Celebrating An Impactful Year

During these frigid days of the new year, it is comforting to think about the impact we have made — and the work ahead.

Significantly, we ended 2021 in a strong position to make an even bigger difference this year and in the future. We ended the year with?$22.8 million in gifts — a $12.5 million increase over 2020!

In addition, we:

• Granted $5.8 million last year
• Increased our total grants to date to $60 million.
• Built our total assets to $145 million.

Below, learn about a few of more ways we are transforming the Dubuque region.

Thank you for all you do to build strong communities.

Nancy

Celebrating Community Leadership

Our former board member Ernest Jackson was honored last week with the Telegraph Herald’s First Citizen award for his youth-mentoring work and other efforts to increase access to opportunity for all in our community. If you missed it,?watch a recording of the ceremony.

Brain Health Retreat Rooms

Thanks to the generosity of Debi and Andy Butler, we are hosting a new fund to help build rooms in local high schools where students can cope with stress and return to class ready to focus and learn. If you are interested in supporting the new Debi & Andy Butler Brain Health Fund, please contact?Bobbi Earles.

Books in Hands

Thanks to local fundraising efforts, our?Every Child Reads?initiative is coordinating with the Dubuque Community School District and Scholastic Book Fair Company to provide two free books to every child in every Title I school. Plus, each school will get an additional 30 books per to distribute to classrooms. That’s 3,000 books to help promote reading!

This effort is important, because as few as 18% of students at Title I schools purchase books at book fairs compared with as many as 83% at non-Title I schools.

Putting Data to Work

How did the pandemic impact Dubuque’s workforce? What is the cost of living in Dubuque vs. average wages. With our recent Data Walk, we compiled community indicators to help shed light on these issues and point the way to possible solutions.?Explore our updated Data Walk website?to learn more about employment and equity in our region.??