QC, That’s Where Businesses Champion Lasting Change Across our Community

For Quad Cities River Bandits Owner Dave Heller, giving back to the community is a testament to the upstanding character of the people who call the Quad Cities home.

“We have the best people in the country right here in the Quad Cities. It’s where you’ll find the most wonderful, considerate and caring people,” said Heller. “It’s very Midwestern, very humble. They’re what makes the QC such a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

The River Bandits have won Ballpark Digest’s Commitment to Charity Award a record three times for their commitment to community initiatives. From healthcare philanthropy and educational scholarships to need-specific fundraising and their Community All-Stars Program that recognizes Quad Citizens who’ve made a positive impact in the community, the River Bandits field many charitable programs across the region. 

The largest scholarship program of any minor league baseball team in the country lives in the Quad Cities through the Bandit Scholars program. Designed to pay respect to the critical role that education and sports play in strengthening the community, the Bandit Scholars program provides scholarship winners with a free year of college tuition and a paid summer internship with the baseball club. Each year, the club funds scholarships to Augustana College, St. Ambrose University, Eastern Iowa’s Community Colleges and Blackhawk College.

“The nature of our scholarship program is what we call ‘learn, earn and return.’ Students go to college and learn so that they can find a meaningful career. Then they return home, earn a good salary and make a career in the Quad Cities,” said Heller.

Heller and his co-owner, Iowa State Treasurer Roby Smith, also fund a variety of health-related causes to improve the community. The Flu-Free Quad Cities program, which provides free flu shots to Quad Cities children, is funded primarily by the River Bandits. The team also helps fund Camp Genesis, for Quad Cities kids dealing with cancer in their families; Family Connects, which allows Genesis to send a nurse home for a week with each new-born baby born into a family living below the poverty line; and the Genesis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Altogether, the club annually donates nearly $100,000 to Genesis’ various health care initiatives.

Perhaps the most obvious of the River Bandits’ efforts to champion the Quad Cities is its world-class Modern Woodmen Park, named Best Minor League Ballpark in America by USA Today. In the last decade, the ballpark has added to a seemingly unending list of attractions, including a giant Ferris wheel, a double-decker merry-go-round, a kid’s roller coaster and many other amusement rides for kids of all ages.

Heller said that the River Bandits’ mission is to make memories for Quad Cities families each night. “We have a vision of building something that's bigger than baseball. We're not in the baseball business or the entertainment business. We’re in the memory-making business. If we can create a memory for a Quad Cities family, we have accomplished something really great.”

During any one of the 66 games played each season at Modern Woodmen Park, you can find Heller greeting each attendee with a polite smile and gracious handshake that demonstrates the River Bandits’ gratitude for the residents of the Quad Cities.

Established during the height of the Great Depression, a commitment to strengthening the community by banding together through good and bad times persists at IHMVCU.

“Times were tough in 1934. That's when we came together to make the Quad Cities stronger. We focus on maintaining a community-oriented mindset as we move forward into each new generation of leadership, and we’re proud to give back to the place that we call home,” said Heather Waffle, Regional Director of Retail Delivery at IHMVCU.

Nearly 90 years later, IHMVCU is the largest credit union in the Quad Cities with more than 150,000 members, and building up the community by giving back continues to be embedded in their mission. Through its philanthropy, IHMVCU gives back to local underserved groups, specifically nonprofit human services organizations, youth education institutions and the military.

“Our local nonprofit organizations exist in a space where there’s a need, and we strive to do our best to help, whether through our money or our time,” said Pat Angerer, Business Development Officer at IHMVCU. “At each branch, we have individuals who possess first-hand knowledge of challenges facing our community, and they’re a huge asset in helping us determine where we can back the greatest impact.”

IHMVCU has several programs focused on enhancing the well-being of these groups. Much like the Bandit Scholars Program, IHMVCU’s Cash for Class Scholarship Program helps local students pursue a college degree while also preparing them for careers as future QC leaders. Since 1999, the program has invested $370,000 in 300 students and will award another $30,000 to 13 students in 2024.

“What we love about our scholarship program is the benefit for each recipient to get an education and find a career, and the benefit to the Quad Cities community. We hope to keep these students here in the Quad Cities region so the scholarships bring value back to the community tenfold,” said Waffle.

These charitable initiatives are designed to help the Quad Cities flourish in the same way that the community helped provide the foundation for IHMVCU to become the successful institution that it is today.

“We've been fortunate to have great success over the years. Those successes do not happen without the great people in this community. Giving back is not only a no-brainer, it's a priority,” said Angerer.

Whitey’s Ice Cream has long been the gold standard for ice cream in the Quad Cities – a staple for sweet tooths across the region and those who travel here from far and wide. Most long-time Quad Citizens can name a menu item that produces a feeling of nostalgia each time they order it.

“There’s almost a sense of ownership amongst the Quad Cities for Whitey’s, and we truly enjoy sharing it with each resident. We love that this feeling is felt not only among our team members but also among the residents who live here,” said Annika Tunberg, Vice President, Whitey's Ice Cream. 

This sense of ownership that so many Quad Citizens feel often leads them to recommend the local ice cream giant to family and friends visiting the region. With such deep roots in the Quad Cities community, it only makes sense that Whitey’s is equally devoted to giving back to the community that it calls home. All profits from one of Whitey’s most popular ice cream flavors goes directly to local organizations.

For the last 14 years, profits from Whitey’s Sgt. Camo ice cream, a camouflaged cream made from graham cracker and marshmallow flavors, has gone to local military veterans' groups. During that time, Sgt. Camo sales have enabled Whitey’s to donate over $100,000 to military support groups, such as the Wounded Warrior Project and the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.

Whitey’s also gives back to the community during specific need-based situations, like the Mississippi River floods of 1993 and 2019. “Our Mississippi Mud flavor was developed to raise money to support those affected by the flood of 1993. During the 2019 flood, we were able to donate $46,000 to the Red Cross from Mississippi Mud proceeds.”

According to Tunberg, Whitey’s also annually puts a certain percentage of sales towards donations to local charities and donates extensively to support schools and events involving families and children.

“We want to help develop the Quad Cities, and it goes without saying that the future here is in our kids. The young people growing up here are going to shape how our future looks, for many years to come,” said Tunberg.