“Fostering appreciation of the written word, educating and supporting its creators … well into the future.”

Charter Legacy Society Members:

Susan Collins
Mary Foster
Trisha Georgiou
Salvatore Marici
Tom & Joyce McKay
Rochelle Murray

About the Legacy Society:
Click the cover above to download a copy of the “Leave Your Legacy” magazine

Founded and incorporated over 35 years ago by local authors, MWC has the mission “to foster appreciation of the written word, support and educate its creators.” As the only non-profit organization in the Quad Cities devoted to literary appreciation and education, MWC is well positioned to offer some of the most original and widely beneficial literary arts programming in our community. We offer regular monthly workshops and readings; a national writers’ conference; an annual workshop series; and a month-long poetry residency. The MWC also offers annual programming for youth, including a high school internship program; a summer middle school writing camp; and the Children’s Literature Festival. These provide over 3,000 instances of service annually. We host a writing library and resource center at our office space in Rock Island Public Library in downtown Rock Island. The Center is home to the Midwest Writing Center Press, which annually accepts submissions for its publications associated with its chapbook contest and occasionally takes on special publishing projects. We are mission driven, led by a board of directors, sustained by many volunteers and one employee.

Four Charter Members of the MWC Legacy Society (clockwise from back right): Salvatore Marici, Rochelle Murray, Susan Collins, and Tom McKay

After completing a strategic planning process in early 2015, the MWC Board of Directors decided on three main goals: financial stability, increased visibility, and board sustainability. MWC already has two endowments with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend to help meet the first goal, but in the summer of 2015, it voted to create a Legacy Society to encourage lasting financial support and honor those who have pledged to support MWC through final giving.

This giving doesn’t have to be just cash. Here are a few examples of assets you can use to create your life-changing gift:

  • Book Royalties
  • Name MWC a beneficiary of your life insurance—you can have more than one
  • Stock/Mutual Funds
  • Real Estate
  • Business Interests
  • Collections: art, classic cars, stamp collection
  • Certificate of Deposit proceeds

Joining the society is simple—just let us know if you have made provisions to do any of these or to give via one of the methods explained in the Leave Your Legacy: A Guide to Giving magazine, and we will add you to our list of MWC Legacy Society Charter Members

MWC Board of Directors, as follows, have pledged to leave a legacy gift and/or encourage others to join the legacy society:

  • Jodie Toohey, President
  • Angela Campbell, Vice-President
  • Lauren Wood, Secretary
  • Mark Petersen, Treasurer
  • Dave Cahoon
  • Susan Collins
  • Laura Davis
  • Emily Kingery
  • Richard Miller
  • Rochelle Murray
  • Beth Roberts

If you have questions, please call 309-732-7330 or email mwc@midwestwritingcenter.org and someone will be happy to help.

Thank you for leaving your legacy to MWC!