DAVENPORT, Iowa — A longtime goal of creating a park outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Interpretive Center in Davenport is one step closer to reality, thanks to donations from local companies.
Ascentra Credit Union and its foundation donated a total of $50,000 to the Friends of MLK organization, while the MidAmerican Energy Foundation awarded a grant of $250,000 to the group.
Plans for the park, set at the northeast corner of 5th and Brady Streets, have been in the works since early 2014 when a task force was formed to build the first formal memorial of Dr. King in the City of Davenport.
The Friends have been campaigning to raise $800,000 toward the total budget of $1.2 million, after previous investments from the City of Davenport and Downtown Davenport Partnership.
MidAmerican's donation comes through their foundation called CARES, which focuses on five pillars of giving, including community enhancement, arts and culture, environmental respect, education/STEM and safety.
"MidAmerican is so pleased to have the opportunity to support a project like this that will leave a lasting legacy in a community that we've always served proudly and are an active part of," Kathryn Kunert, MidAmerican vice president of economic connections and integration, said. "Once built, this piece of land will be much more than a downtown Davenport park – it will be a regional park with a purpose."
Ascentra Credit Union's donation also comes courtesy of their foundation, created in 2015 in memory of their then President and CEO, Paul Lensmeyer.
“We are honored to be a partner in this investment and in preserving our black history in downtown Davenport,” Linda Andry, president and CEO, of Ascentra Credit Union, said. “Thank you to the Friends of MLK for all the hard work they are putting into making the park a reality for our community to experience, learn and enjoy.”
Ascentra previously donated $2,400 to the Friends of MLK in 2021 to help pay for initial architectural plans for the project.
“We are excited that the completion of this park is in our near future,” Ryan Saddler, CEO of Friends of MLK, Inc., said. “This dream wouldn’t happen without the many generous donors of our community like Ascentra and the Ascentra Credit Union Foundation. We are blessed to have the support of the Quad Cities community and look forward to honoring the memory and legacy of Dr. King through this park.”