EAST MOLINE, ILLINOIS (December 18, 2024) — A $50,000 charitable contribution was presented to Living Lands and Waters during Bridge Investment Community Development Corporation’s (Bridge Investment) tenth-anniversary celebration at Green Current Solutions, thanks to the facilitation of Brian Hollenback, President and CEO of Economic Growth Corporation (GROWTH) and Advisory Board member of Southside Community Optimum Revitalization Enterprise (SCORE).
The donation, made by the Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support Fund, the non-profit arm of SCORE, a national Community Development Entity (CDE), is dedicated to driving economic development in underserved communities.
Through his role as an Advisory Board member for SCORE, Brian advises and advocates for projects that stimulate economic revitalization in underserved areas. Additionally, SCORE further seeks Advisory Board input on impactful projects to assist through their non-profit, the Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support Fund.
The Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support Fund’s donation will directly support Living Lands and Waters’ Mississippi River Institute (MRI). This innovative floating classroom provides free educational workshops and career exploration opportunities for students from underserved backgrounds. Since its inception, the MRI has been stationed in the Quad Cities and St Louis, Missour, and has provided free workforce development workshops to 694 students. The MRI’s benefits include:
- Free workshops for low-income high school, trade school, and community college students focused on river-related careers;
- Opportunities to connect with industry partners and recruiters;
- Potential collaboration with the Mike Rowe Foundation to support scholarships for river careers;
- Exposure to career opportunities across major Mississippi River cities such as St Louis, Memphis, St Paul, and Minneapolis;
- Additionally, LL&W collaborates with Green Current Solutions (GCS) to combat plastic pollution; and
- GCS recycles plastic debris collected by LL&W into eco-friendly plastic pallets, reducing the need for single-use wood pallets and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
About the Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support Fund:
The Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support Fund plays a pivotal role in supporting impactful projects that foster community development and environmental sustainability, like the efforts of LL&W and GCS. As the non-profit arm of SCORE, a national Community Development Entity (CDE), the Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support Fund focuses on directing capital toward underserved communities and initiatives that drive economic and environmental improvements.
About Living Lands and Waters:
Living Lands and Waters is a 501(c)(3) environmental organization founded by Chad Pregracke in 1998. The organization's mission is to aid in the protection, preservation, and restoration of the natural environment of the nation's major rivers and their watersheds. From its single-boat beginning, LL&W has grown to an industrial-strength, internationally-known organization with a fleet of barges and workboats. Spending up to nine months a year living on the barge, LL&W engages thousands of volunteers each year in river cleanups, hands-on environmental education workshops, tree plantings, and more. For more information, visit livinglandsandwaters.org.
About Economic Growth Corporation (GROWTH):
Economic Growth Corporation is a national 501(c)3 non-profit community development organization that focuses on supporting economic growth in underserved communities. GROWTH and its wholly owned subsidiaries work to foster investment and drive development to improve underserved communities by fostering partnerships and driving development initiatives aimed at job creation, community revitalization, and sustainable development. For more information, visit economicgrowthcorporation.com/.
