DAVENPORT, IOWA (October 4, 2023) — You can visit kittens at the Humane Society of Scott County's adoption and foster station, and consider becoming a pet parent.
Or, you can check out the Putnam Museum's "Common Ground" regional history exhibit and add your own input to help Quad Cities' history be more inclusive.
Or, you can check out the myriad of progressive services available in the Quad Cities to kids and families, including health care, mental health, prevention services, social justice and programs for people of color, LGBTQ+ support, and more.
The Intersectional Resource Fair happening Sat., October 7, 10:30AM-1PM, will feature 37 groups and small businesses sharing about the progressive services they offer to Quad Citians. They'll gather at MCC of the Quad Cities, 2930 W Locust St..
Members of the public who attend will receive door prizes while supplies last, and raffle tickets for every table they visit. They can also complete games and quizzes at the event about the groups and businesses there.
Intersecting groups include Humane Society, health and mental-health services, social-justice groups
Some of the groups' missions intersect, as you'd expect. The Humane Society, for instance, is trying to resolve the challenges of maxed-out shelter space and the need for more volunteers.
The non-profit has also partnered for two straight years with Clock Inc LGBT+ Community Center in Rock Island on an annual fundraising drive featuring shirts that read, "We Love Strays and Gays."
In addition, pets are especially important to households of People of Color, says the American Veterinary Medical Association, Its 2019 study showed that Hispanic and African American households are twenty percent more likely to own pets than white households. Black and Hispanic households are also more likely to spend more money to care for their pets, says the AVMA.
The numerous health-care and mental-health groups present Saturday also mean many different identities will find possible solutions to their health-care challenges.
LGBTQ+ people — especially transgender people — and People of Color are proven to have less access to health care and mental health services in general.
Those disparities are one reason why The Project of the Quad Cities is helping to coordinate the Intersectional Resource Fair, says marketing director Tyler Mitchell.
“Caring for our most vulnerable has a ripple effect across our community," says Mitchell. "If we dedicate our resources towards those our society often forgets, we can help improve health and well-being across our entire community — not just those with the most privilege and the most access."
The event is free. Highlights:
- A foster and adoption station by the Humane Society of Scott County, including kittens in need of foster homes and other support information for adoption
- A virtual tour of Putnam Museum's "Common Ground" exhibit, along with the chance to give your input into Putnam's effort to be more inclusive and accurate
- Door prize bags for as long as supplies last
- An outdoor bounce house for kids
- Chances to win almost two dozen raffle prizes
The event is a collaboration among four Quad Cities entities devoted to intersectionality:
- The Project of the Quad Cities: A non-profit providing mental-health and health-care to marginalized identities in the Quad Cities and now throughout 22 other counties since 1986;
- One Human Family QCA: A non-profit devoted to education and awareness of hate crimes and incidents;
- Progressive Action for the Common Good: A non-profit focused on empowering communities to take positive change and pursue social justice;
- and The Real Mainstream, an LGBTQ affirming, intersectional publication serving Illinois and Iowa.
MCC of the Quad Cities is located at 2930 W Locust St, Davenport. To learn more about the Intersectional Resource Fair, head to tpqc.org/intersectional-resource-fair. You can also reach Tyler Mitchell of TPQC at 309.581.2037 or tyler@tpqc.org, or Christine Hawes, editor of The Real Mainstream, at 309-306-1372 or chawes@therealmainstream.com. A list of groups present is at the bottom of this press release.
