Happy Holidays!
On November 13th, Quad Cities Interfaith held its fourth annual Fundraising Breakfast. The theme of this year's breakfast was "Honoring Our Founders, Embracing Our Future". Our supporters gathered at St. Ambrose University to help us honor the founders of QCI. The honorees included Reverend Ken Kuenning, Reverend William Grimes, Monsignor Marvin Mottet, Justice Thomas Kilbride, and Joseph Smith. Also during the event QCI honored Loxi Hopkins with the 2012 Marvin Mottet Leadership award.
QCI began in 1986 as a coalition of congregations and people of faith to provide an interfaith response to the farm crisis. "Reverend Keunning was pastor of Church of Peace, and also involved with the formation of the Community Caring Conference, which is based at Church of Peace. At the same time, local clergy, led by Rev Kuenning, Rev. Grimes, Joe Smith, Thomas Kilbride and others began to talk about addressing systemic injustices and larger issues like joblessness and foreclosures in the QCA." -Leslie Kilgannon
"Reverend William Grimes was one of the first local clergy to organize around the idea that the faith community should lead in the work for addressing systemic injustices in the QCA. Already a recognized community activist, Reverend Grimes lent his considerable reputation and leadership to the effort of forming Quad Cities Interfaith." -Leslie Kilgannon
"From this work they began to think strategically about forming an organization that could address community needs and combat systematic injustices and racism. Rev. Kuenning, worked with Monsignor Mottet to connect QCI to Greg Galluzzo and the Gamaliel Network out of Chicago and the rest is history." -Leslie Kilgannon
From their efforts, Quad Cities Interfaith was formed. With leadership from Thomas Kilbride who provided the legal support to form the organization, these pastors lead the development of this multi-faith coalition that has progressed ever since to co-create a more just Quad Cities. Joe Smith, former member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Rock Island, worked with Rev. Grimes, Rev. Ken Kuenning, Thomas Kilbride, and Monsignor Mottet to organize QCI.
The event was a great success. QCI supporters enjoyed breakfast while learning about the work that QCI has done and the work that QCI hopes to get done in the 2013. 2012 has been a year of new issues, new relationships with congregations and community groups, and of measurable progress on the work of jobs equity. Thanks to all of its supporters, the breakfast raised $4,100 in donations and 30 sustaining donors were established. As part of our fundraising efforts, QCI created an ad book to be distributed at the breakfast. The ad book raised $5,000. We'd like to thank all the people who placed an ad in our book.
Please Consider Becoming a Sustaining Donor!
We are trying to diversify our funding. To do this, the breakfast kicked off the individual sustaining donor campaign. The goal is to get 200 individuals donating at least $20 a month. Any contributions to Quad Cities Interfaith are an investment in the work for justice in our community. Your tax-deductible donation is essential to our future and the work for justice. Making a monthly (or an annual) sustaining donation is easy and convenient through VANCO services on our website. You are able to make a secure payment using your credit or debit card. Sustaining donors make an on-going contribution. Each month or year you will be charged the same amount. You can also decide to stop or change your contribution at any time.
Ready to Become a Sustaining Donor?
It's Simple with these Step by Step Instructions
1.) Visit our website at
www.qcinterfaith.org 2.) On the top right hand side of the site, click on donate now
3.) You will be taken to a secured website provided by VANCO Services to the Online Donation Page which has our logo
4.) Go to Donations
Enter the dollar amount you wish to contribute.
Donation Frequency: Identify how often you will be giving i.e weekly, monthly, one time gift
Donation Start Date: Identify the date you want a withdrawal to begin or to be made
5.) Click on Continue
Fill out donation information including how you would like to pay, your name and address, etc.
Review the information carefully
Make sure you click on process
6.) Confirmation. A confirmation page comes up with a thank you, confirming the donation and a confirmation number.
You can print off a receipt of your donation for your records.
It is recommended that you create a profile so that the system remembers you and you can log in and make changes, etc.
Fire of Faith
In October of this year QCI kicked off the Fire of Faith Campaign - Rekindling Congregations, Democracy, and the Economy campaign. Fire of Faith is a three-year campaign that will strengthen member congregations and institutions, increase participation in democracy, and move one million people into jobs and increase economic dignity. Our faith traditions teach us that loving our neighbor cannot be just a sentiment- we must help to shape a world we can be proud to leave to our grandchildren. "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." (Amos 5:24)
What's New at QCI
Quad Cities Interfaith held a Fire of Faith Gathering on October 25, 2012 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, Iowa. Our event brought people of many faiths together to work on Rekindling our Communities, Rekindling our Economy, and Rekindling our Democracy. The event was a re-commitment ceremony for the 20 member congregations and explanation of the Fire of Faith Campaign kicking off in 2013. Through Fire of Faith QCI will provide intensive support and training for members to reinvigorate their congregations and strengthen their connections to the faith community in the Quad Cities. For more information, contact Leslie at QCI.
Pictured below is Reverend David Bigsby, Gamaliel of IL, as he addresses our event by informing us of the introduction of the Fire of Faith Principles. Thank you Rev. Bigsby for coming to our event. We appreciate that you could be apart of our program.
QCI Issue Updates
Transportation and Jobs Equity
As part of Gamaliel of Illinois, the task force is working to secure a State wide Project Labor Agreement (PLA) from the contractors,unions and Illinois Department of Transportation that will include requirements for diversity in the work force on all transportation projects in Illinois. The Task Force is also looking to build a local monitoring committee in early 2013, that will hold accountable IL DOT on the Community Benefits Agreement principles it agreed to for the passenger rail project coming to the Quad Cities. Our next meeting is in Janurary 2013. Join us! For information, please contact Reverend David Geenen, Task Force Chairman at
daveg@15thavenuechristainchurch.org
Healthcare
Imagine this situation: Your six-year-old child has a fever and a sore throat. You're worried, so you take him to the doctor. You say, "I notice he talks little. Little by little and he has difficulty eating and swallowing." The doctor asks you, "Does he have a sore throat?" Pretty straightforward, right?
But now imagine the same situation when your first language isn't English, and you have to bring someone, in this case a family friend, to interpret for you, and this is how the friend translates what you told the doctor: "She says he is talking like, like lazy, whatever he says all the time, and plus he is not eating at all." Then, when the doctor asks about the sore throat, your no doubt well-meaning friend keeps interrupting and doesn't let you answer the question.
Research is starting to show that medical communication problems caused by language barriers are not only distressing, they are also potentially dangerous.
Medical interpretation and translation are key health care services in reducing health disparities. There are many other issues of disparity, of course: geography, ethnicity, physical and mental limitations, but the disparities caused by language services in our communities are the current focus of the QCI Health Equity Task Force.
Our next meeting is in January, 2013 in the QCI office. We will be providing an orientation for new members on the work we have done to date and our proposed plans for 2013. Please join us. We hope to have at least one representative from every congregational member of QCI as we address the challenges of improving health equity in the Quad Cities!
Immigration
The immigration task force will working on their issue and action for 2013 at their meeting in January 2013 at the Village Inn on Harrison Street in Davenport. We are looking for every member congregation to send a representative to this task force. Please call QCI office at
563.322.4910 for more information.
Education Equity
QCI is in the process of developing a round table on education and is looking for clergy and community leaders to join together to establish round table that will identify and advance local issues and connect to regional and national education issues. If you are interested please email us at
qcinterfaith@gmail.com. A kick off meeting will be announced in November!
Community Events
Continuing Series -Race Matters at St. Ambrose University Jan 15th-Feb 22, Catich Gallery
Friday, Jan. 25 Artist Lecture 4-4:45 p.m.
Opening Reception 5-7 p.m.
Race Matters? Racism Matters!
Post Racial, My Ass
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
Saturday, Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Allaert Auditorium, Galvin Fine Arts Center
For more info and Race Matters updates visit:
www.sau.edu Upcoming Dates
Jan 15th-Feb 22, Catich Gallery
Friday, Jan. 25 Artist Lecture 4-4:45p.m.
Opening Reception 5-7 p.m.
Race Matters? Racism Matters!
Post Racial, My Ass
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
Saturday, Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Allaert Auditorium, Galvin Fine Arts Center
The AFL-CIO is encouraging all of the central labor councils to organize events on Monday December 10th to promote the national Candlelight Campaign Against Cuts.
In a post-election "lame-duck" session, Congress is taking on high-stakes decisions with major consequences for working people and the economy. Join us Monday, Dec. 10?International Human Rights Day?to send Congress a message:
NO Tax Breaks for the Richest 2%
NO Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid Cuts
The Quad City Federation of Labor, in conjunction with our various coalition partners, such as the Alliance for Retired Americans, will be organizing a Candlelight Campaign Against Cuts outside of Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-IA) Davenport office on December 10th @ 4pm.
Tuesday, December 11th - 6:30pm
QCI Leadership Assembly
St Mary's Church , 516 Fillmore, Davenport
This will be our final meeting of the year! There will be some work around strategic planning 2013 but mostly fellowship !
Come and join us for a meal together, to reflect on 2012 and
renew our commitment to making 2013 our best year yet! Please RSVP to this meeting.
