Pro Bono Work in the Quad Cities
March 28, 2025
River Action has been the recipient of pro bono work since its founding. All Quad Citians have received it, too. And we are grateful.
The term “pro bono” comes from the Latin pro bono publico, which means “for the public good.” That has been and can be applied in many ways in the Quad Cities.
For example, the American Bar Association describes pro bono work as ‘lawyers should aspire to render without fee, at least 50 hours of services per year to people of limited means or nonprofit organizations that serve the poor. Nearly every state has an ethical rule like this; in Scott County it is Iowa Legal Aid; in Rock Island County it is the Legal Self-Help Center.
I’d like to recognize that many companies and organizations in the Quad Cities aspire to do the same, financing and promoting pro bono projects. Some of those River Action has been the beneficiary of are:
All the RiverWay kiosks, mile markers and gateways on the riverfront trails installed pro bono by the QC Association of General Contractors.
All of the labor cost of installing the Centennial bridge lights donated by the electrical union IBEW Local 145.
Every barge transport of thousands of bikes on Ride the River was done pro bono by RiverStone Group and in the last 20 years by Walt Bassow owner of Upper Mississippi River Fleeting.
Ashton Engineering and the late Bill Ashton donated all design and engineering for First Bridge, Helm Contractors donated a work plan for the North Pier and all surveying work on the berm and surrounding area was donated by Townsend Engineering.
At Arconic, where there has been a long history of pro bono work, staff voluntarily sign up year after year to provide landscaping labor and event assistance. That is also in the culture at John Deere, Modern Woodmen and many more Quad City companies.
Programs on the Channel Cat are done without cost by the Corps of Engineers and the US Fish & Wildlife Services.
There will never be enough money to do all the things these generous companies and professional organizations want to do, but we are grateful they see working for the public good and improving the environment as something they do.