BETTENDORF, IOWA – The temporary levee broke under pressure, but the will of the Quad Cities region is stronger than ever.  The boots on the ground organizations have been busy helping people with housing and cleanup efforts since the Mississippi River recently inundated and devastated parts of the Quad Cities region. 

Now, the Ascentra Credit Union Foundation is joining efforts to strengthen the long-term recovery efforts with a donation of $10,000 to the Quad Cities Disaster Recovery Fund.

“We fully appreciate the needs of our community will be long lasting once the flood waters recede,” said Dale Owen, Ascentra Credit Union President and CEO.  “As a Quad Cities based not-for-profit organization, we share a synergy of helping out during trying times and know it’s going to take everybody working together to repair and renew for the long term.”

The Downtown Davenport Partnership estimates that businesses impacted by flooding in Davenport could be out $30 million in revenue and lost wages over the next year; this doesn’t account for building and property damage.  

Some of the impact may not be apparent until the water recedes. This fund will ensure the support and resources are there when organizations need them so they can also increase their capacity. The fund specifically supports organizations that need additional resources to support people in our community when a disaster, natural or man-made occurs. 

The Quad Cities Community Foundation is managing the Quad Cities Disaster Recovery Fund and will ensure that funds donated will be granted to partner organizations in Rock Island and Scott Counties, to ensure flood recovery resources are ready in the months and year ahead when attention turns from emergency response to community recovery.

From individual donors making smaller donations, to corporate gifts and grants, the region has pulled together to help those affected.

“It’s very hard to see the effect this disaster has had in our community,” said Owen.  “We’re currently working with members who have loan payments due and were displaced or unable to work because of the flooding.  We’ve also introduced an Emergency Loan with very favorable rates and terms for anyone in our community who may need a small loan to get them by.”

Community members can join Ascentra in making a gift to the Quad Cities Disaster Relief Fund by giving online at QCCommunityFoundation.org. To learn about Ascentra’s Emergency Loan, visit Ascentra.org. There you can also find information about the Disaster Relief Grant program from the Iowa Credit Union Foundation, which allows for $500 to support Iowa credit union members who have been displaced from their home for an extended period of time.

"Ascentra's contribution to the Quad Cities Disaster Recovery Fund represents yet another way that they live out their mission: people helping people, by listening, caring, and doing what it is right," said Anne Calder, Vice President of Development for the Quad Cities Community Foundation.  "We are honored and humbled to partner with Ascentra, and hopeful for the impact their contribution – and the contributions of other individuals and businesses – will have on creating a stronger Quad Cities as the flood waters recede."

About Ascentra:                                                                            

Founded in 1950, Ascentra Credit Union, is Iowa's premier credit union with more than $414 million in assets and 10 branches serving the communities of Bettendorf, Clinton, Davenport, LeClaire, Muscatine, Iowa and Moline, Ill.  Learn more about Ascentra Credit Union at ascentra.org.  Follow Ascentra on Facebook, Twitter @ascentra, Instagram @ascentracu, and YouTube.