The 1834 Alliance

The 1834 Alliance The 1834 Alliance of Transformational Dreamers & Doers celebrates and empowers visionaries who embody the legacy of collaborative transformation.

A few powerful moments from an extraordinary evening.🥂 The inaugural 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration brought together...
06/11/2026

A few powerful moments from an extraordinary evening.

🥂 The inaugural 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration brought together more than 200 residents, business leaders, educators, artists and civic partners to celebrate something bigger than any one person or project: the power of collaborative transformation.

From the stage of the The RPL Nordlof Center to Rockford Public Library's 3rd floor terrace overlooking the Rock River, the evening was filled with stories of vision, perseverance, partnership and hope.

Congratulations once again to our 2026 honorees:

🏆 Transformers Honor: Downtown Rockford's Transformation
🏆 Ignitors Honor: Rockford Promise

Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared the experience and continues to help write the next chapters of the Rockford Region's story of transformation and progress.

We hope you enjoy looking back through a few of our favorite moments from a remarkable celebration in downtown Rockford. Please follow us on our website and socials for news and updates. There's more coming from the 1834 Alliance.

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Ignitors Honor recognizes an idea that continues to build lives a...
06/05/2026

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Ignitors Honor recognizes an idea that continues to build lives across generations.

Rockford Promise began with a simple belief: every student deserves access to educational opportunity and the hope it delivers. Today, that belief is helping transform families, careers and our community.

Read the inspiring story behind our inaugural Ignitors Honor recipient on the 1834 Alliance website, and be sure to enjoy our documentary film.

https://1834alliance.org/ignitors-honor/

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Transformers Honor recognizes an achievement more than four decad...
06/05/2026

In this, our inaugural year of 2026, the 1834 Alliance Transformers Honor recognizes an achievement more than four decades in the making.

The transformation of Downtown Rockford is a story of vision, persistence and hundreds, if not thousands of people who believed the heart of our city was worth fighting for.

Read the inspiring story behind our inaugural Transformers Honor recipient on the 1834 Alliance website, and be sure to enjoy our documentary film.

https://1834alliance.org/transformers-honor/

Can't join us at the Nordlof for the 1834 Honors & Celebration? Join us live online! While our in-person seating for ton...
06/04/2026

Can't join us at the Nordlof for the 1834 Honors & Celebration? Join us live online!

While our in-person seating for tonight’s inaugural 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration is nearly at capacity, we want to ensure our entire community can still participate.

You can experience the entire program—including our original documentary films and the presentation of our two inaugural transformational honors—completely live from home.

Let’s come together digitally to honor the extraordinary dreamers and doers who are redefining the Rockford region.

🗓️ Tonight, June 4
⏰ Program begins promptly at 6:00 PM CDT
📺 Watch Live on YouTube: https://f.mtr.cool/acrogqklcn

"If we can put a smile on the face of a guy like Alderman Victory Bell, that makes me proud."Josh Jeffers has revitalize...
06/04/2026

"If we can put a smile on the face of a guy like Alderman Victory Bell, that makes me proud."
Josh Jeffers has revitalized historic properties across the Midwest, yet when he talks about Colman Yards, he spends less time on buildings and capital stacks and more on people and inspiration.

He speaks with admiration for Alderman Victory Bell, whose nearly four decades of service to the 5th Ward kept dreams of a better southwest Rockford alive. He praises the business owners, residents, public officials and earlier developers who believed in the city long before Coleman Yards was conceived.

In fact, Jeffers is quick to acknowledge that his work is made possible by those who came before.

"We're really not the pioneers in downtown Rockford," he said. "Revitalization here has already begun."

Today, J. Jeffers & Co. is helping write an exciting new chapter for the former Barber-Colman campus—fully aware of the fact that the biggest projects rarely begin with the people who finish them.

They begin with those who chose to dream first.

Join Joshua Jeffers and other transformers June 4 at The RPL Nordlof Center as the 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration showcases the dreamers, doers and collaborators moving our community forward.

🎟️ Free Tickets: https://f.mtr.cool/wtnauzrsjp For those unable to book in advance, a standby line will be available at the venue to accommodate guests if seats open up due to no-shows.

“I’ve lost track of the times I’ve been told, ‘you can’t do that in Rockford.’”For J.R. Sullivan, doubt was never a reas...
06/04/2026

“I’ve lost track of the times I’ve been told, ‘you can’t do that in Rockford.’”

For J.R. Sullivan, doubt was never a reason to stop. It was a reason to persevere.

Believer by believer, he built the New American Theater, trusting that audiences would respond to something uniquely American, uniquely Midwestern and uniquely Rockford. And for decades, they did.

New American Theater proved that culture is the foundation of an improving downtown. By believing in his art, local audiences and local potential, he expanded what was possible in Rockford, Illinois. That is transformation in action.

Join J.R. as he delivers a live story tomorrow, June 4, on the Sullivan Stage at The RPL Nordlof Center when the 1834 Alliance honors the dreamers and doers who drive cultural excellence in our community.

🎟️ Free Tickets: https://f.mtr.cool/rpyndwfroq For those unable to book in advance, a standby line will be available at the venue to accommodate guests if seats open up due to no-shows.

“Years ago, over coffee with Elaine, I was volun-told to do things she made me think were my idea!”Susan Fumo said that ...
06/04/2026

“Years ago, over coffee with Elaine, I was volun-told to do things she made me think were my idea!”

Susan Fumo said that with a wry smile - and that is how her Rockford Promise journey began.

What started as a conversation with Rockford Promise co-founder Elaine Breck turned into years of service, leadership and advocacy on behalf of local students and families.

A lifelong educator and former Rockford Promise board president, Susan has helped guide the organization from a small volunteer-led effort serving a handful of students to a community-wide movement helping hundreds pursue higher education.

Looking back, she remains inspired by the persistence of the organization's founders.

“They had a vision,” she said. “And they never gave up. Neither did those of us who followed.”

Today, Dr John McHugh’s dream, carried forward by Susan, Elaine and a legion of others, has become one of the Rockford region's most transformative investments in young people and in the future of the community itself.

Join Susan and other selfless Transformers June 4 at The RPL Nordlof Center as the 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration showcases the dreamers and doers expanding opportunity across our community.

🎟️ Free Tickets: https://f.mtr.cool/fsrxmqvygj For those unable to book in advance, a standby line will be available at the venue to accommodate guests if seats open up due to no-shows.

“I've had the great honor to be a cheerleader for this community.”For more than two decades, John Groh has spent his pro...
06/03/2026

“I've had the great honor to be a cheerleader for this community.”

For more than two decades, John Groh has spent his professional life helping tell Rockford's story.

As President and CEO of Go Rockford, John, inspired by agency founder Wendy Perks Fisher, has helped attract visitors, events, investment and attention to a community he has loved his entire life.

A lifelong Rockfordian, he believes downtown Rockford's transformation offers an important lesson.

“Success stacks on success,” he said.

Riverview Ice House. The Coronado Theatre. The Sports Factory. Embassy Suites Rockford . Rockford City Market. New housing. New businesses. New energy.

Each built upon the work, vision and courage of those who came before.

For John, downtown Rockford's story is ultimately a story about people working together, staying together and believing that something better is always possible. And proving it.

Join John Groh and other transformers June 4 at the RPL Nordlof Center as the 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration showcases the dreamers, doers and collaborators moving our community forward.

🎟️ Few tickets remain. For those unable to book in advance, a standby line will be available at the venue to accommodate guests if seats open up due to no-shows. https://f.mtr.cool/lulcrogugc

Maurice Redd believes communities grow stronger when they invest in children. As Board Chair of Rockford Promise, Mauric...
06/03/2026

Maurice Redd believes communities grow stronger when they invest in children.

As Board Chair of Rockford Promise, Maurice has helped champion a bold idea with transformational implications: that expanding educational opportunity strengthens not only individual lives, but the future of our city.

Rockford Promise is helping students gain access to college, mentorship, career pathways and hope. But it’s also doing something bigger—developing the human capital that will strengthen Rockford for decades to come.

That takes collaboration, commitment and leaders willing to think beyond themselves.

Join Maurice and other selfless Transformers June 4 at The RPL Nordlof Center as the 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration showcases the dreamers and doers expanding opportunity across our community.

🎟️ Free Tickets: https://f.mtr.cool/nchvzzjdqw

Seating for Rockford’s inaugural 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration is nearly at capacity. 📈 With fewer than 30 seats re...
06/03/2026

Seating for Rockford’s inaugural 1834 Alliance Honors & Celebration is nearly at capacity. 📈 With fewer than 30 seats remaining for this Thursday, June 4th, time is running out to join us at The RPL Nordlof Center. Come help us recognize the extraordinary dreamers and doers driving multi-generational, collaborative transformation across our region!

🎟️ Be a part of this landmark event for our community. Secure your complimentary tickets at https://f.mtr.cool/etevpabqqr

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411 Kent St
Rockford, IL
61102

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