Ottawa native makes $50,000 donation to Robert M. Eschbach Fund

Ottawa native Sharon Eschbach Coleman recently made a $50,000 donation to the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation’s Robert M. Eschbach Fund.

The Eschbach fund, initiated by Coleman and her late husband Ken in 2016, recognizes her brother, the former Ottawa mayor, and supports “aesthetic, cultural and economic development in the city.”

Coleman of Seattle has donated more than $150,000 to support SRCCF and the Eschbach fund.

“Sharon is a cornerstone in our Foundation’s history,” said President and CEO Fran Brolley in a news release. “Her generosity demonstrates how much she believes in the work we are doing.”

Coleman also donated $250,000 to the capital campaign for the Ottawa YMCA, a gift that afforded her naming rights for the Y’s outdoor plaza. She named the space in her brother’s honor.

Her philanthropy and career achievements will be showcased Saturday, Feb. 1, when she is inducted into the Ottawa High School Hall of Fame.

Coleman retired in 2021 as senior director of commercial real estate development at Vulcan Real Estate. Her leadership in design and smart development is credited with changing Seattle’s skyline and contributing to Amazon’s urban campus and office developments for Google and Facebook.

Since its founding nine years ago, Starved Rock Country Community Foundation has invested more than $2.6 million in the region and established more than 120 charitable funds.

The Foundation supports the arts, education, health and human services, the environment and disaster relief. For information, visit www.srccf.org or call Brolley at 815-252-2906, ext. 1.