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2026 calendar raises record for Starved Rock, Matthiessen · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Twenty twenty six calendar raises record for Starboard Rock Matthiessen.
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  Written by Tom Collins, This article is being read by
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  an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. Scott. Anderson
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  and Macadrios were already pleased their nature photos were selected
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  for the annual Starvrock and Mathiessen calendar. Sunday, they were
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  doubly happy the Shaw Local photographers learned their work helped
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  the Starve Rock Foundation to raise sixteen, two hundred and
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  eighty eight dollars and fifty cents, the most since the
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  fundraiser was launched in twenty twenty two. I was thrilled,
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  said Anderson, photo editor, whose submission was a view of
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  Eagle Cliff. It's a great organization to donate a photo
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  and it helps the park. Rio's, a depew resident and
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  freelancer for the Shaw Local, submitted a photo of a
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  goldfinch perched on a sunflower. It was really exciting, Rios said.
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  It was nice to be told that a photo of
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  mine could be contributed to bringing money toward the park. Obviously,
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  I love the parks during the summer. I'll come out
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  almost daily and just walk, so it's really nice. To
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  be able to contribute back to the park. Matthew Klein,
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  president of the Starved Rock Foundation, announced the fundraising total
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  Sunday at the Starve Rock Visitor Center. Klein first assembled
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  a calendar celebrating the parks in twenty twenty one. The
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  first time venture attracted enough interest that Klein decided to
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  include the works of photographers in the Illinois Valley and
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  to donate the sales to the parks. The twenty twenty
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  two calendar yielded a twenty six hundred dollars donation, and
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  the current tally represents a sixfold increase. It's really cool
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  and really special, Kleine said. So now to see that
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  go from two six hundred dollars to sixteen thousand dollars,
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  that's real money that can make a real impact. While
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  Klein credited a number of local businesses for selling the calendar,
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  he gave a special nod to Miller Group Charitable Trust,
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  which agreed to a dollar for dollar match. The parks are,
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  of course, some of our area's greatest assets, said Joyce McCullough,
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  present Sunday on behalf of Miller Group Charitable Trust. And
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  we thought the calendar was a creative way to promote
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  their beauty and generate funding for their upkeep. We are
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  happy to offer the match and hope future calendar sales
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  are as successful. Sunday's event was held not only to
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  trumpet the fundraising total, but to spotlight the individual works
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  by local photographers. Chet Phillips of lasal, for example, captured
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  a striking image of the bridge at Mathiesen Lake, which
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  he collected during a hike. I also liked the significant
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  history of the concrete arch bridges at this location and
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  throughout medicent State Park, Phillips said. The designer and engineer
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  Joseph Strauss went on to designed bascool lift bridges in
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  the Chicai I starved rock country is amazing, Philip said,
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  encouraging other photographers to submit their works, grab a camera
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  and explore