65 and Counting: New Partners Impacting Spring Forward Students

Spring Forward is committed to providing enriching, hands-on experiences for students. This initiative assures we consistently deliver relevant, engaging new programs and exciting new field trips. Through continuous outreach and expansion of our Community Partner network, 65 local organizations supported Summer 2025. And we’re not stopping there. New partners have since joined us, strengthening the impact we’re able to provide for students!

This past summer, new partners included “Young Lions Roar” who inspired 5th and 6th graders in the Rock Island-Milan School District through poetry. The Lock and Dam 15 Visitors Center and Arsenal Museum introduced students to engineering and history. Modern Woodmen Park gave them a behind-the-scenes stadium tour, a look at career possibilities, and the thrill of riding the Ferris Wheel!

Fall Intersession also welcomed impactful new partners: A’Jreem Beauty Bar, guiding students through “The Braiding Blueprint,” program and Journey Live Productions, inspiring them to unleash their “inner star” in the performing arts with “Act Out Loud” theater program.

New partnerships connect students to local career paths and entrepreneurs who share their lived experiences. These collaborations expand access to professional fields and highlight the wide range of opportunities within their own community!