Creating a path toward generosity

by Sherry Ristau, President / CEO

Earlier this month in our e-newsletter, we were pleased to share a story of generosity. I hope you were able to look through the diverse, lengthy list of nonprofits that Quad Citizen and Quad Cities Community Foundation Donor Maggie Tinsman has contributed to. Maggie is clearly demonstrating the benefit of giving through the Community Foundation. More importantly, you can see that she is significantly improving the lives of others.

And yet, she told me recently that she is simply a small part of a larger culture of giving that improves our community.

A culture that, as our tagline says, ensures that generosity lives here.

It takes all of us to make a difference—to champion opportunities that no one person or organization can pursue on their own. Together with Maggie, and people like you, we are investing in our community for today and the future.

But there’s a greater legacy Maggie is leaving. She is creating a vivid, inspiring example of how to give. Maggie continues to choose opportunities and needs to pour into with both her resources and time. We are honored that she is trusting the Community Foundation to give through the endowments she has created for nonprofits like Braking Traffik, Iowa Legal Aid Foundation, Pleasant Valley Schools, Quad Cities Symphony, Figge and United Way of the Quad Cities.

Maggie’s actions speak just as loud as her financial contributions. As a former Iowa Senator and Scott County Supervisor, her call to other women to serve is demonstrated in her commitment to the 50-50 in 2020 initiative. Yes, Maggie—like many Quad Citizens—is making waves, and the wake she leaves is clear for us to follow. Every person has the capacity to give, and the possibilities are endless and exciting.

As I write from my office on this chilly winter morning, I recognize she is not the only inspirational leader on the top of my mind these days.

We have a new chairperson on our board of directors. Jean Moran comes to the post with enthusiasm and a track record at the Community Foundation as a member of the board of directors and a long-time volunteer on our grants committee. Jean has been meeting with myself, our staff, and our executive committee as she begins her tenure. Already, it is clear to me that she is committed to supporting our current donors while also working to welcome new—and younger—philanthropists to the Community Foundation through their gifts. I can promise you there are awesome things ahead.

Maggie and Jean—and so many more—are leading through their commitment, creating a path of generosity right here in the Quad Cities. They remind each of us how to give today and for the future. I’m honored to walk in step with them.