ROCHELLE —  people it seems enjoy a unique T-shirt design to wear, and when purchasing them also helps out a good cause, then even better.

With the Rochelle Area Community Foundation’s latest fundraising project everyone in the Rochelle region can show their support while sporting community pride with two new T-shirts available for purchase.
The T-shirts are available with the slogan, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” or a shirt designed with a distinct placement of a heart symbol with the zip code, “61068,” surrounded by an outline of the state of Illinois.
RACF board member Amy Hayden said many people might have thought only large gift dollar donations are accepted, but there are ways the community can be part of the organization. A goal of the organization is to find ways the community can support RACF.
“We know the RACF does great things for the community, but often times people think the support for the organization comes in large dollar gifts or donations and feel like that isn’t something they can do,” Hayden said.
“This campaign allows people to be a part of the RACF through purchasing a T-shirt.”
The shirts are available at the Cypress House in Rochelle and are also sold during the monthly outdoor farmer’s markets. Both designs range in sizes, with the “61068” available in adult sizes small to 3XL. The “Be the change” shirts are available in adult sizes as well as v-neck and children’s sizes. Prices are $20, with half of the sales going to RACF. Child sizes are on sale for $10.

Great idea
Hayden explained earlier this year she noticed a store was offering graphic T-shirts with a portion of the sales going to support an organization. That’s when the idea struck. She shared the thought behind the design.
“I thought it would be a great chance for the community to be a part of the RACF through the purchase of a T-shirt,” Hayden said. “Sara Slattengren and I have worked on the designs together. It’s a combination of the idea of supporting organizations (be the change design had a message we want to convey to the community) and also our pride for Rochelle (61068) design.”
Jenny Thompson, Marketing Chair for RACF, said the T-shirt fundraising is two-fold.
“They are a great way for anyone to be a part of the Foundation with a small contribution and they are also making the community more aware of the foundation by visiting with our board members at the [Outdoor Farmer’s Markets] and wearing the shirts with our name on the sleeve!” said Thompson.
RACF executive director Kim Montgomery said this latest project is the result of “our fantastic” marketing committee. She also said the support of all sizes of contributions are invested carefully to grow and support many great causes and organizations in the community.
“We are so fortunate to have this group of creatives who have great ideas and so much energy and put everything into action. It’s a positive message encouraging generosity and the 61068 shirts show pride in our community. Strategically, we want as many people as possible to know about the community foundation and what a gift to the community it is,” Montgomery said. “The t-shirts help bring awareness to the Community Foundation.”

About RACF
The Rochelle Area Community Foundation is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the community through charitable giving. The RACF board consists of an executive director and 15 members divided into four committees; marketing, finance, governance, and grants.
Community Needs Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to non-profit agencies, organizations or governmental entities that are exempt from state and federal tax, and serve the needs of individuals residing in the Rochelle Township School District.
Each grant request will be evaluated based on several factors including the potential impact of the request and number of people who will benefit, identification of a clear need and the capacity of the organization or individual to carry out the grant request.
Grants are awarded annually in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and community services, community development and hunger relief.