BETTENDORF, IOWA (April 22, 2025) — Tapestry Farms invites the community to its annual Spring Fling benefit, a fundraiser and celebration of the new growing season. The event will be held on Friday, May 2, at the Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf. Doors open at 6PM and will feature live music, food, and drink, a silent auction, and a special keynote address by Lanon Baccam — a combat veteran, public servant, and proud Iowan whose family arrived in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa as Tai Dam refugees from Laos in 1980.
Funds raised will directly support Tapestry Farms’ investment in the lives of refugees who resettle in the Quad Cities, focusing on access to housing, education, health-care, food, and employment. Its fourteen urban farm plots located throughout the Quad Cities reclaim underutilized land to grow fresh, nutritious produce.
“We are so very thankful for the community of support that surrounds our work, growing fresh produce and walking alongside refugees from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti,” said Ann McGlynn, founder and executive director of Tapestry Farms. “We are looking forward to an evening with hundreds of our friends, celebrating our work together and raising vital funding to continue on into our eighth year of refugees and neighbors, flourishing together.”
Lanon Baccam’s parents came to the US as part of a wave of resettlement ushered in by Iowa’s then-governor Robert D Ray, whose administration was known for their welcoming attitude toward refugees. The Baccam family built their life in Mt Pleasant, where both of Lanon's parents worked in the Mackay Envelope factory. At seventeen, Lanon enlisted in the Iowa National Guard to give back to the country that welcomed his family. After deploying to Afghanistan as a combat engineer, Lanon continued his service as a public servant at the US Department of Agriculture.
There, he advanced policies that supported fellow veterans, opened pathways to jobs in agriculture, and expanded rural broadband access — historic investments that are still impacting communities across the country.
“We’re honored to welcome Lanon to this year’s Spring Fling,” Ann said. “His lived experience and lifelong service to others reflects the heart of our work — accompanying our refugee neighbors with dignity, trust, and practical support.”
Tapestry Farms helps refugee neighbors navigate health-care and education systems and access housing, jobs, and food. The organization also has a small legal clinic and over its seven years of operations has helped more than twenty refugees become US citizens.
Worldwide, there are more than 43.4 million refugees who have fled their home countries as a result of conflict, persecution, violence, and climate disasters. At a time when global displacement is at historic levels, Spring Fling offers a way for Quad Citians to take meaningful action on behalf of those who have fled to find home in our shared community.
Attendees will learn more about Tapestry Farms’ impact and how their support can make a lasting difference in the lives of refugee families who now call this community home.
“If you’ve ever wondered how to show up for refugees in our community — come to Spring Fling,” Ann said. “It’s a joyful evening that ushers in the growing season here in the Quad-Cities and will leave you full of hope and a deep sense of connection. We would love to have you there.”
More information about Tapestry Farms Spring Fling Benefit is available at: tapestryfarms.org/blog/spring-fling-a-benefit-for-tapestry-farms.
About Tapestry Farms:
Tapestry Farms generously invests in the lives of refugees who resettle in the Quad Cities, focusing on:
● Access: We persistently work to eliminate barriers refugees experience to housing, education, medical and mental health care, work, food, transportation, community, and citizenship.
● Urban farm: We reclaim underutilized land in Quad City neighborhoods experiencing food insecurity, growing culturally responsive food so that all in our community are abundantly fed.
● The future: Our greatest hope is that building trusted connections will create a Quad City-wide welcoming infrastructure — a vibrant and thriving community for every single person, including refugees.
To learn more, visit: tapestryfarms.org/.
