What will our community look like in 2062? We know that it will be different, but how?

In the mid-1960s, Beatrice (Bea) Conrad wondered the same thing about 2012. She was a local volunteer, and leader of the Girl Scouts. She was also one of the founders of the Community Foundation in 1964.

At that time, Lyndon Johnson was president, gas was 32 cents per gallon, and the average income was $6,900. Personal computers were still more than a decade away. Doctors and dentists kept their patient records on paper.

Bea knew that her beloved Quad Cities would grow and change in the coming years. She also knew that a Community Foundation's strength lies in its ability to be flexible and respond to changing community needs. Then she did something to make a difference for the future.

When Bea passed away in 1966, she left part of her estate to the Community Impact Endowment. Over time, with gifts of all sizes from more than 100 donors, this Fund has grown to more than $11 million. Since 1967, the Community Foundation has granted from this Fund to area nonprofits to meet the priority needs of the community. From its first grant of $2,000, to more than $600,000 distributed this year, the Community Impact Endowment - and its generous donors - make a difference in the lives of others.

Community Health Care, Inc. (CHC) of the Quad Cities received of a Community Impact Grant in the spring of 2012. The grant enabled CHC to fully implement electronic dental record-keeping, a federal requirement by the year 2014. This system includes signature pads allowing nurses to enter patient information on the spot so that dental patients can sign their consent form immediately and continue with their appointment during that same visit. These records are electronically transferrable among all Community Health Care clinics. This Community Impact Grant is helping CHC improve patient care for those most in need in our community.

The Community Impact Endowment allows caring individuals to make a gift for the future - to provide for needs that we cannot predict today. Think of our community as one of your heirs. Your gift, when combined with Bea's gift, and the gifts of neighbors and friends, will build an unending resource to meet the ever-changing needs of our community. As another CFGRB founder, John Nagle, said proudly many years later, "Now, more than ever, the possibilities are endless."

To learn more about the Community Impact Fund and its nonprofit Capacity Building Grants and Q2030 Grants, call CFGRB at (563) 326-2840 or visit www.cfgrb.org/grants.