Presentation Lantern Center is the Kwik Care Recipient for the Month of October

When it comes to supporting local non-profits, there might not be an easier and more impactful program than Kwik Care.

If you're not aware, Kwik Care has helped raise both funds and awareness for local nonprofits. Each month, Kwik Stop and Dairy Queen help collect donations for a different organization. Donations can be made easily by requesting your total purchase at any of those businesses (including at the gas pumps at Kwik Stop) be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The additional cents used to round up will be donated to the respective charity of the month.

This month's Kwik Care recipient is Presentation Lantern Center in Dubuque. Presentation Lantern Center helps refugees and immigrants by ways of advocacy, English-language learning, and preparing them for their United States citizenship test.

The Presentation Lantern Center’s motto, “a place of welcome,” is the cornerstone of our non-profit organization. Sister Corine Murray, PBVM of Dubuque, Iowa, served as the founding executive director until 2016. Visitors to the center are warmly welcomed by staff and volunteers. Language learners are then paired up with a personal mentor with whom they study English and learn practical life skills to use in their new country. Language learners also have the opportunity to engage in conversation with other language learners, which fosters an environment where all are welcome to share stories of their culture and personal experiences. - per Presentation Lantern Center's website

Megan Ruiz of Presentation Lantern Center and Heather Hamm of Kwik Stop/Rainbo Oil stopped by the studio to talk about all the great work the center does for refugees and immigrants in the community.

Ruiz has been with Presentation Lantern Center for six years, and spoke about how the center and the people she's met over the years have made an impact on her.

One of the most rewarding things is seeing people so excited to improve their English, and meet more friends in the community, and feel welcome. We match them with a one-on-one tutor, and often that tutor becomes a really close friend who becomes just like a family member to them. Often times they're refugees or immigrants who maybe haven't seen their family in years, and have no idea when they're going to see them again, so that close relationship they build with a local volunteer means the world to them and it helps them improve their English greatly [....]

All month long, Kwik Stop and Dairy Queen will be taking donations that will go directly to the Presentation Lantern Center via the aforementioned Kwik Care canisters at the counter or if customers request their purchase-total be rounded up to the nearest dollar (the difference going to Presentation Lantern Center).

It's also worth noting that Kwik Stop/Rainbo Oil are looking for charitable partners for their Kwik Care program for 2024. Local nonprofits are encouraged to complete a Kwik Care partnership application on their website and submit it on or before October 23rd, 2023. Selected partners will be featured in Kwik Stop and Dairy Queen stores, and both entities will promote customers donate to the respective charity/nonprofit selected for the month.

Take a listen to my interview with Heather Hamm of Kwik Stop and Megan Ruiz of Presentation Lantern Center below! You can also find Presentation Lantern Center on Facebook!