Nonprofits brighten our summer

by Sue Hafkemeyer, Community Foundation president and CEO

For me, summer includes time outside in nature with my dog, enjoying live music on the riverfront, and hosting friends and family from out of town. For many, the coming months mean summer camps and night after night of youth sporting events. Others beat the heat with a visit to the library or one of our region’s amazing museums.

Nearly all of these options are possible because of the work of nonprofits and the donors who support them. In fact, no matter where your summer day takes you, it will almost certainly be made better by one of the more than 4,000 nonprofit organizations that call our Quad Cities region home.

A recent Lilly Family School of Philanthropy survey indicates that just 5.4 percent of people said they or anyone in their immediate family were impacted by a nonprofit in the past year. We know that the true number is much higher.

Every member of our community is touched by the work of the nonprofit sector—and our cultural, natural, and recreational amenities that we enjoy here in the Quad Cities are a prime example of that. At the Quad Cities Community Foundation, we’re proud to partner with nonprofits across the region through grantmaking, endowment funds, knowledge sharing, and other programs.

The Quad Cities’ top-class performing arts venues, like the Quad City Music Guild, Playcrafters Barn Theatre, Ballet Quad Cities, and many more, are all nonprofit organizations. These groups provide unforgettable events and enhance our culture. Natural and educational spaces like the Loud Thunder Forest Preserve and the Nahant Marsh Educational Center are part of what makes our area a destination that attracts people to live, work, and visit. We are fortunate to live surrounded by natural beauty. Caring for that beauty takes time and dedication; much of the work to keep our natural spaces clean and inviting is made possible by nonprofits.

For the young members of our community, summer would not be complete without youth athletic programs and summer camps. Summer camps are a Quad Cities staple—Camp Abe Lincoln has a heritage that goes back more than 100 years—and most of them are (you guessed it) nonprofit organizations.

All of these nonprofits work with the Community Foundation and our donors to grow their missions and make the Quad Cities an exciting, livable, and beautiful place to visit and call home. And this list is only the beginning. Wherever you go this summer, nonprofits are there.

In the coming months, we’ll be doubling down on our storytelling to celebrate nonprofits that brighten the summer for everyone in the Quad Cities area. Let the summer fun begin!