This year, Roz has made Spring Forward Summer Camp a family affair, where her daughter, Miranda Lee, and granddaughter, Mackenzie (an Augustana College student), are Site Assistants at Thomas Jefferson. The icing on the cake is that Roz gets to also spend time with her other grandchildren, Aliviannah and Stevie, who are enrolled in the program. 

This week, Spring Forward welcomed 575 children to enrichment camps at eight elementary schools in Rock Island, Milan, Moline, East Moline and Bettendorf. The five-week camps are for students first through sixth grade. Camps are led by a team of teachers, camp counselors and social workers, with enrichment provided by community-based organizations.

In the coming month there will be a leadership transition at Spring Forward! Our esteemed Executive Director, Dan McNeil, will be leaving the organization and our Program Director, Robbie McIntyre, will be stepping into the role of Executive Director.

Spring Forward sees an advantage to using student interns to help staff programs at the schools and also give students a chance to explore a career in education in an after-school program setting.

For the last three years, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) and Spring Forward have partnered to bring students individual violin instruction. The QCSO provides instruments and instructors. Spring Forward helps recruit students and provides after school staff on site.

As Spring Forward campers embark on their river journey, lessons learned and experiences gained at Summer Camp will guide them like a steady current, shaping their values, passions, and perspectives for years to come.

Through this simple yet profound act of volunteering, the volunteers from Grace Church inspire a love for reading and a community that transcends generations.

Together, Spring Forward and NEST Cafe are not only nourishing bodies but also nurturing futures, one healthy snack at a time.

Jae’s journey is an inspiring testament to resilience, creativity, and a deep-rooted commitment to making a difference.

This morning Spring Forward welcomed more than 600 children to summer enrichment camps at eleven elementary schools in Rock Island, Milan and East Moline.

Tera McCormick-Skinner, a fifth grade teacher at Rock Island Center for Math and Science, helps year-round with the after school, intercession and summer programs

Summer is right around the corner and that means staff from Spring Forward and the Martin Luther King Center are busy planning to welcome hundreds of Rock Island-Milan School District students for summer camp. Together, the two organizations have built the largest summer enrichment camp program in the region.

Beth brings positivity, light and energy to our after school and intersession programs at Earl Hanson Elementary.

At Spring Forward we are lucky to have an incredible collaboration with the Rock Island Public Library to bring our students a wealth of opportunities!

The Putnam Museum provides hands-on STEM enrichment activities for Spring Forward students after school and during the summer.

In 2021, a new collaboration formed where the kids are receiving swim lessons at Rock Island Parks & Recreation and are participating in sports programs such as Rugby in the upcoming Spring Intersession.