16 Oct 2012

THE EAST MOLINE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW PROGRAM

By Linda Martin

East Moine Mayor John Thodos will join representatives of the East Moline Foundation on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 to announce the kickoff of a new program to benefit the citizens of East Moline and the surrounding area. The announcement will begin at 10:00 a.m. outdoors at the Quarter in East Moline at the intersection of 7th Street and Beacon Harbor Parkway.

The Quarter is a residential/commercial development located along the riverfront at the western edge of East Moline.

In celebration of their one year anniversary, the East Moline Foundation will also announce the status of their fundraising efforts. One year ago tomorrow, the East Moline Foundation was officially unveiled to the community. Since then, the Board has initiated several fundraising activities, met with financial advisors , and added two new Board members. Today, the campaign continues. Donations to the East Moline Foundation may be mailed to: Bill Phares, P.O. Box 457, East Moline, Illinois 61244 or call (309) 796-0170.

In remarks made today, East Moline Foundation Board Chairman noted, "Hungry children will be fed, the poor will be housed, and the needy clothed, thanks to the many gifts that have been received, and those yet to come."

East Moline Foundation Announces New Program

The East Moline Foundation, founded in 2011, is affiliated with the Moline Foundation as a community foundation which provides grants to health, human services, education, workforce development, the arts and other charitable organizations which benefit the citizens of East Moline and the surrounding area, including the Quad Cities region in both Iowa and Illinois. The East Moline Foundation receives and administers charitable gifts & works with citizens to achieve their dreams to improve the community.

Officers and members of the East Moline Foundation include : Doug Reynolds, Chairman, Bob Baecke, Vice Chairman, Bill Phares, Secretary-Treasurer, Pat VanBruwaene, and Larry Anderson.

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16 Oct 2012

NCCC Hosts Community Workday at Camp Courageous

By Camp Courageous
Monticello, Iowa - On Saturday, Oct. 27, AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) members are collaborating with Camp Courageous to do trail maintenance at the camp's ropes course. The community day is being held from 9 am to 1 pm at 12007 190 Street in Monticello, Iowa.

Volunteers are coming together to clean up brush to make the woods, specifically the ropes course, as safe as possible and more easily accessible for campers. In the event of rain, volunteers will clean the pool, lodge, cabins and a closet with costumes used for weekly dances. AmeriCorps NCCC invites residents from throughout the area to participate in this collaborative event.

"I'm very excited to meet community members and spread the word about Camp Courageous," says NCCC member Callie Keeney.

Tools and snacks are being provided. Volunteers are encouraged to dress warm. For further information about the community day please email serviceproject.outreach14@gmail.com or call 319-529-0587.

Camp Courageous serves over 6,000 individuals with disabilities annually. Their mission is to provide exceptional year-round recreational and respite care opportunities for individuals with special needs and their families. The camp is run primarily on donations, giving all individuals the opportunity to give through gifts of time, materials, money and other means that support the camp.

AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, residential, national service program in which 1,100 young adults serve nationwide each year. During their 10-month term, NCCC Members - all 18 to 24 years old - work on teams of eight to 12 on projects that address critical needs related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, energy conservation, and urban and rural development. Members mentor students, construct and rehabilitate low-income housing, respond to natural disasters, clean up streams, help communities develop emergency plans, and address countless other local needs. The North Central Region campus in Vinton, Iowa is one five regional campuses in the United States and serves Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The other campuses are located in Perry Point, Md.; Sacramento, Calif.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and Denver, Colo.

In exchange for their service, NCCC Members receive $5,550 to help pay for college, or to pay back existing student loans. Other benefits include a small living stipend, room and board, leadership development, increased self-confidence, and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, people can indeed make a difference. AmeriCorps NCCC is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation improves lives, strengthens
communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. For more information about AmeriCorps NCCC, visit the website at www.americorps.gov/nccc.

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16 Oct 2012

Washington County 4th Annual Cook-Off for Charity

By Natalie Anderson
Area Chef Competition Benefits Washington County Charities

WASHINGTON, Iowa - The Community Foundation of Washington County (CFWC) will host its Fourth Annual Chef
Cook-off on Tuesday evening, November 13, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at the Holy Trinity Parish Life Center in Richmond,
Iowa.

This year's chefs will be Stacia Bontrager, of Stacia's Catering in Wellman and Jaron P. Rosien, of JP's 207 Club in
Washington. Each chef will prepare a 4 course dinner. Attendees will judge each course and the overall winner
will be announced that evening during an awards presentation. Last year's winner was Jerry & Margie's Catering
of Riverside. Stone Cliff Winery of Dubuque will have wine for sampling and purchase beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are $50 per person and may be purchased from any Community Foundation Board member or by calling
Millie Youngquist, CFWC Executive Director at 319-653-4673. The number of tickets is limited and they should be
purchased by November 1st.

The Community Foundation of Washington County works together with many individuals, families, businesses and
organizations to establish and grow endowment funds that provide support to charitable causes in Washington
County for years to come. The CFWC is led by a local board of 10 directors who are active in the communities
of Washington County. Members are: Bob Freeman, Wellman, President; Robert Youngquist, Washington, Vice-
President; Colleen Sojka and Mary Jane Stumpf, Riverside; Steve Reif, Kalona; Jeff Johnston, Crawfordsville; Mary
Jo Roberts, Ainsworth; Steve Olson, Al Olson and Millie Youngquist, Washington.

For more information about the CFWC and how it can help you achieve your philanthropic goals, contact Millie
Youngquist at: cfwc.my@gmail.com or visit their website: www.cfwashingtoncounty.org.

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15 Oct 2012

WQPT HOLDS 5th ANNUAL TRIVIA NIGHT

By Jared Johnson

MOLINE, ILLINOIS - WQPT, Quad Cities PBS invites the public to join them for a spooktacular night of fun and fundraising on Friday, November 2, 2012 when WQPT holds their 5th Annual Trivia Night on the 2nd floor of the Friends Circle Club located at 701- 18th Avenue in Moline, Illinois.

to reserve your table. Tables are $80 (8 People per table). There are cash prizes for the top three teams. First Place @160, Second Place $80 and Third Place $40.

WQPT is thrilled that once again, this year, the Trivia Night is being organized by the students in Western Illinois University Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration program. 'Our class is really excited about getting a chance to plan a 'real world' event. This will give us a great experience that will translate into almost any career field," said RPTA 235 Marketing Group, Maggie Barks, Courtney Wright, Erik Winters, and Heather Satterly.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University located in Moline, Illinois.

10 Oct 2012

THINGS ARE BLOOMING AT CHRISTIAN CARE

By Rebecca Wheeler
One Small Donation Returns Flowers for a Year

Christian Care, in cooperation with Colman Florists and Greenhouses, is offering a unique fundraising opportunity. For a one-time donation of only $20, you will receive a seasonal bouquet of flowers each month for a year and half the proceeds will go to Christian Care to provide shelter and services for the homeless and survivors of domestic violence in our community. This outstanding value means that you will have the opportunity to brighten up your home or office with flowers while you brighten up the lives of others?all year long. This opportunity only lasts from October 1 to November 30, so please act quickly.

Every month has its own theme. For example, February's bouquet is Love Bunch, July offers the Sizzling Summer Bouquet and November features the Harvest Bouquet. Each bouquet is sure to bring color, fragrance and beauty to even the darkest day. Becoming a part of this select group allows you access to other great values at Colman. For example, when you buy a half dozen roses, you will receive the second half dozen FREE! You can also opt to trade your monthly bouquet for $10 off a purchase of $35 or more. Do this twice and you've made your original investment back. Colman also offers a free Mylar balloon with a purchase of $25 for participants in this offer only.

For more details, please contact Rebecca at 309/786-5734 or email rwheeler@christiancareqc.org. Colman Florist and Greenhouses is located at 2754 12th Street, Rock Island, Illinois and in the East Village in Davenport, Iowa. You can also visit them on the web at colmanflorist.com. Monthly bouquets must be redeemed at the Colman location in the state in which you reside.

Christian Care is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose vision is to transform lives. Through its mission of providing safe shelter, support and resources, Christian Care empowers both the homeless and survivors of domestic violence to make positive changes in every aspect of their lives. Christian Care's two facilities?a domestic violence shelter for women and children and a rescue mission for men?serve homeless individuals, victims of domestic violence, veterans, men and women coming out of prison, and those with mental illnesses. If you know someone in need, call the Christian Care Crisis Hotline at any hour of the day or night at 309/788-2273.

For more information about Christian Care, please go to their web site at christiancareqc.org or to Facebook at facebook.com/christiancareqc.

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10 Oct 2012

The Amy Helpenstell Foundation: $331,500 awarded in Grants - a Foundation Record

By Rick Martin
October 9, 2012

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - Twenty-four area nonprofit organizations will be awarded $331,500 on Wednesday, October 10th during The Amy Helpenstell Foundation's Fall Grant Reception at 8:30 a.m. at The iWireless Center in Moline. This is the largest amount of funding awarded by the Foundation in a single grant cycle.

The Amy Helpenstell Foundation promotes awareness, understanding, diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders in the greater Quad Cities area. Amy Helpenstell passed away in 2003 from complications related to an eating disorder. Ms. Helpenstell created the Foundation through her estate to support causes related to health, education, youth development, community development and cultural activities within a 60-mile radius of Rock Island, where she lived and worked.

"Amy's Foundation has given nearly $3.6 million back to the community since 2005, all to causes that she cared about very much," said Franz "Bud" Helpenstell, Amy's father and President of The Amy Helpenstell Foundation. "With the full impact of state  cutbacks to nonprofits being especially noticeable now, we are happy to support these organizations in every way we can. The important work they do can be felt in the lives of real people every day."

The Fall Grant recipients and the programs that received funding include :

  • Christian Care - Domestic Violence Shelter Counseling and Case Management, $20,000
  • Churches United of the Quad City Area - Winnie's Place Emergency Homeless Shelter, $20,000
  • Family Resources - Core Mission Operating Funds, $20,000
  • Girl Scouts of Eastern IA and Western IL - Quad Cities Outreach Initiative, $10,000
  • Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities, New Home Construction - Habitat House #78, $10,000
  • Humility of Mary Housing, Inc. - Transitional & Permanent Supportive Services for Adults Experiencing Homelessness, $15,000
  • Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc. - Emergency Shelter, Housing, Supportive Services for Adults Experiencing Homelessness, $15,000
  • Martin Luther King Center - King Center Youth Programming, $20,000
  • Project Renewal - Afterschool Program, $10,000
  • Quad City Arts - Visiting Artist Series: Lula Washington Dance Theatre residency, $5,000
  • Quad City Botanical Center, Children's Garden Phase One - Construction & Operations, $10,000
  • Quad City Symphony Orchestra, K-12 Education Programs for 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-14 school years, $10,000
  • Rebuilding Together - Workday and Emergency Home Repairs, $20,000
  • RICO Extension & 4-H Education Foundation - Rock Island County 4-H Leadership Program, $5,000
  • River Bend Foodbank - Backpack Program, $15,000
  • St. Joseph the Worker House Association - Touching Families, $10,000
  • Supplemental Emergency Assistance Program - Client Emergency Financial Assistance/Related Costs, $10,000
  • Thomas Merton House (dba) Café on Vine - Daily Readiness for meal program, $9,000
  • Transitions Mental Health Services - Palm Pilots Project, $10,000
  • Two Rivers YMCA - Healthy Lifestyles for All, $20,000
  • WVIK Augustana Public Radio - WVIK Public Broadcast Fellowship, $10,000
  • Youth Service Bureau of R.I. County - Family Therapy, $25,000
  • YouthBuild Quad Cities - YouthBuild Quad Cities, $17,500
  • YWCA of the Quad Cities - YWCA Youth Programming, $15,000

For more information about The Amy Helpenstell Foundation, visit www.amyhelpenstell.org or
call 563-326-2840. The Amy Helpenstell Foundation is administered by the Community
Foundation of the Great River Bend.

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09 Oct 2012

Project Bundle Up Cold Weather Clothing Collection Begins

By Holly Nomura

The Salvation Army Announces the 2012 Project Bundle Up Campaign with new collection locations at NorthPark and SouthPark Malls

Quad Cities, USA: As families find it harder and harder to make ends meet, The Salvation Army asks the community to step in and help children stay warm this coming winter. The ninth Annual Project Bundle Up Campaign begins today.

The Salvation Army will deliver thousands of cold weather clothing items to Quad Cities' elementary & middle schools to fill the needs of students who arrive at school without these essential items. School teachers are on the frontlines watching for children who come to school without mittens & gloves, hats, socks, underwear, and scarves, and Project Bundle Up A new way to donate to this much-needed program is located in the Quad Cities Malls! Items can be dropped off in NorthPark Mall at Guest Services in Younkers Court, or in SouthPark Mall at Guest Services located in the mall office.

"The need increases every year. Last year's delivery to 23 schools was over 4,000 items, and yet we received calls a few weeks later from schools seeing if we had any more!" stated Holly Nomura, Development Director at The Salvation Army.

Donations can also be mailed, marked "Project Bundle Up," to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 3972, Davenport, IA 52808. A gift of any size by October 22, 2012 will greatly help!

Businesses are also asked to do a collection drive. For further information, please call Holly Nomura at 563-324-4808.

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08 Oct 2012

Great Race raises money for Autism

By Jeff Stumb

I got a note from our friend Rex Gardner out in Grove, Oklahoma the other day with his entry fee for the 2013 Great Race. He said that thanks in large part to the efforts of the hundreds of folks with the Great Race that VCRA will be "making donations to five different autism programs across the country totaling more than $60,000."

The bulk of that money will go to purchase "smart boards, computers, I-pads and even complete classroom additions that will immediately impact the lives of children with autism," Rex said.

The Great Race is proud of its association with the "Race For Autism" program, but we also know that a lot of money is raised beyond Great Race and VCRA events. In particular, Jim Cox of Branson Auctions - another great friend of the Great Race - has been very generous to the program over the years, and his fall auction is October 12-13 in Missouri.

-Jeff Stumb

Editor's note: The 2013 Great Race begins on June 22, 2013 in St. Paul, Minnnesota, and travels down along the Mississippi finishing up in Mobile, Alabama on June 30.  Along the way it will pass either through or near the Quad Cities.  More information still to come, but visit www.greatrace.com in the meantime.

04 Oct 2012

Moline Rotary Continues Suits from Suits Program

By Linda Martin

For the second consecutive year, Moline Rotary is continuing its "Suits from Suits" program, which provides swimsuits and swim lessons for underprivileged children in the Quad Cities community. As partners, Moline Rotary and the Moline Foundation are working together to provide swim lessons for over 130 immigrant children and their families through World Relief. With a combined
grant of $3,500, local children from throughout the Illinois Quad Cities will receive free instruction in water safety as well as swimming lessons at Two Rivers YMCA, Moline.

Members of Moline Rotary have also generously donated over eighty swimsuits to distribute to the children participating in the swim program.

"Moline Rotarians are very generous with their time and resources," stated Randy Sovey, President of Moline Rotary. "I appreciate seeing projects like this make a difference in our community."

"It is heartwarming to know that so many children will learn a lifelong skill at our local Y. We also know it is important for immigrant families to learn about water safety, as we live as neighbors along the Mississippi and Rock Rivers," said Joy Boruff, Executive Director, The Moline Foundation.

The Moline Rotary Community Needs Committee continuously identifies additional opportunities to impact the citizens within the city of Moline and the Rock Island County Region. "Moline Rotary and its 130 members will mark its 100th anniversary of service to the community in 2014," said Sovey. "The club supports numerous service projects in the Quad Cities and through Rotary International."

The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

The Moline Foundation, founded in 1953, is a community foundation which provides grants to health, human services, education, workforce development, the arts and other charitable organizations which benefit the citizens of Moline and the surrounding area, including the Quad Cities region in both Iowa and Illinois. The Moline Foundation receives and administers charitable gifts and works with citizens to achieve their charitable dreams to improve the community.

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03 Oct 2012

23rd Annual Square Dance Benefit For Camp Courageous

By Camp Courageous
MONTICELLO, IA– On Sunday, October 14, 2012, the East Central Federation and Cedar Valley Callers Association will sponsor  the 23rd anniversary of the Annual Square Dance Benefit for Camp Courageous. The calling begins at 1:30 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. in the main lodge at Camp Courageous.

Callers and cuers are invited from all over eastern Iowa and the surrounding areas.  Dance clubs as well as individuals and couples are welcome to enjoy the afternoon dancing or just observing in the spacious camp lodge. Tours will be available for anyone interested in seeing all that camp offers including the camp train, the barn, and the indoor swimming pool. Admission fee is a donation to camp. Participants are asked to bring along cookies, or a snack to share---beverages are provided.

Located near Monticello, IA, Camp Courageous is a year-round recreational and respite care facility for individuals with mental and physical disabilities. The camp was built and continues to operate on donations, without government support, without formal sponsorship, and without paid fundraisers. The camp serves over 6,000 individuals with special needs annually. Visit www.campcourageous.org for more details.

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