On Monday, June 15, 1834 Alliance committee member Bobbie Holzwarth appeared before the Rockford City Council to thank the Mayor, Council and City staff for their leadership and partnership in two stories recently recognized by the Alliance: Downtown Rockford’s transformation from 1980 – 2026 and Rockford Promise, our community’s location-based scholarship program.
Standing alongside the 2026 1834 Alliance Transformers and Ignitors Honors trophies, she reminded us all that meaningful progress happens when people choose collaboration over complacency and commit themselves to building something better together.
And she thanked the City of Rockford for helping make these stories possible – and for helping write the next chapters of our community’s transformation.
Read Bobbie’s full remarks below.
1834 Alliance – Bobbie Holzwarth’s Remarks at City Council, June 15, 2026
Good evening. I’m Bobbie Holzwarth, a founding member of the Transform Rockford steering committee and that of the 1834 Alliance of Transformation Dreamers & Doers.
Transform Rockford was created from a love for the community and its residents as well as an acknowledgement of the inherent opportunity we hold.
We knew that Rockford could come together honestly, collaboratively and intentionally to shape a strong future.
Transformation does not happen by accident. It happens when people say, “no thank you, that’s not good enough” to the status quo. When stakeholders believe something better is possible and collectively step forward to do the hard work required to make it real.
We also know transformation is not easy. It requires discipline, courage and people who are willing to work together selflessly.
Each of us can take pride in the fact that this is what has occurred in Rockford. THIS IS WORTH CELEBRATING. It is worth pausing to honor what has occurred here since 2013 when disappointment seemed to prevail.
Transform Rockford created The 1834 Alliance for the purpose of acknowledging the progress now evident in our community. Last week we announced two Honors.
If you haven’t already, I hope you will watch the two documentaries created for the honors on our website, as my few words tonight cannot do justice to the full stories. Here are the teasers: The Transformers Honor was awarded to the Downtown transformation that has occurred over several decades. We see it all around us—the amazing difference our Downtown presents today from where we were years ago. Just think about how strongly the heart of our community is beating now throughout venues, restaurants, shops, residential properties and local businesses. So many positive outcomes have given us wonderful places and spaces to live, work and play.
In our Downtown documentary, we reflect on what can be harder to see—the years, and sometimes decades of vision, leadership, partnership, persistence and courage that made these outcomes possible.
The Transformers Honor goes to many, including all of you. The City, through its mayors, council members and staff play a critical role in our transformation. We would not be here today, and could not have a vision of a better tomorrow, without you.
The Ignitors Honor was awarded to the Rockford Promise. Again, this honor goes to many. We honor the people at Rockford Promise and the educational partners that are making the Promise a reality for our students and their families. We honor the City. Thank you, Mayor McNamara, thank you, Council and thank you, staff, for your support through this sustained financial investment, and in your words and deeds, for showing our community and all of our young people that they and their education truly matter.
This journey of transformation informs us that a commitment to improvement must be an ongoing, focused process. Today’s environment requires us to be forward-looking and intentional about being not only a sustainable community, but a vibrant one!
So, thank you for caring about this place we love.
And thank you in advance for helping write our next chapter.