$250,000 gift is a gift of time

Kathi and Steve Morency have always had an interest in supporting young people, particularly children part of the foster care system. “From no fault of their own, kids become part of the foster system and we wanted to be part of supporting them—and their lives,” Kathi said.

With a belief that there was a role they could play in positively changing the lives of foster students, they established two scholarships at the Quad Cities Community Foundation in 2005 for high school students in foster care who desired to continue their education.

“This was our start at the Community Foundation,” Steve added. They also established a non-endowed fund to support nonprofits in the region that they were personally passionate about. “Through it, we were making grants from time to time to some really wonderful organizations.” 

And then in 2017, the Quad Cities Community Foundation made a $100,000 Transformation Grant to Family Resources. “I got a phone call from Kathi and Steve,” Anne Calder, vice president of development, recalled. “Inspired by the Transformation Grant and their personal interest in supporting young people, they wanted to join the Community Foundation’s effort by making their own grant—of $10,000—to Family Resources.”

What followed was a series of conversations and actions over the past two years that has resulted in a just-announced $250,000 grant from the Morency family’s fund at the Quad Cities Community Foundation to support the future of Family Resources. The Davenport-based nonprofit provides foster group care, survivor services, mental health services, and more, to the region.

The gift that they made is tremendously valuable to Family Resources, and not only because of the size of the gift. “The gift from Kathi and Steve, and their son Ryan and daughter-in-law Kylie, will give us the time and space to re-imagine how we deliver our services for young people,” said Nicole Cisne Durbin, president and CEO of Family Resources. 

“When Kathi and Steve came to the Community Foundation with an interest in making a transformative gift, they came with a different idea than what they ended up giving,” said Calder. “They wanted to be assured that the gift they wanted to make would truly impact a cause and organization they cared about—and they wanted to lean on our knowledge and experience to guide their giving.”

The Community Foundation brought the entire Morency family together to talk about what their larger philanthropic goals were, what mattered to them, and why it mattered to them. “They simply wanted to do more,” Calder added. 

A series of meetings for listening and learning ensued, introducing the Morency family to Durbin, who had just begun her tenure as the president and CEO of Family Resources. “The Morency’s came to us with one idea and asked how we would do it. We looked at what it would mean for our organization, and after serious thought, I shared with them what we really needed to transform the foster care system,” Durbin said. “The answer was a plan. It was time. It was the chance to figure out how we can offer resources before kids end up in foster care.”

“Quite frankly, we aren’t going to be able to help youth in the system if we aren’t able to address the root causes that led to their involvement in the first place,” Durbin added. “We want to work with kids and families so they never end up in the system.”

Durbin will admit she was nervous to even make the suggestion to the Morency family. And Ryan will admit to being somewhat surprised when Durbin brought up a different way to support Family Resources. “But here’s the thing: there was a relationship established. Trust had been built—with Family Resources, and the Community Foundation. Because of that, we were willing to lean in and listen.”

“And, we feel really good about the gift that has been made,” said Kylie.

“Really, really good,” added Steve.

 The Morency’s are telling their story because they hope it inspires other people in the region to do two things. First, they hope people interested in supporting causes that matter to them do so with an open heart—with a willingness to listen to what the needs are, and support those needs in the best possible way. Secondly, they hope it will encourage others to collaborate with the Community Foundation—or other agencies—to act on their philanthropy in the best possible way.

“It’s safe to say we wouldn’t have known what we know now without the work of the Community Foundation, and the willingness of Family Resources to go on this journey with us,” Ryan said. “We are very hopeful for what will come out of this gift in the years ahead.”