What you make possible

It’s one of my favorite times of the year, when the warm weather ushers us out the door and into our beautiful Quad Cities. 

Whether it’s a bike ride along the Mississippi River with your family, picking up fresh produce at the always-lively Mercado on Fifth, going to a River Bandits Baseball game, taking in Nahant Marsh or going to one of our nearly two dozen museums, it’s a great time and place to learn, relax and make summer memories.

There is not an area of the Quad Cities you visit this summer that have not been touched by the generosity of our donors, people like you who not only provide support in areas such as poverty and homelessness but also contribute to the vitality, warmth and creativity for our youth and families. 

I think about the Quad City Arts Metro Youth Apprenticeship Program, which provides area youth paid summer apprenticeships in the arts. The students complete art projects under the mentorship of professional artists, including art sculptures for Davenport and repurposed benches for Rock Island. They are a past grant recipient thanks to your generosity.

I think of the Isabel Bloom Art Education Fund, which honors the late artist Isabel Scherer, the heart and hands behind the iconic clay Isabel Bloom sculptures you find in offices, homes and gardens here and across the United States. The Isabel Bloom Art Education Fund provides support to visual arts programs within the schools of Scott and Rock Island Counties. That, too, is made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors.

I think of people like Mark Schwiebert, whose recent first round of grants from the Mark W. Schwiebert Fund for Environmental Studies will not only increase awareness about the environmental challenges posed by climate change, but also provide funding for research projects. His thoughtfulness will help ensure our communities remain safe, beautiful places to live long-term—places our kids and grandkids and great grandkids will enjoy every August for decades to come.

These projects and opportunities—from a bench you might sit on in the plaza that was dreamed and designed by a local high school student to a national environmental speaker you might hear at one of our local colleges—are all possible because someone like you decided to give back—and through—the Quad Cities Community Foundation.

A new school year is already around the corner and many college students will start or return to their place of education armed with resources thanks to a plethora of scholarships through the Community Foundation. It truly is a place where experts have partnered with generous people to leave a legacy—not just in the warmth of summer, but every day of the year.

PS: Did you hear the news about our 2017 Community Impact Fund Challenge Grants? Five nonprofits will be challenged to raise $10,000 by December 31 to receive $10,000 from the Community Foundation. Applications are due September 1.Please share the news with nonprofits and causes you care about in the region.