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 in 2016 by Sharon and her late husband Ken, recognizes her brother, the former Ottawa mayor, and supports “aesthetic, cultural and economic development in the city.”
“Sharon is a cornerstone in our Foundation’s history,” said President and CEO Fran Brolley. “Her generosity demonstrates how much she believes in the work we are doing.” Sharon 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.
Sharon’s philanthropy and career achievements will be showcased Saturday, Feb. 1 when she is inducted into the Ottawa High School Hall of Fame. She retired in 2021 as Senior Director of Commercial Real Estate Development at Vulcan Real Estate in Seattle. 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.
