Godfrey Gifts $10,000 To Maintain Lewis And Clark Sculpture Gardens

Village of Godfrey Board of Trustees: Public Safety, Finance, Board Meetings

GODFREY – A $10,000 gift from the Village of Godfrey will support the ongoing upkeep of the Monticello Sculpture Gardens at Lewis and Clark Community College.

Trustees unanimously voted during Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting to approve a $10,000 donation to the Lewis and Clark Community College Foundation for continued maintenance at the gardens – a task Development Director Debby Edelman with Lewis and Clark said is more intensive than most might expect.

“Maintaining those grounds takes a whole lot more than a lawn mower and a weed wacker,” Edelman said. “We want to keep the grounds as vibrant and beautiful and sustainable as they are today, so that tomorrow, our students, our grandchildren, our grandchildren’s grandchildren can enjoy them just as much as we are.”

Edelman said the gardens not only provide as a welcoming space for students and visitors, they’ve also served as an occasional outdoor classroom and have been the backdrop to countless homecoming, prom, and wedding photographs over the years.

“I think that Lewis and Clark Community College is one of the best gems of Godfrey,” Trustee Sarah Woodman said. “I’m so proud of that school, I really am, and I think every Godfrey resident should feel the same way.”

Trustee Craig Lombardi agreed, adding he’s been to several community colleges in the area and believes Godfrey is very fortunate to have a space like the Monitcello Sculpture Gardens.

“The garden is gorgeous – I mean, every school uses that to take pictures,” Lombardi said. “I love the relationship that Godfrey and Lewis and Clark have and I hope it continues to grow.”

Trustees approved the $10,000 donation with a vote of 5-0. Trustee Karen McAtee was absent.

A full recording of the Nov. 4, 2025 Godfrey Finance Committee meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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