Taking generosity to the next level

By Sherry Ristau / President & CEO

The passing of a community leader and friend, Jim Victor, was sudden, unexpected, and tragic. His death in 2018 from a race car accident was undoubtedly too soon and losing him was hard for family, friends, colleagues, and the Quad Cities community. 

Thanks to thoughtful planning before he passed, his estate is now impacting nonprofits in our regional community and will touch the lives of thousands of Quad Citizens forever.

That’s the heart and motive behind leaving a legacy—thinking about and remembering your community, your neighbors, and the things you are passionate about for a time when you are no longer here. None of us know the time, day, and year of our death. But in trusting and working with the Quad Cities Community Foundation, you can be confident that when you leave a legacy of any size, the community you love will always remember you and your generosity.

Jim took that idea to the next level through his passion for youth, families, and learning. During his lifetime, he gave and gave and gave. And through his will, he continues to give and give and give in perpetuity.

At heart, Jim was a teacher. And indeed, he continues to teach. I think he would have loved if we not only benefitted from his generosity but also learned a few things from it too.

Jim taught us to plan and to do it early. As we were reminded last week with the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others, we never know what tomorrow brings. That means that estate planning, even in your 20s, 30s, and 40s, is not too early. It’s smart. As we embark on the nation’s largest wealth transfer in history during the next decade, younger generations have a unique opportunity to invest in and transform their community and the causes they care about most.

Jim taught us that we are all in this together. His estate left provisions for not one, not two, but several organizations. Those organizations include the Quad Cities Community Foundation, and also the United Way of the Quad Cities, Junior Achievement of the Heartland, Genesis Foundation, Genesis Philanthropy, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, and more.

Jim also taught us to be mindful. His estate planning didn’t happen on a whim. He knew the value of partnering with our Community Foundation—that we cared as much as he did about real impact, about enriching, improving, and changing lives. We are humbled to play a role in living out his wishes.

The greatest thing we can do for Quad Citizens like Jim is continue to honor and celebrate their lives, and to commit to furthering their impact forever. We are doing just that, and we invite you to learn from Jim: Jim the teacher, Jim the business leader, Jim the philanthropist, and Jim the Quad Citizen.

He would have loved that.

We would welcome the opportunity to help you plan your legacy. I would love to visit with you.