(Rock Island, IL) Approximately 25 refugee families from eight countries speaking eleven different dialects will gather Thursday, December 14th for a fun-filled day of traditional Christmas activities.  The day, organized by Spring Forward Learning Center teachers, begins at 9:30 am with cookie decorating followed by a 10 am visit from Santa Claus at the Church of Peace (1114 12th Street Rock Island).

Get out and enjoy the Great River Trail on December 10th then come into Duey’s Corner Tap for BRRunch. Our friends at Duey’s are donating brunch with the hope you’ll donate $10 toward Spring Forward Learning Center’s end of year giving campaign.

St. Ambrose Occupational Therapy Students Providing a Traditional Thanksgiving Meal for Area Refugees

This past Tuesday, the biggest fundraiser of the year was held for In From the Cold...a not for profit organization dedicated to addressing the basic needs of homeless in the Quad Cities.

Local organizations that help the homeless will be getting some financial help this week..... The local not for profit….In From the Cold…. will be handing out its annual grants at a news conference on Wednesday, October 25 at 10:00 am at the Center for Active Seniors (1035 W Kimberly Rd, Davenport, IA). In From the Cold is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.   Board members will hand out this year's grants to 10 organizations. Community Health Care, Inc. $1,500.00

(Bettendorf, Iowa) Katy Leigh Babcock a 12-year-old from Bettendorf and a Pleasant Valley Riverdale Heights student loves creating artwork and wants to become an artist.  Two years ago Katy was invited to illustrate an important story for the A Book by Me Holocaust series and she eagerly agreed to do so. A Book by Me books are true stories of Holocaust survivors written by students who have interviewed the story’s subject.  They are books written and illustrated by children for children.
Spring Forward Learning Center’s Golf Scramble will be held on June 24th at Highland Springs Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois (9500 35th St. West).  Registration and lunch from the grill (included) start at 11:00 am with best ball tournament beginning at 1:00 pm. There will be a 50/50 raffle, prizes donated by local Quad Cities businesses, hole contests and more! Tickets are $60 per person and $240 for a team of four.
Rock Island, IL—Runners and walkers can Spring into Summer and support important summer learning projects with the Spring into Summer 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, May 20. The 9:00 am race is a partnership among Spring Forward Learning Center, Martin Luther King Center, and Rock Island Public Library summer learning programs. Proceeds support summer reading and enrichment projects at Spring Forward elementary education sites in Rock Island and Milan.

Bettendorf, Iowa — Since 1988, hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in Walk MS events across the country raising critical funds and awareness for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This year, the cumulative fundraising since 1988 is expected to surpass $1 billion.

There is a month-long book drive underway in the Quad Cities designed to bring more diverse books into the area. The QC Diversity Book Drive is collecting new children’s books for kids attending Monroe Elementary School in Davenport , Rock Island Academy and Frances Willard in Rock Island, throughout the month of April. The goal is to collect at least 1000 books that reflect a diverse, multicultural world.

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