Give It Here

I love this place. It is community. It is home. It has everything we need (especially now because our daughter and husband just recently moved to the Quad Cities!).

When we love our home, we also invest in it with our time, resources and spirit. We not only work and play here, but—to build on the recent initiative “Make It Here”—we also “Give It Here.”

When people give through the Community Foundation, they are saying they believe in the people of this community and are willing to make a deposit and invest in the future of the Quad Cities. I was reminded of that with the latest round of Community Foundation Capacity Building Grants announced last week, where more than $100,000 was invested in nine local organizations to strengthen their work from the inside out. Grant recipients said their work will be stronger, and their reach greater, because of the funding.

When we “Give It Here,” we are ambassadors for our region—celebrating what we love most about where we live and recognizing hard work, innovation, beauty and perseverance. An investment that stays here impacts the here and now, and also the future. So many Quad Citizens who have entrusted us to help them leave a legacy have “Made It Here”—and now can invest in the Community Foundation to amplify and leverage goodness and opportunity.

The ripple effect will transform our region forever.

As America experiences the largest transfer of wealth in history, people are choosing to invest in their families, and the community that have helped shaped them and helped them “Make it Here”. They have been purposeful in the stewardship of their time, talent and treasure and are compelled to “Give it Here” and keep those resources here, in the Quad Cities at the Community Foundation. It’s humbling to witness.

There’s reason to invest in a community that has invested in us. It’s a healthy cycle that can yield only positive things for the people who have made this place their home.

So, here’s to the people who have gone before us… those who shaped a community landscape that is solid and strong. And here’s to those of us ready to continue the work—to not only enjoy it here, but to “Give It Here.” 

Consider making a gift of any size to the Community Foundation’s Community Impact Fund that brings creativity, flexibility and passion to our work like the Capacity Building Grants noted in this reflection. “Give it Here.”

The “Make It Here” initiative is one of the many things that have come out of the Q2030 Regional Action Plan, which the Community Foundation is proud to support.