and record losses in the industry, Rockford and Winnebago County achieved an unprecedented 10 years of growth in its tourism sector.
2020 Excelsior finalist: Rockford Promise clears path to college
Organization: Rockford Promise
Address: 1643 N. Alpine Road, Suite 104, No. 102, Rockford. (It’s a post office box at the Postal Shoppe at Edgebrook.)
Phone: 815-627-0491
Total staff: 2.5, an executive director, scholar and mentor coordinator, and part-time administrative assistant.
Annual budget: $370,959; $312,000 reserved for scholarships, $204,000 paid out. In 2020, Rockford Promise awarded scholarship funds to five students to attend Rockford University and 24 students to attend Rock Valley College.
Mission: Rockford Promise is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) location-based scholarship program that offers full-tuition scholarships to deserving graduates of Rockford Public Schools. Modeled after Promise programs around the nation, the goal is to increase educational attainment in our community while providing a powerful economic incentive for residents and businesses to locate in the Rockford region.
The Rockford Register Star’s Excalibur Award is given to an individual for community service and excellence and for making a difference in the Rock River Valley. The Excelsior Award goes to an organization for doing the same. Mustafa Abdall is an Excalibur finalist.
Name: Mustafa Abdall
Occupation: Lincoln Middle School teacher
About the nominee: Mustafa Abdall teaches English as a second language and has been instrumental in helping hundreds of immigrants acclimate to life in Rockford. Earlier this year he was recognized as one of the Rockford Register Star s 2020 People to Watch.
Abdall also is founder of Winnebago Emerging Small Business Services, an organization that focuses on providing support to bilingual and multicultural entrepreneurs. In October, he and his business partner, Moe Allen, took ownership of Ronit s Kitchen, an Indoor City Market restaurant at 116 N. Madison St. and renamed it Guzel, which means beautiful in Turkish.