DAVENPORT, IOWA (August 17, 2022) — Q2030 is highlighting a successful year of meaningful partnerships that support transforming the Quad Cities into a more cool, creative, connected, and prosperous region by bringing Quad Citizens together, capitalizing on the region’s greatest asset — the Mississippi River — and engaging young people.
From taking steps to replace lead water service lines to expanding access to quality child-care and creating new career-development opportunities for high-school students, Q2030 is sharing progress in several projects vital to creating a vibrant, thriving, and inclusive community.
Q2030 works alongside existing community partners, including four champion organizations — Quad Cities Chamber, Quad Cities Community Foundation, United Way Quad Cities, and Visit Quad Cities — to collectively advance the region. Q2030 is a leading advocate for convening Quad Citizens to accelerate a more cool, creative, connected and prosperous community for all.
Q2030 became a 501(c)(3) organization in October 2021, enlisting fourteen diverse board members representing business, government, non-profit, and education sectors within the Quad Cities.
“Q2030 is lucky to have board members who are deeply engaged in the community and committed to advancing regional collaboration through their involvement in many other initiatives,” said Kate Jennings, Executive Director of Q2030. “We know that to truly achieve bold regional transformation, our community must support intensified and expanded collaboration.”
Q2030 defines mission and focus areas through strategic planning
Through strategic planning and insights from champion partners, Q2030 board members established four focus areas — the Mississippi riverfront, youth engagement, child-care workforce, and regional collaboration. The board believes Q2030 can have measurable impact by creating a riverfront plan that excites people and encourages more investment. It works to encourage to encourage community organizations to share ideas and best practices through regional collaboration. Q2030 also commits to creating partnerships that engage young people in career development and bring more parents into the workforce through investment in dependable child-care options.
Q2030 also commits to assuring diversity and equity are always top of mind. In January, board members successfully completed DEI training with Dr LaDrina Wilson, founder of Iman Consulting. Next, the organization will launch a welcoming and inclusivity survey for community members to provide input for ways our region can better engage and support traditionally under-represented populations.
Q2030 helps launch Childcare Workforce Infrastructure Forgivable Loan Program with City of Moline
Q2030 is proud of its support for investments in quality, affordable child-care. When the pandemic stressed an already-taxed child-care system, Q2030 worked with the City of Moline to launch the first-of-its-kind Childcare Workforce Infrastructure Forgivable Loan Program. This program is expected to invest $500,000 in child-care providers, facilities, and staffing. This investment is meant to help the city retain its current day-care providers while offering the financial opportunity for expansion. Based on applications received, there is already the potential for another 160 child-care slots to open in Moline because of this funding, with more slots to come as additional applications are approved.
Q2030 partnership leads to progress in water line-replacement project
Q2030 also helped jump-start a major initiative involving Western Illinois University (WIU) Quad Cities and the City of Silvis that helps ensure the region’s drinking water is lead-free. Through connections and collaboration with Q2030, WIU engineering and geographical information students completed a survey of lead-water lines in Silvis by going door-to-door taking inventory of the service lines. Silvis then used this information to put in place the first phase of a water service-line replacement project under an Illinois state law in effect as of January 2022.
Q2030 plans fall forums
Q2030 Executive Director Kate Jennings is inviting more people to share their perspectives through new community forums starting in September. The first forum will be held on September 8, 2022, and is centered around the importance of child-care to the business community. According to Ready Nation, child-care gaps in Illinois and Iowa cost working families and employers nearly $3 billion in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue in 2019.
“Child-care is an incredibly critical issue facing our families and our business community,” Jennings said. “We will be working with the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and United Way Quad Cities to convene leaders in the business community to discuss ways to develop and support more childcare friendly practices.”
“As we continue to face workforce and education challenges from the pandemic, I cannot think of a more important initiative than child-care workforce development. A prosperous region requires that we invest early and often in our youngest citizens and those who provide direct services to them,” said Reverend Dwight Ford, Chair of the Q2030 Board of Directors. “Working together we can leverage the strength of the Quad Cities Region to expand early childhood education opportunities in preparation for our future while at the same time work to ensure adequate resources for our childcare workforce.”
Forums are also planned for October and November 2022 around work-based learning opportunities for high-school students. Discussions will be held with organizations investing in work-based learning and with students who are under-represented in current efforts to continue with college or vocational training. By addressing gaps in these opportunities, Q2030 believes the region can add 1,200 young adults to the workforce every year.
“I believe that it is our region’s greatest responsibilities and opportunities to light the inner fire of young people and those who had a rough start,” said Rene Gellerman, Q2030 Board Member and President and CEO of United Way Quad Cities. “Every student should have the opportunity to explore the work-based learning opportunities to give them a chance to discover what they enjoy doing and meet people who get to do it for a living. This will help set our students up to graduate high school prepared to succeed in career or college.”
Q2030 sees unlimited potential in optimizing riverfront access and utilization, especially in spaces vacated by the old Interstate 74 bridge. Q2030 plans to engage city leaders from across the area to participate in conversations about amplifying our riverfront amenities This initiative is meant to bring together each city’s riverfront amenities and existing plans into a regional tool for public utilization.
“Our global asset and world-renowned Mississippi River is a point of unique distinction, a connector, and a leverageable opportunity for our regional destination,” said Dave Herrell, Q2030 Board Member and President and CEO, Visit Quad Cities. “Our family of communities have transformative ideas and plans that we can amplify together boldly and collaboratively as we further our brand and story. If the vision is to become an internationally-recognized riverfront destination, building a platform at the regional level best positions the Quad Cities of the future.”
Follow along, sign up for an event and join the conversation on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IntheQ2030/.
About Q2030
Q2030 is a regional action plan advocating for its vision of transforming the Quad Cities into a more cool, creative, connected, and prosperous region. The 501(c)(3) organization is led by Executive Director Kate Jennings and a board of directors. Q2030 serves as a catalyst for regional success by bringing people together, amplifying the success of its partners, and infusing diversity, equity, and inclusion to build prosperity for all.
