QCBJ Connect for a Cause: Event honors passion to help others

Quad Cities companies and organizations that have a passion to help people in need were honored at an awards ceremony late Wednesday, June 26, in downtown Davenport. Those awards for philanthropic works were presented at the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal’s second annual Connect for a Cause event, held at the Figge Art Museum. That […]

Quad Cities companies and organizations that have a passion to help people in need were honored at an awards ceremony late Wednesday, June 26, in downtown Davenport. Those awards for philanthropic works were presented at the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal’s second annual Connect for a Cause event, held at the Figge Art Museum. That event attracted about 130 local business leaders.  It was sponsored by Quad City Bank & Trust and Wastyn & Associates. The Connect for a Cause gathering is important for the community because it “helps demonstrate the bond between business and nonprofit organizations,” said Beth Clark, associate publisher of the QCBJ and emcee of Wednesday night’s event. “Businesses support nonprofits through financial philanthropy and they encourage volunteerism. Nonprofits help varying segments in our community who need help. Together, they make our community a better place,” she added. The four businesses and groups honored were:

• The Partnership Award 2024/Small Company: NextGen Motors of Muscatine. NextGen, owned by Denise Greenhaw, was honored for its generous support and work in helping raise awareness of mental health. The eastern Iowa dealership has not only provided a platform to raise awareness but also will hold its third annual 5k Run for Mental Health Awareness in Muscatine this year. In 2023, the run raised $5,000, which was donated to two honorary foundations, The Gray Matters Collective and Micaela’s Hope, to advance their work in mental health awareness. 

“I have a passion to make people aware of mental health,” said Ms. Greenhaw at Wednesday’s event. She added that she wanted to use her company as a “platform” for mental health awareness and is grateful for the help she has received in the community to support that cause. “I couldn’t have done this without a lot of support,” she said.

•  The Partnership Award 2024/Large Company: Russell. The Davenport-based construction and development company was recognized for the corporate culture it has built that has led to more than $1.5 million in donations to local nonprofit and community services agencies in the Quad Cities area. In addition, Russell employees devoted many hours organizing Russell’s Charity Golf Outing held each September. In 2023, the 35th annual golf outing raised a record-breaking $54,000 for that year’s chosen charity, Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities. 

“The most important thing about this event is that it’s all about giving back to the community,” said Caitlin Russell, the company’s president. She added that she hopes Connect for a Cause will help encourage other companies and groups to help the community in their own ways.

• Corporate Citizen 2024: American Bank & Trust. The Davenport-based bank was honored for its longtime support of the YWCA Quad Cities, including construction of the YW’s new facility in downtown Rock Island. American Bank has donated $40,000 over two years to the building’s capital campaign and also committed to $20,000 for 2025 and 2026. In addition, it provided interest-free financing to the YW and serves as the lender for the New Market tax credits awarded to the new facility, which will open in May. 

“I’m just so extremely proud of our staff and the work they’ve done,” said Jeff Rose, president and CEO of American Bank, during Wednesday’s event. He added that much of that hard work can be seen in the bank’s support for the new YWCA in Rock Island. He praised his staff for overcoming many challenges over the years and helping get the YW project completed.

•  Nonprofit Collaboration 2024: UnityPoint Health – Trinity and Quad Cities Community Veterans Engagement Board (CVEB).  The CVEB is a military advisory committee facilitated and supported by UnityPoint Health – Trinity. Designated a CVEB by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs in 2018, the organization’s mission is to bring local community resources together to provide outcomes for veterans and family members of service men and women. Trinity, the CVEB and the VA hosted a Veterans Experience Action Center in September 2023 to provide centralized services and resources to veterans during the two-day, free event at the Iowa National Guard facility. The event brought together more than 60 VA personnel, eight Veteran Service officers, 23 community nonprofits and veteran organizations, 10 employers, six educational institutions, 26 financial and in-kind sponsors, 120 volunteers and 482 veterans. Nearly 4,000 services were provided during the event.

Sherri Behr DeVrieze, military program coordinator and CVEB co-chair, said that the honor is important because “it recognizes the work we do with veterans,” She added that work continues to move forward with the formation of a new support group for women veterans. More information on that group and other services can be found at the CVEB Facebook page. The Connect for a Cause winners, selected from nominations by the public, were chosen by a panel of Quad Cities business and community leaders.   In addition to honoring the four businesses and groups, Wednesday’s event also financially helped an area nonprofit organization – Junior Achievement of the Heartland. The JA group was randomly selected as part of the event’s festivities to receive a portion of the ticket sales from the Wednesday event. Also, copies of the QCBJ Giving Guide were given to people attending Wednesday's event.