New Fund at Community Foundation Honors Quincy's Heritage as a "City of Refuge"

“Our ancestors were among the people that were aided by the good citizens of Quincy, so we wanted to personally give and honor that heritage,” says Daryl.

The fund will meet the Wards’ goal by providing a permanent source of support to Quincy citizens in need, mirroring the aid that the citizens of Quincy provided to the Wards’ ancestors and thousands of other members of the LDS Church. Because the fund is endowed, the Wards’ gift will be invested for growth and a portion of the interest earned will be used for grants to nonprofit organizations each year.

Former Quincy Mayor Chuck Scholz says the hospitality shown by Quincy residents during the winter of 1839 has been described as, “one of greatest humanitarian acts in the history of our country.” To put the act into context, it would be roughly the equivalent of today’s Quincy population offering refuge to more than 130,000 individuals. 

According to Brigham Young University’s Religious Studies Center, Quincy residents provided shelter, food, jobs, and rented out their farms to the exiled Latter-day Saints. On February 3, 1841, Joseph Smith presented to the Nauvoo City Council the following resolutions, which paid a fitting tribute to the residents of Quincy: “Resolved . . . that the citizens of Quincy be held in everlasting remembrance, for their unparalleled liberality and marked kindness to our people, when in their greatest state of suffering and want.”

 “I want the citizens of Quincy today to understand and appreciate our history as a city built by immigrants and it’s imperative that the hospitality and respect shown by our Quincy ancestors back then be engrained and passed on from one generation to the next,” says Scholz. 

The Community Foundation is grateful for this meaningful gift that will provide a permanent source of support to Quincy residents in need. The City of Refuge Fund exemplifies the spirit of endowment, honoring our roots while growing resources for the future.

 “The generosity exhibited by our early residents is mirrored by this gift. We should all be inspired to emulate this compassion for those in need,” said Catherine Bocke Meckes, Community Foundation CEO. “Every grant made from The City of Refuge Fund will be a reminder of our shared history and to live each day with kindness and empathy.”

To make gifts or to learn more about the fund, contact:

Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri

Phone: (217) 222-1237

Email: info@mycommunityfoundation.org

Web: www.mycommunityfoundation.org 

4531 Maine Suite A, Quincy, IL 62305

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The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri builds permanent charitable funds to assist area nonprofits and communities. 

Its mission, “connecting people who care with causes that matter,” is achieved by gathering funds, growing them through investments, then granting to nonprofit organizations, causes or communities that mean the most to its donors.   

Since 1997, the Community Foundation has made more than $11 million in grants. It serves 12-counties: Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike in Illinois and Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike, Knox, Shelby and Monroe in Missouri.  

The Community Foundation has IRS 501(c)(3) status, and contributions made to the Community Foundation generally qualify for the maximum allowable deductions for income and estate tax purposes.  

For more information, call 217-222-1237, email outreach@mycommunityfoundation.org or go to mycommunityfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/mycommunityfoundation.