Over A Century Of Community Outreach

For over 100 years, YWCA Quad Cities has been a beacon of hope, and help, for thousands of people in need.

The Rock Island YWCA opened its doors on January 1st, 1917, welcoming 731 flagship members. The new organization’s first home was the 4th floor of the Central Bank and Trust Building.  The $1 per year membership included gymnasium work at Rock Island High School, swim classes at Augustana College, Bible classes, a reading room, a resting room, a lunch room where members could eat “a good home meal furnished at the least possible cost,” access to an employment bureau, a sewing machine and electric iron, tennis courts, and many other amenities and benefits. These were something not all women had access to at that time, and those amenities alone were enticing reasons to join.

The Rock Island YWCA created programs to support and meet the needs of its members. In the first year over 75 women were placed in jobs because of the employment bureau. The Patriot League met at YWCA – planning when and how they could help educate the community. They helped transient girls find housing, inspiring them to open dormitories soon after their first year. They worked tirelessly to help their members, the community, and to reach their own organizational goals. The Girl Reserves program flourished as a way for school-aged girls to get involved in their community. The work YWCA did in 1917 and the work we do now may meet different needs, but the goal of helping the community has always been the same.

To this day, YWCA Quad Cities strives to be an agency that creates the change our community needs. By creating the Teen Parent and Child Education Center and theplace2b, we have shown that we can take action for those who need it most, moving them from surviving to thriving. While many things have changed in the last 100 years, YWCA has not wavered in supporting women, families and youth in the Quad Cities area. Community support has allowed us to change lives for a century, and we would love to provide support for centuries more. 

Please contact us to learn more about opportunities to help the team at YWCA QC continue to work towards building a better community and empowering women and families.

For a longer history of YWCA Quad Cities, click here: https://ywcaquadcities.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/ywca-driving-change-since-1917/

For a history of the national YWCA, click here: https://www.ywca.org/about/history/