For the Junior League of the Quad Cities, it’s “game on” in efforts to promote the region’s women-owned businesses and organizations.
To help champion area businesses owned or led by women, Junior League has created a new Women of QCopoly board game, now on sale.
Similar to the popular Monopoly games, Women of QCopoly features 37 Quad Cities businesses and non-profit organizations either owned or led by women.
“It’s super unique and super fun,” said Amanda Campbell, Junior League’s treasurer. “All the squares, Take A Chance and Community Chest cards are all written about businesses around the Quad Cities and local happenings.”
For instance, some of the Take A Chance game cards share these hometown gems:
- “A blizzard created icy conditions on the new I-74 bridge. Skip your next turn as you wait in traffic.”
- “Your food truck won the local Food Truck Fight. Collect $100 from Quad-City Bank & Trust as your prize.”
- “Oh no! The Mississippi River flooded … again. Pay $50 for sandbags.”
- “You won a shopping spree at THE Market: A Journey to Joy. Advance and collect.”
- Uh-oh! You ran out of toilet paper (feels like 2020 and COVID-19 TP shortage all over again). Pay every player $5 for a roll.”
When COVID-19 canceled Junior League’s major fundraiser Leap of Luck in 2020, the leadership wanted to try something different, Ms. Campbell said. “We thought, ‘What can we do without bringing in a large crowd?’”
The 40-year-old Quad Cities organization actually borrowed an idea that the Junior League had done some 20 years ago when it had a QCopoly game produced.
The new Women of QCopoly board and game was designed by Heather White Design.
A total of 500 games were created and are available for purchase at Skeleton Key Art & Antiques and NormaLeah Ovarian Cancer Initiative, both in downtown Rock Island, as well as Pulse 84 Energy Station in Rapids City, Ill. Games also can be purchased by visiting JLQC.bigcartel.com.
“I love the whole concept of it,” said Brandy VandeWalle, whose eight-year-old Skeleton Key was the first business to sign up to be featured. “It really feels like we (women-owned businesses) are the backbone of small retail shops in this area. I can’t think of another organization that has celebrated us.”
Ms. Campbell said that the project was created in partnership with the 37 organizations and other key sponsors, whose financial support paid for the games’ production and earned each donor a spot on the game board.
Other sponsors include: Quad-City Bank & Trust, which sponsored the play money; Quad City Investment Group, which sponsored the Chance Cards; and Junior League sponsored the Community Chest cards.
The real fundraising will be from the sale of the games, which each sell for $25. All proceeds support Junior League and its mission to build better communities and develop the potential of all women. Founded locally in 1981 as the Junior Board of the Visiting Nurses Association, Junior League’s values diversity, collaboration, community, empowerment, leadership, respect and service.
Ms. Campbell said the project actually was a year in the making but was plagued by delays in selling sponsorships particularly due to COVID-19 shutdowns and other effects of the pandemic. Delivery of the games, produced in China, also were caught up in the global supply chain issues frustrating many of the featured businesses.
What was supposed to be a six-month process turned into more than a year, Ms. Campbell said.
The games finally arrived this fall and ahead of the holiday shopping season. “It really was such good timing in the end,” Ms. VandeWalle said. “It’s a good price point because $25 is what a lot of people spend on gifts. It worked out the way it was supposed to.”
For more information or to purchase Women of QCopoly, visit JLQC.bigcartel.com.
