QC, THAT'S WHERE!
QC, THAT'S WHERE!
QC, That's Where Community is Stronger Than Cancer
Discover the remarkable story behind the Mississippi Dragon Boat Festival, a new event coming to the Quad Cities waterfront that blends ancient tradition with a compassionate purpose.
At the heart of it is Lexi Doxsee, Communications and Event Manager at Cancer Support Community of Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club. She has been instrumental in bringing this vision to life, weaving together cultural celebration and community spirit into an inaugural fundraiser that reflects both her creativity and her passion for helping others.
Dragon boat racing is more than just a spectacle. With teams paddling in unison to the beat of a drummer, it’s a powerful metaphor for the strength found in community and the resilience of those facing cancer. One of the most moving parts of the festival will be the inclusion of a boat of cancer survivors among the competing teams—an inspiring symbol of courage and unity.
Beyond the races, visitors can expect food vendors, craft booths, and family activities at Westlake on September 20th. It’s an event designed not only to raise support for vital services but also to bring people together in celebration, healing, and hope.
Lexi's personal journey in the nonprofit sector reflects her deep love for the Quad Cities and its people. She has seen firsthand how businesses, volunteers, and neighbors consistently step up to ensure no one faces cancer alone. The Mississippi Dragon Boat Festival is the latest example of that spirit in action—and a testament to Lexi's vision and dedication.
Join the fun and fundraising on September 20, 2025 at West Lake for this unique celebration of community, courage, and compassion. As Lexi reminds us, the Quad Cities is a place where community is always stronger than cancer.
Learn more about the Mississippi Valley Dragon Boat Festival here
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For anyone listening that doesn't know, they're like these 40-foot long boats. They're very narrow, they can fit over 20 people in them and people row to the beat of a drum and then there's a person in the back steering the boat. So the idea is you really have to be in sync and in rhythm with one another. So it's a great team building exercise, but it's also, you know, just a great way to bond with one another, so it could be like a family. We're actually going to have a boat of our cancer survivors out on the water rowing. I know we have a breast cancer survivor team coming up from Wisconsin.
Speaker 2:We have actually six out-of-town teams coming in which we're very excited about. Where do you find a family of communities connected by the storied Mississippi River, where young explorers and dreamers, investors and entrepreneurs thrive? Where can you connect with real people living and creating in a place that's as genuine as it is quirky QC? That's where.
Speaker 3:Welcome to QC. That's where I'm your host, katrina, and today I'm really happy to be talking to Lexi Doxey, the communications and event manager at formerly Gilda's Club, now Cancer Support Community of Iowa and Northwest Illinois. Lexi, hi, how are you Great yourself on the QC? That's when podcast I have been. You know, as we've been communicating back and forth, I've been trying to get used to the new name of Gilda's Club. Can you quickly because I'm sure a lot of people listening are used to Gilda's Club can you give us a little backdrop on when that name change happened and the why?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we recently changed our name, last year. It's relatively new. We felt that you know Gilda. She was great, she was our namesake and she was a trailblazer. But unfortunately a lot of the younger generations they don't know who Gilda Radner was.
Speaker 1:For those listening that might not know, she was one of the first female SNL comedians. She really set a path. But she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and when she was getting treatment she thought that support like what we offer, the psychosocial support was so important. So it was her vision to open places like this across the US. So that's kind of where we got our start. But you know, as people don't know who she is anymore, we felt it was vital to change our name so that the community knew that we offer free cancer support. We still have Gilda's Club in our name because we always want to honor her and her legacy. But we felt that as we expand and offer our services to a wider service area, that it was crucial because we don't have people that do outreach out in those communities to go explain that, whereas here in the Quad Cities we have outreach volunteers who will go do outreach in the cancer centers for us and explain who we are and what we do.
Speaker 3:The work you all do and what you've done in your role has it, has been and will continue to be so vitally important. I know we were talking about how the organization's growth has been kind of surpassing previous years. You guys have an increased need. I definitely want to talk about that and then also the fundraiser that you all have kicked up to help support that. Before we get to those very, very important items, I do want to get to know you a little bit more, lexi. I do want to get to know you a little bit more. Lexi, can you talk a little bit about your background in the nonprofit space? I understand you're a Western Illinois University grad. You worked at Christian Care. You interned at the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. So why did you choose that path and and and where? Where are you headed with it?
Speaker 1:You know I didn't. I don't think I chose the path, I think it chose me. I was looking for an internship when I was at Western and I stumbled across the internship at the Girl Scout office and it was such a great opportunity. I got to work with their VP of marketing, mara Warner. She was fantastic. So I kind of got my start there.
Speaker 1:And then I actually moved to Iowa City for a little while with my husband and we enjoyed being there, but we missed being home in the Quad Cities. So we moved back here, bought our first house and kind of got settled. But then when I was looking for a job, I came across a position at Christian Care and I love that. It was mission focused. And then somehow I stumbled into another position here at Cancer Support Community. And you know, I think it's hard not to be passionate about such important causes in our community, especially the mission here at CSC, because I mean, almost everybody knows somebody who's been impacted by cancer. So it's nice because you can kind of see the value in your work and how it pays off.
Speaker 3:Do you have any moments in your time with cancer support community of something that you saw truly like the impact affected a family or a person? Do you have any of those personal stories that you could share?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, almost every day I mean where my position? You know, I'm in the back office. Usually, like you were discussing, we're so much busier than we used to be because we actually aren't in the mansion on River Drive anymore, we're in the cancer centers near the hospital. So we're inside the hospitals and the cancer centers so we have people frequently walking in and sometimes the demand is just so high that multiple times there's a time where somebody's helping somebody else and you hear the doorbell so you go out to check in. I mean, I've helped people get a wig.
Speaker 1:More recently there was somebody that I helped who she came in. We have a free meal program. I asked her if she wanted to get a meal just after chatting with her for a minute and we went back to the freezer and I got her a meal, found out that she needed more support and she didn't realize that we could support her in those ways, such as like helping find financial resources or providing support for her teenage daughter because she was a single mom going through treatment. So there's been so many different ways that I've seen our services benefit people and I think people don't realize what we do until they are in need of what we do, which you know. Nobody wants to be going through that. But we not only support the person with the diagnosis, but we also support their loved ones and their children and really anyone who's navigating the challenges that a cancer diagnosis brings.
Speaker 3:So you shared a striking statistic with me earlier the percentage of growth that you had year over year. What is that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so since so 2023 to 2024, we had saw a 43% increase in individuals coming to us.
Speaker 1:And then just this year I don't have the second quarter numbers yet, but in the first quarter alone we had saw a 72% increase and we attribute that to, you know, our name change and being closer to those that we serve. But there's also more people in our community getting diagnosed. So we have more people coming to us for support, whether they're navigating a new diagnosis or that of a loved one, or you know, there's the Iowa Cancer Registry recently mentioned that they're. You know, with the growing numbers, there's not enough psychosocial support across the state. So we also recognize that there's more survivorship. So we have more survivors coming to us, whether it's for, like, an exercise class or our Reclaiming your Strength series, where we have somebody work with them to help them regain their balance, and such or just a support group, a free meal or a wig. I mean there's so many resources and so many different things that we do that people don't recognize or know that we do, and so many different things that we do that people don't recognize or know that we do.
Speaker 3:How has the Quad Cities shown up to help, support you know, these people who need help, but also the organization that you're within offering that providing that.
Speaker 1:I mean the Quad Cities has shown up in so many different ways for us. I mean we've actually been in the community for 27 years now. So we started back in 1998, I think it is off the top of my head and when we first opened our headquarters because you know, gilda's Club was relatively small at that point and they were only opening in larger cities they were saying you know, you guys might not make it, it's a smaller community. And here we are now, 27 years later, because the community has supported us and you know we've really rallied around those navigating a diagnosis so that the community funds everything that we do. We receive no federal or state funding. Everything is raised through individual donations, fundraising events, donors or grants. So the community has really helped us just fund our mission and be there for those who need support most.
Speaker 3:So you're busy wrangling. Where are we going to? You know, where does the funding come from? How are we getting enough? You know volunteers and just helping hands and I think, what you've cooked up for we're talking in September of 2025, so we're just weeks away from this event, the Mississippi Dragon Boat Festival. Tell me everything about this fundraiser.
Speaker 1:Well, first, before we do that, you mentioned volunteers, so I have to throw out there as a fun fact for those who may not realize we have, like so many volunteers who help make what we do possible. Our front desk, like our front desk, is 100% manned by volunteers. So I feel like it's really cool to mention for those who might be looking for opportunities, but we had over 4,000 hours of volunteer hours last year through events or just our outreach volunteers or people working at our front desk. So I feel like we should take a second to thank them, because they're a big part of the Quad Cities and I know our community really rallies around things that mean the most to them. So we're very thankful for all of them. But yes, I have been busy. We are getting ready for the first inaugural Dragon Boat Festival. We're very excited. This is going to be a fundraiser to support our free services that we offer. So it's actually coming up just next week, which it doesn't even seem. Oh right.
Speaker 3:Yes, I'm sorry, I jumped. I was like, oh no, you're fine, I'm back at Memorial Memorial day. I'm back at Memorial day back in May. No, no, you're right, we are, we are.
Speaker 1:It doesn't feel like September.
Speaker 3:It doesn't. Thank you, I appreciate that. No, it doesn't, but you're right, we are coming up quickly.
Speaker 1:Okay, yes, we're very excited. Uh, so we are hosting this festival. So we'll have teams rowing out on the water. Each team will get a practice the week of, but we'll also have a festival portion of the event where we have food vendors. We're going to have a craft fair Really just a fun time, because we know this is such a niche event and people in the community might not recognize what dragon boating is. The first time I heard it I was like wait, what, what is this? The first time I heard it I was like wait, what, what is this? So after watching a lot of videos, I'm like that's actually really neat.
Speaker 1:For anyone listening that doesn't know, they're like these 40 foot long boats. They're very narrow, they can fit over 20 people in them and people row to the beat of a drum and then there's a person in the back steering the boat. So the idea is you really have to be in sync and in rhythm with one another. So it's a great team building exercise, but it's also, you know, just a great way to bond with one another. So it could be like a family. We're actually going to have a boat of our cancer survivors out on the water rowing. I know, we have a breast cancer survivor team coming up from Wisconsin. We have actually six out-of-town teams coming in which we're very excited about, so we have 12 teams total this year so far and we're really looking forward to everyone coming out and paddling for a purpose, if you must.
Speaker 3:So help paint the picture. Do they race physically against each other, or is it like one goes at a time and it's timed? How does that work?
Speaker 1:They will race in heats, so each team will get a race. I think it's two or three times, depending on how they place. But there will be two to three boats out on the water at a time and they're going to be competing against one another and so if they're really in sync, the idea is their boat should glide across the water, because they're all rowing at the same time. So it's really a neat concept. I encourage anyone to go look up a video of dragon boating, or even go on our webpage. We have a great video of another nonprofit who hosts a festival and you can kind of see the camaraderie and the team spirit and how it all kind of plays a apart and so they're all.
Speaker 3:So they're all racing in heats, and do they get to practice ahead of time?
Speaker 1:Yes. So the teams have an option. They can come out. So 22 Dragons, the company we're working with, they're going to be coming in town next Wednesday. We'll offer one practice session to each team and the 22 Dragons team will work with them and really kind of help explain dragon boating and what they need to do. And, you know, nobody has to bring anything. That's been one concern that people bring up is like was it like the cardboard boats? Do we have to build our boat? And we're like no, no, no, Like they're bringing in the boats. They have the life jackets, they have the paddles. All you have to do is get ready to. You know, get on the dock and get in the boat and paddle away. Yeah, I've.
Speaker 3:I've been kind of talking about this event coming up, not knowing a ton about it myself, having not seen it, but just kind of you know the reading and having you all explain it to me. When I first mention it to people, I hear like their thoughts are oh, like the cardboard regatta that, like you know, the schoolers do. That kind of thing comes to mind. So I'm excited for you guys to bring this new concept of, like a fundraiser activity to our destination. We've been talking, you and I I think we talked a year ago as you were kind of working on getting this going. There are, like large cities that host this type of event.
Speaker 1:Typically they are large cities, they're not usually in small communities. So like we're an affiliate, so we have multiple partners. But everything raised here stays here and we get to choose our own programming and such. But we have an affiliate partner in Atlantic City and they host one annually and it is such a big event for them. I mean I think they have like 30 teams, if I'm correct, off the top of my head, and then they do the festival portion. So it's like a big thing.
Speaker 1:People like to come out and watch the races, they get to shop the vendors that they have. But then you know, at the end of the day they're raising over $150,000 to support their free services. And you know we recognize that this is something that will grow over time. So we're really excited and we hope the Quad Cities really embraces it. So you know, if somebody didn't register this year but they're interested in next year, reach out to us. We'll get you on a waiting list and once we have a registration open we'll send it out. But we're really excited just in general to be bringing such a niche event to the community. A lot of people, I don't think, realize but even Floatzilla that we do here locally, that's a fundraiser, for River Action and even Tugfest that's also a fundraiser. They donate majority of the funds raised to a local non-profit. I know we've been chosen in the past, but really a lot of those water-based activities that bring the community together. So we think this is something that will rally the community.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it's going to be one of those things that you know people will come out to see with their own eyes, kind of get a feel for, oh, that's what this is, and then next year you'll probably see even more registrations.
Speaker 1:Yeah 22 Dragons does say after your first year you usually see a double the team. So so we expect, we're hopeful, that that will be our case next year and we're really excited. And we're excited to see it in person, because we've watched enough videos and talked to 22 dragons enough. But yeah, you don't know what it is until you see it and you're like whoa, that's actually pretty neat right.
Speaker 3:and then you know, just kind of like you know inside baseball, but you knowing how much like volunteer support, like you were talking about, and you know how much like the quad being from here, how much the Quad Cities community can and will rally around really worthy causes, I absolutely see that happening for for this event too next year. Yeah.
Speaker 1:We're very excited, yeah, excited yeah, so okay, so that is happening September 20th 2025 at Westlake yep nine, nine to about four, so the races will take place from 9 to 2 30, but then we recognize that a lot of people might just want to hang out and watch them load the boats back up to be taken away. But we'll have vendors there until roughly four o'clock and it should be a great day. I can see it being a very family friendly event. Yes, we'll have face painting available, so there will be a face painter there selling her services. Craft vendors, there's a taco truck. I think there's an Asian fusion truck that we have coming. So we have a lot of different things happening and, you know, you can even bring a blanket and sit down and just watch the races.
Speaker 1:22 Dragons has said that Westlake's perfect because it has like a bowl shape so you can see the the races perfectly. So I remember he came all the way from Canada to visit our site. We took him to about three different locations and usually he says that he doesn't love all the locations. But he said that we took him to the Sunset Marina in Rock Island, which he also liked, but then we took him to West Lake and he's like oh my gosh, this location is perfect. I think this is the one and we're like, okay, sounds good, we'll figure out what we need to do.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's awesome. Well good, so. So yeah, you've got the support from them. This is very exciting. I can't wait to see how this all turns out and what it actually looks like in real life. So congratulations on bringing this to fruition. We are, oh yeah, thank you, we are so close to seeing this through.
Speaker 1:We couldn't do it without the community. Like Visit Quad Cities is supporting us, but we also have a variety of other community support, like the porta potties were donated by Pristine Portable. I mean those are things that you don't realize, but they all add up very quickly. I mean even I think it's Tagler Crane Service they are donating the crane to load and unload the boats. I mean we really couldn't do what we're doing without the Quad Cities community here.
Speaker 3:It really is such a unique destination. So I'm a transplant, I'm not from here originally, I've got relatives, so I was familiar, coming like my whole life, and I kind of got a sense for, like I always said and we say at Visit Quad Cities, small town feel with big city amenities, because you really do have that like neighborly I mean people say Midwest nice, but like that neighborly, just like you know, I'll help you, you help me like oh yeah, for each other, there's room for everyone, kind of thing. Um, so it's interesting Lexi, you are from here, you are back here, you're kind of a boomerang story a little bit, because you went to Idley. Yes, briefly yeah.
Speaker 3:So I mean, I get that. You know you all missed home and maybe there were things here you wanted to get back to, but can you pinpoint a single or two things that made you really say, yeah, we need to make the Quad Cities our home again?
Speaker 1:uh, just our family and you. The community here is so great and we just miss the, like you said, the small town feel but big city vibe. So we decided that it was best for us and you know it was just the right move for us. So we were really excited to get back and you know I mean personally I really love the Freight House Farmers Market. So one of the first things that I was excited about when we moved back I think we were going to the farmer's market every weekend, but that that was one thing that I personally was really excited about. And of course, whitey's, because Iowa City did not have Whitey's. So when we moved back we went on a little Whitey's bench. But but there are so many great things about the Quad Cities Valid.
Speaker 3:I totally get that. So so do you guys have like um seasonal favorites, like you know, freight House during the summer, like what's your go-to thing during the winter, fall, spring?
Speaker 1:Oh shoot, we, we do a lot of different things. Um, we, we've only been back three summers, so last year will be our second, but I've been so busy with everything. We got married this summer. We actually got married at Blackhawk State Park.
Speaker 3:Oh, beautiful.
Speaker 1:Congratulations, thank you. We we love that venue. You know it was so rustic and has so much history to it. But also you know we we love going out every now and then, so lemongrass is definitely one of our favorites. So if it's colder out, we like going to lemongrass. Sometimes, mercado Really just depends on what's happening. Even alternating currents has been cool to go to. But so many things.
Speaker 3:There are so many, there's too many to mention. I always, when I have, like, my family or friends come visit, I always take them to like the I-74, oculus walk and I just think it's so cool that, you know, being this bi-state region, you can cross between Illinois and Iowa in a matter of you know, no matter really where you are in the community, like 20 minutes or less of a drive, commute times are null and, yeah, you can just experience both sides so effortlessly. And there's just, there's so much of the Mississippi river. I do feel like if you live here your whole life or you know you you're here for a long time. It's really easy to take for granted. We drive by it every day, we see it all the time and it's gorgeous and it's so important and I just love to shout it from the rooftops about we have the Mississippi River here.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, it is nice. Yes, when I went to Western, I always loved being able to sit by the window and watch walk out there. But you know, the worst part I remember was when it flooded. But you know that's only part of the year. Yes, but it is a great view otherwise.
Speaker 3:I mean, that's why you would experience the flooding is because you're so close to the river and you have such a great view right, yeah, yeah, every, every community has their like drawbacks and it's the flooding, the issues that come up, like you know, whether it's minor or major, it's. It's another one of those like human interest stories to me, that like it just shows how everybody kicks in to help and the plans get put in motion and things happen so quickly. It's like it's this natural asset that's like, yes, we have that, you know, impending, yes, it may or may not flood this year, like we're ready and and ultimately it's it's worth it to have all those months and months and months of the views, the activities.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, no yeah, I mean, even if you aren't expecting a flood like with the recent flash flooding, everybody was ready to jump in and be hands on deck to help the businesses and individuals impacted by that.
Speaker 3:So yeah, yeah, we love it. Yeah, we've made the QC home. Yeah, I think other things that I kind of gravitate toward are like the live music things. I've got two little kids, so talking about the Dragon Boat Festival, you know, I think it would be a good activity for them. They're they're pretty young and sometimes hard to entertain and I'm like thinking the Dragon Boat Festival would be. There'd be tons to look at. You know, airtime you mentioned face painting and I'm like check, check, check.
Speaker 1:Well, and we all have a DJ too, playing music and making announcements, and it should just be a really good time. So they'll be like commentating as the races are live. So it's it should be such a fun day and I think anybody can have fun with it, whether you know they have kids or they're a couple just trying to get out the house, or you know they're retired and they just want to see something new. I think it's a great event to come out and support the community and support our services.
Speaker 3:That's awesome, well thank you so much, lexi. So let's have you move to the tradition of the end of this podcast. I will say QC, that's when and I would love to have you fill in the blank for what you would like your QC that's when to be. Qc that's where Community is stronger than cancer. I love that. Lexi, thank you so much. Let me know how we can find you guys on social. How can people support? Where can we? Where?
Speaker 1:can we find you? Our handles are typically it's literally just at CSCIAIL, so I'll send you that. But yeah, otherwise pretty easy. That's how we are on all platforms now and I'll send you our web link for if anyone wants to support Dragon Boats or just our general services to 38314 for insider events, activities and updates sent straight to your phone.
Speaker 2:That's V-I-S-I-T-Q-C. One word to 38314. Message and data rates may apply Bye.
