September 11, 2025 • 25 mins
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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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
For anyone listening that doesn't know, they're like
these 40-foot long boats.
They're very narrow, they canfit over 20 people in them and
people row to the beat of a drumand then there's a person in
the back steering the boat.
So the idea is you really haveto be in sync and in rhythm with
one another.
So it's a great team buildingexercise, but it's also, you
(00:20):
know, just a great way to bondwith one another, so it could be
like a family.
We're actually going to have aboat of our cancer survivors out
on the water rowing.
I know we have a breast cancersurvivor team coming up from
Wisconsin.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We have actually six out-of-town teams coming in
which we're very excited about.
Where do you find a family ofcommunities connected by the
storied Mississippi River, whereyoung explorers and dreamers,
investors and entrepreneursthrive?
Where can you connect with realpeople living and creating in a
place that's as genuine as itis quirky QC?
That's where.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Welcome to QC.
That's where I'm your host,katrina, and today I'm really
happy to be talking to LexiDoxey, the communications and
event manager at formerlyGilda's Club, now Cancer Support
Community of Iowa and NorthwestIllinois.
Lexi, hi, how are you Greatyourself on the QC?
That's when podcast I have been.
(01:24):
You know, as we've beencommunicating back and forth,
I've been trying to get used tothe new name of Gilda's Club.
Can you quickly because I'msure a lot of people listening
are used to Gilda's Club can yougive us a little backdrop on
when that name change happenedand the why?
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah, so we recently changed our name, last year.
It's relatively new.
We felt that you know Gilda.
She was great, she was ournamesake and she was a
trailblazer.
But unfortunately a lot of theyounger generations they don't
know who Gilda Radner was.
For those listening that mightnot know, she was one of the
first female SNL comedians.
(02:01):
She really set a path.
But she was diagnosed withovarian cancer and when she was
getting treatment she thoughtthat support like what we offer,
the psychosocial support was soimportant.
So it was her vision to openplaces like this across the US.
So that's kind of where we gotour start.
But you know, as people don'tknow who she is anymore, we felt
(02:23):
it was vital to change our nameso that the community knew that
we offer free cancer support.
We still have Gilda's Club inour name because we always want
to honor her and her legacy.
But we felt that as we expandand offer our services to a
wider service area, that it wascrucial because we don't have
people that do outreach out inthose communities to go explain
(02:45):
that, whereas here in the QuadCities we have outreach
volunteers who will go dooutreach in the cancer centers
for us and explain who we areand what we do.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
The work you all do and what you've done in your
role has it, has been and willcontinue to be so vitally
important.
I know we were talking abouthow the organization's growth
has been kind of surpassingprevious years.
You guys have an increased need.
I definitely want to talk aboutthat and then also the
fundraiser that you all havekicked up to help support that.
(03:16):
Before we get to those very,very important items, I do want
to get to know you a little bitmore, lexi.
I do want to get to know you alittle bit more.
Lexi, can you talk a little bitabout your background in the
nonprofit space?
I understand you're a WesternIllinois University grad.
You worked at Christian Care.
You interned at the Girl Scoutsof Eastern Iowa and Western
(03:40):
Illinois.
So why did you choose that pathand and and where?
Where are you headed with it?
Speaker 1 (03:48):
You know I didn't.
I don't think I chose the path,I think it chose me.
I was looking for an internshipwhen I was at Western and I
stumbled across the internshipat the Girl Scout office and it
was such a great opportunity.
I got to work with their VP ofmarketing, mara Warner.
She was fantastic.
So I kind of got my start there.
And then I actually moved toIowa City for a little while
(04:11):
with my husband and we enjoyedbeing there, but we missed being
home in the Quad Cities.
So we moved back here, boughtour first house and kind of got
settled.
But then when I was looking fora job, I came across a position
at Christian Care and I lovethat.
It was mission focused.
And then somehow I stumbledinto another position here at
(04:33):
Cancer Support Community.
And you know, I think it's hardnot to be passionate about such
important causes in ourcommunity, especially the
mission here at CSC, because Imean, almost everybody knows
somebody who's been impacted bycancer.
So it's nice because you cankind of see the value in your
work and how it pays off.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Do you have any moments in your time with cancer
support community of somethingthat you saw truly like the
impact affected a family or aperson?
Do you have any of thosepersonal stories that you could
share?
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Oh my gosh, almost every day I mean where my
position?
You know, I'm in the backoffice.
Usually, like you werediscussing, we're so much busier
than we used to be because weactually aren't in the mansion
on River Drive anymore, we're inthe cancer centers near the
hospital.
So we're inside the hospitalsand the cancer centers so we
have people frequently walkingin and sometimes the demand is
(05:27):
just so high that multiple timesthere's a time where somebody's
helping somebody else and youhear the doorbell so you go out
to check in.
I mean, I've helped people geta wig.
More recently there was somebodythat I helped who she came in.
We have a free meal program.
I asked her if she wanted toget a meal just after chatting
(05:48):
with her for a minute and wewent back to the freezer and I
got her a meal, found out thatshe needed more support and she
didn't realize that we couldsupport her in those ways, such
as like helping find financialresources or providing support
for her teenage daughter becauseshe was a single mom going
through treatment.
So there's been so manydifferent ways that I've seen
(06:08):
our services benefit people andI think people don't realize
what we do until they are inneed of what we do, which you
know.
Nobody wants to be goingthrough that.
But we not only support theperson with the diagnosis, but
we also support their loved onesand their children and really
anyone who's navigating thechallenges that a cancer
(06:29):
diagnosis brings.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
So you shared a striking statistic with me
earlier the percentage of growththat you had year over year.
What is that?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Yeah, so since so 2023 to 2024, we had saw a 43%
increase in individuals comingto us.
And then just this year I don'thave the second quarter numbers
yet, but in the first quarteralone we had saw a 72% increase
and we attribute that to, youknow, our name change and being
closer to those that we serve.
But there's also more people inour community getting diagnosed
(07:00):
.
So we have more people comingto us for support, whether
they're navigating a newdiagnosis or that of a loved one
, or you know, there's the IowaCancer Registry recently
mentioned that they're.
You know, with the growingnumbers, there's not enough
psychosocial support across thestate.
So we also recognize thatthere's more survivorship.
(07:22):
So we have more survivorscoming to us, whether it's for,
like, an exercise class or ourReclaiming your Strength series,
where we have somebody workwith them to help them regain
their balance, and such or justa support group, a free meal or
a wig.
I mean there's so manyresources and so many different
things that we do that peopledon't recognize or know that we
(07:44):
do, and so many different thingsthat we do that people don't
recognize or know that we do.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
How has the Quad Cities shown up to help, support
you know, these people who needhelp, but also the organization
that you're within offeringthat providing that.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I mean the Quad Cities has shown up in so many
different ways for us.
I mean we've actually been inthe community for 27 years now.
So we started back in 1998, Ithink it is off the top of my
head and when we first openedour headquarters because you
know, gilda's Club wasrelatively small at that point
(08:15):
and they were only opening inlarger cities they were saying
you know, you guys might notmake it, it's a smaller
community.
And here we are now, 27 yearslater, because the community has
supported us and you know we'vereally rallied around those
navigating a diagnosis so thatthe community funds everything
that we do.
We receive no federal or statefunding.
(08:37):
Everything is raised throughindividual donations,
fundraising events, donors orgrants.
So the community has reallyhelped us just fund our mission
and be there for those who needsupport most.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
So you're busy wrangling.
Where are we going to?
You know, where does thefunding come from?
How are we getting enough?
You know volunteers and justhelping hands and I think, what
you've cooked up for we'retalking in September of 2025, so
we're just weeks away from thisevent, the Mississippi Dragon
Boat Festival.
Tell me everything about thisfundraiser.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well, first, before we do that, you mentioned
volunteers, so I have to throwout there as a fun fact for
those who may not realize wehave, like so many volunteers
who help make what we dopossible.
Our front desk, like our frontdesk, is 100% manned by
volunteers.
So I feel like it's really coolto mention for those who might
be looking for opportunities,but we had over 4,000 hours of
(09:37):
volunteer hours last yearthrough events or just our
outreach volunteers or peopleworking at our front desk.
So I feel like we should take asecond to thank them, because
they're a big part of the QuadCities and I know our community
really rallies around thingsthat mean the most to them.
So we're very thankful for allof them.
But yes, I have been busy.
(09:57):
We are getting ready for thefirst inaugural Dragon Boat
Festival.
We're very excited.
This is going to be afundraiser to support our free
services that we offer.
So it's actually coming up justnext week, which it doesn't
even seem.
Oh right.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
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 backin May.
No, no, you're right, we are,we are.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
It doesn't feel like September.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
It doesn't.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
No, it doesn't, but you'reright, we are coming up quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Okay, yes, we're very excited.
Uh, so we are hosting thisfestival.
So we'll have teams rowing outon the water.
Each team will get a practicethe week of, but we'll also have
a festival portion of the eventwhere we have food vendors.
We're going to have a craftfair Really just a fun time,
because we know this is such aniche event and people in the
(10:51):
community might not recognizewhat dragon boating is.
The first time I heard it I waslike wait, what, what is this?
The first time I heard it I waslike wait, what, what is this?
So after watching a lot ofvideos, I'm like that's actually
really neat.
For anyone listening thatdoesn't know, they're like these
40 foot long boats.
They're very narrow, they canfit over 20 people in them and
people row to the beat of a drumand then there's a person in
(11:15):
the back steering the boat.
So the idea is you really haveto be in sync and in rhythm with
one another.
So it's a great team buildingexercise, but it's also, you
know, just a great way to bondwith one another.
So it could be like a family.
We're actually going to have aboat of our cancer survivors out
on the water rowing.
I know, we have a breast cancersurvivor team coming up from
(11:36):
Wisconsin.
We have actually sixout-of-town teams coming in
which we're very excited about,so we have 12 teams total this
year so far and we're reallylooking forward to everyone
coming out and paddling for apurpose, if you must.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
So help paint the picture.
Do they race physically againsteach other, or is it like one
goes at a time and it's timed?
How does that work?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
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 threeboats out on the water at a time
and they're going to becompeting against one another
and so if they're really in sync, the idea is their boat should
(12:21):
glide across the water, becausethey're all rowing at the same
time.
So it's really a neat concept.
I encourage anyone to go lookup a video of dragon boating, or
even go on our webpage.
We have a great video ofanother nonprofit who hosts a
festival and you can kind of seethe camaraderie and the team
spirit and how it all kind ofplays a apart and so they're all
.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
So they're all racing in heats, and do they get to
practice ahead of time?
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Yes.
So the teams have an option.
They can come out.
So 22 Dragons, the companywe're working with, they're
going to be coming in town nextWednesday.
We'll offer one practicesession to each team and the 22
Dragons team will work with themand really kind of help explain
dragon boating and what theyneed to do.
And, you know, nobody has tobring anything.
That's been one concern thatpeople bring up is like was it
(13:08):
like the cardboard boats?
Do we have to build our boat?
And we're like no, no, no, Likethey're bringing in the boats.
They have the life jackets,they have the paddles.
All you have to do is get readyto.
You know, get on the dock andget in the boat and paddle away.
Yeah, I've.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
I've been kind of talking about this event coming
up, not knowing a ton about itmyself, having not seen it, but
just kind of you know thereading and having you all
explain it to me.
When I first mention it topeople, I hear like their
thoughts are oh, like thecardboard regatta that, like you
know, the schoolers do.
That kind of thing comes tomind.
So I'm excited for you guys tobring this new concept of, like
(13:50):
a fundraiser activity to ourdestination.
We've been talking, you and I Ithink we talked a year ago as
you were kind of working ongetting this going.
There are, like large citiesthat host this type of event.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Typically they are large cities, they're not
usually in small communities.
So like we're an affiliate, sowe have multiple partners.
But everything raised herestays here and we get to choose
our own programming and such.
But we have an affiliatepartner in Atlantic City and
they host one annually and it issuch a big event for them.
(14:24):
I mean I think they have like30 teams, if I'm correct, off
the top of my head, and thenthey do the festival portion.
So it's like a big thing.
People like to come out andwatch the races, they get to
shop the vendors that they have.
But then you know, at the endof the day they're raising over
$150,000 to support their freeservices.
And you know we recognize thatthis is something that will grow
(14:47):
over time.
So we're really excited and wehope the Quad Cities really
embraces it.
So you know, if somebody didn'tregister this year but they're
interested in next year, reachout to us.
We'll get you on a waiting listand once we have a registration
open we'll send it out.
But we're really excited justin general to be bringing such a
niche event to the community.
(15:08):
A lot of people, I don't think,realize but even Floatzilla
that we do here locally, that'sa fundraiser, for River Action
and even Tugfest that's also afundraiser.
They donate majority of thefunds raised to a local
non-profit.
I know we've been chosen in thepast, but really a lot of those
water-based activities thatbring the community together.
So we think this is somethingthat will rally the community.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Yeah, I think it's going to be one of those things
that you know people will comeout 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 seeeven more registrations.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
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 inperson, because we've watched
enough videos and talked to 22dragons enough.
But yeah, you don't know whatit is until you see it and
(16:03):
you're like whoa, that'sactually pretty neat right.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
and then you know, just kind of like you know
inside baseball, but you knowinghow much like volunteer support
, like you were talking about,and you know how much like the
quad being from here, how muchthe Quad Cities community can
and will rally around reallyworthy causes, I absolutely see
that happening for for thisevent too next year.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
We're very excited, yeah, excited yeah, so okay, so
that is happening September 20th2025 at Westlake yep nine, nine
to about four, so the raceswill take place from 9 to 2 30,
but then we recognize that a lotof people might just want to
hang out and watch them load theboats back up to be taken away.
(16:46):
But we'll have vendors thereuntil roughly four o'clock and
it should be a great day.
I can see it being a veryfamily friendly event.
Yes, we'll have face paintingavailable, so there will be a
face painter there selling herservices.
Craft vendors, there's a tacotruck.
I think there's an Asian fusiontruck that we have coming.
So we have a lot of differentthings happening and, you know,
(17:08):
you can even bring a blanket andsit down and just watch the
races.
22 Dragons has said thatWestlake's perfect because it
has like a bowl shape so you cansee the the races perfectly.
So I remember he came all theway from Canada to visit our
site.
We took him to about threedifferent locations and usually
he says that he doesn't love allthe locations.
But he said that we took him tothe Sunset Marina in Rock
(17:32):
Island, which he also liked, butthen we took him to West Lake
and he's like oh my gosh, thislocation is perfect.
I think this is the one andwe're like, okay, sounds good,
we'll figure out what we need todo.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
Oh, that's awesome.
Well good, so.
So yeah, you've got the supportfrom them.
This is very exciting.
I can't wait to see how thisall turns out and what it
actually looks like in real life.
So congratulations on bringingthis to fruition.
We are, oh yeah, thank you, weare so close to seeing this
through.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
We couldn't do it without the community.
Like Visit Quad Cities issupporting us, but we also have
a variety of other communitysupport, like the porta potties
were donated by PristinePortable.
I mean those are things thatyou don't realize, but they all
add up very quickly.
I mean even I think it's TaglerCrane Service they are donating
the crane to load and unloadthe boats.
(18:22):
I mean we really couldn't dowhat we're doing without the
Quad Cities community here.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
It really is such a unique destination.
So I'm a transplant, I'm notfrom here originally, I've got
relatives, so I was familiar,coming like my whole life, and I
kind of got a sense for, like Ialways said and we say at Visit
Quad Cities, small town feelwith big city amenities, because
you really do have that likeneighborly I mean people say
(18:48):
Midwest nice, but like thatneighborly, just like you know,
I'll help you, you help me likeoh yeah, for each other, there's
room for everyone, kind ofthing.
Um, so it's interesting Lexi,you are from here, you are back
here, you're kind of a boomerangstory a little bit, because you
went to Idley.
Yes, briefly yeah.
(19:09):
So I mean, I get that.
You know you all missed homeand maybe there were things here
you wanted to get back to, butcan 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 (19:23):
uh, just our family and you.
The community here is so greatand we just miss the, like you
said, the small town feel butbig city vibe.
So we decided that it was bestfor us and you know it was just
the right move for us.
So we were really excited toget back and you know I mean
personally I really love theFreight House Farmers Market.
(19:45):
So one of the first things thatI was excited about when we
moved back I think we were goingto the farmer's market every
weekend, but that that was onething 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 wenton a little Whitey's bench.
But but there are so many greatthings about the Quad Cities
(20:06):
Valid.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
I totally get that.
So so do you guys have like umseasonal favorites, like you
know, freight House during thesummer, like what's your go-to
thing during the winter, fall,spring?
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Oh shoot, we, we do a lot of different things.
Um, we, we've only been backthree summers, so last year will
be our second, but I've been sobusy with everything.
We got married this summer.
We actually got married atBlackhawk State Park.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Oh, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Congratulations, thank you.
We we love that venue.
You know it was so rustic andhas so much history to it.
But also you know we we lovegoing out every now and then, so
lemongrass is definitely one ofour favorites.
So if it's colder out, we likegoing to lemongrass.
Sometimes, mercado Really justdepends on what's happening.
(20:54):
Even alternating currents hasbeen cool to go to.
But so many things.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
There are so many, there's too many to mention.
I always, when I have, like, myfamily or friends come visit, I
always take them to like theI-74, oculus walk and I just
think it's so cool that, youknow, being this bi-state region
, you can cross between Illinoisand Iowa in a matter of you
know, no matter really where youare in the community, like 20
(21:22):
minutes or less of a drive,commute times are null and, yeah
, you can just experience bothsides so effortlessly.
And there's just, there's somuch of the Mississippi river.
I do feel like if you live hereyour whole life or you know you
you're here for a long time.
It's really easy to take forgranted.
We drive by it every day, wesee it all the time and it's
(21:44):
gorgeous and it's so importantand I just love to shout it from
the rooftops about we have theMississippi River here.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Oh my gosh, it is nice.
Yes, when I went to Western, Ialways loved being able to sit
by the window and watch walk outthere.
But you know, the worst part Iremember was when it flooded.
But you know that's only partof the year.
Yes, but it is a great viewotherwise.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
I mean, that's why you would experience the
flooding is because you're soclose to the river and you have
such a great view right, yeah,yeah, every, every community has
their like drawbacks and it'sthe flooding, the issues that
come up, like you know, whetherit's minor or major, it's.
It's another one of those likehuman interest stories to me,
(22:31):
that like it just shows howeverybody kicks in to help and
the plans get put in motion andthings happen so quickly.
It's like it's this naturalasset that's like, yes, we have
that, you know, impending, yes,it may or may not flood this
year, like we're ready and andultimately it's it's worth it to
(22:51):
have all those months andmonths and months of the views,
the activities.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Oh, yes, no yeah, I mean, even if you aren't
expecting a flood like with therecent flash flooding, everybody
was ready to jump in and behands on deck to help the
businesses and individualsimpacted by that.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
So yeah, yeah, we love it.
Yeah, we've made the QC home.
Yeah, I think other things thatI kind of gravitate toward are
like the live music things.
I've got two little kids, sotalking about the Dragon Boat
Festival, you know, I think itwould be a good activity for
(23:29):
them.
They're they're pretty youngand sometimes hard to entertain
and I'm like thinking the DragonBoat Festival would be.
There'd be tons to look at.
You know, airtime you mentionedface painting and I'm like
check, check, check.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Well, and we all have a DJ too, playing music and
making announcements, and itshould just be a really good
time.
So they'll be like commentatingas the races are live.
So it's it should be such a funday and I think anybody can
have fun with it, whether youknow they have kids or they're a
couple just trying to get outthe house, or you know they're
retired and they just want tosee something new.
(24:04):
I think it's a great event tocome out and support the
community and support ourservices.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
That's awesome, well thank you so much, lexi.
So let's have you move to thetradition of the end of this
podcast.
I will say QC, that's when andI would love to have you fill in
the blank for what you wouldlike your QC that's when to be.
Qc that's where Community isstronger than cancer.
(24:30):
I love that.
Lexi, thank you so much.
Let me know how we can find youguys on social.
How can people support?
Where can we?
Where?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
can we find you?
Our handles are typically it'sliterally just at CSCIAIL, so
I'll send you that.
But yeah, otherwise pretty easy.
That's how we are on allplatforms now and I'll send you
our web link for if anyone wantsto support Dragon Boats or just
our general services to 38314for insider events, activities
(25:08):
and updates sent straight toyour phone.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
That's V-I-S-I-T-Q-C.
One word to 38314.
Message and data rates mayapply Bye.
For anyone listening that doesn't know, they're like
these 40-foot long boats.
They're very narrow, they canfit over 20 people in them and
people row to the beat of a drumand then there's a person in
the back steering the boat.
So the idea is you really haveto be in sync and in rhythm with
one another.
So it's a great team buildingexercise, but it's also, you
(00:20):
know, just a great way to bondwith one another, so it could be
like a family.
We're actually going to have aboat of our cancer survivors out
on the water rowing.
I know we have a breast cancersurvivor team coming up from
Wisconsin.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We have actually six out-of-town teams coming in
which we're very excited about.
Where do you find a family ofcommunities connected by the
storied Mississippi River, whereyoung explorers and dreamers,
investors and entrepreneursthrive?
Where can you connect with realpeople living and creating in a
place that's as genuine as itis quirky QC?
That's where.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Welcome to QC.
That's where I'm your host,katrina, and today I'm really
happy to be talking to LexiDoxey, the communications and
event manager at formerlyGilda's Club, now Cancer Support
Community of Iowa and NorthwestIllinois.
Lexi, hi, how are you Greatyourself on the QC?
That's when podcast I have been.
(01:24):
You know, as we've beencommunicating back and forth,
I've been trying to get used tothe new name of Gilda's Club.
Can you quickly because I'msure a lot of people listening
are used to Gilda's Club can yougive us a little backdrop on
when that name change happenedand the why?
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah, so we recently changed our name, last year.
It's relatively new.
We felt that you know Gilda.
She was great, she was ournamesake and she was a
trailblazer.
But unfortunately a lot of theyounger generations they don't
know who Gilda Radner was.
For those listening that mightnot know, she was one of the
first female SNL comedians.
(02:01):
She really set a path.
But she was diagnosed withovarian cancer and when she was
getting treatment she thoughtthat support like what we offer,
the psychosocial support was soimportant.
So it was her vision to openplaces like this across the US.
So that's kind of where we gotour start.
But you know, as people don'tknow who she is anymore, we felt
(02:23):
it was vital to change our nameso that the community knew that
we offer free cancer support.
We still have Gilda's Club inour name because we always want
to honor her and her legacy.
But we felt that as we expandand offer our services to a
wider service area, that it wascrucial because we don't have
people that do outreach out inthose communities to go explain
(02:45):
that, whereas here in the QuadCities we have outreach
volunteers who will go dooutreach in the cancer centers
for us and explain who we areand what we do.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
The work you all do and what you've done in your
role has it, has been and willcontinue to be so vitally
important.
I know we were talking abouthow the organization's growth
has been kind of surpassingprevious years.
You guys have an increased need.
I definitely want to talk aboutthat and then also the
fundraiser that you all havekicked up to help support that.
(03:16):
Before we get to those very,very important items, I do want
to get to know you a little bitmore, lexi.
I do want to get to know you alittle bit more.
Lexi, can you talk a little bitabout your background in the
nonprofit space?
I understand you're a WesternIllinois University grad.
You worked at Christian Care.
You interned at the Girl Scoutsof Eastern Iowa and Western
(03:40):
Illinois.
So why did you choose that pathand and and where?
Where are you headed with it?
Speaker 1 (03:48):
You know I didn't.
I don't think I chose the path,I think it chose me.
I was looking for an internshipwhen I was at Western and I
stumbled across the internshipat the Girl Scout office and it
was such a great opportunity.
I got to work with their VP ofmarketing, mara Warner.
She was fantastic.
So I kind of got my start there.
And then I actually moved toIowa City for a little while
(04:11):
with my husband and we enjoyedbeing there, but we missed being
home in the Quad Cities.
So we moved back here, boughtour first house and kind of got
settled.
But then when I was looking fora job, I came across a position
at Christian Care and I lovethat.
It was mission focused.
And then somehow I stumbledinto another position here at
(04:33):
Cancer Support Community.
And you know, I think it's hardnot to be passionate about such
important causes in ourcommunity, especially the
mission here at CSC, because Imean, almost everybody knows
somebody who's been impacted bycancer.
So it's nice because you cankind of see the value in your
work and how it pays off.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Do you have any moments in your time with cancer
support community of somethingthat you saw truly like the
impact affected a family or aperson?
Do you have any of thosepersonal stories that you could
share?
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Oh my gosh, almost every day I mean where my
position?
You know, I'm in the backoffice.
Usually, like you werediscussing, we're so much busier
than we used to be because weactually aren't in the mansion
on River Drive anymore, we're inthe cancer centers near the
hospital.
So we're inside the hospitalsand the cancer centers so we
have people frequently walkingin and sometimes the demand is
(05:27):
just so high that multiple timesthere's a time where somebody's
helping somebody else and youhear the doorbell so you go out
to check in.
I mean, I've helped people geta wig.
More recently there was somebodythat I helped who she came in.
We have a free meal program.
I asked her if she wanted toget a meal just after chatting
(05:48):
with her for a minute and wewent back to the freezer and I
got her a meal, found out thatshe needed more support and she
didn't realize that we couldsupport her in those ways, such
as like helping find financialresources or providing support
for her teenage daughter becauseshe was a single mom going
through treatment.
So there's been so manydifferent ways that I've seen
(06:08):
our services benefit people andI think people don't realize
what we do until they are inneed of what we do, which you
know.
Nobody wants to be goingthrough that.
But we not only support theperson with the diagnosis, but
we also support their loved onesand their children and really
anyone who's navigating thechallenges that a cancer
(06:29):
diagnosis brings.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
So you shared a striking statistic with me
earlier the percentage of growththat you had year over year.
What is that?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Yeah, so since so 2023 to 2024, we had saw a 43%
increase in individuals comingto us.
And then just this year I don'thave the second quarter numbers
yet, but in the first quarteralone we had saw a 72% increase
and we attribute that to, youknow, our name change and being
closer to those that we serve.
But there's also more people inour community getting diagnosed
(07:00):
.
So we have more people comingto us for support, whether
they're navigating a newdiagnosis or that of a loved one
, or you know, there's the IowaCancer Registry recently
mentioned that they're.
You know, with the growingnumbers, there's not enough
psychosocial support across thestate.
So we also recognize thatthere's more survivorship.
(07:22):
So we have more survivorscoming to us, whether it's for,
like, an exercise class or ourReclaiming your Strength series,
where we have somebody workwith them to help them regain
their balance, and such or justa support group, a free meal or
a wig.
I mean there's so manyresources and so many different
things that we do that peopledon't recognize or know that we
(07:44):
do, and so many different thingsthat we do that people don't
recognize or know that we do.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
How has the Quad Cities shown up to help, support
you know, these people who needhelp, but also the organization
that you're within offeringthat providing that.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I mean the Quad Cities has shown up in so many
different ways for us.
I mean we've actually been inthe community for 27 years now.
So we started back in 1998, Ithink it is off the top of my
head and when we first openedour headquarters because you
know, gilda's Club wasrelatively small at that point
(08:15):
and they were only opening inlarger cities they were saying
you know, you guys might notmake it, it's a smaller
community.
And here we are now, 27 yearslater, because the community has
supported us and you know we'vereally rallied around those
navigating a diagnosis so thatthe community funds everything
that we do.
We receive no federal or statefunding.
(08:37):
Everything is raised throughindividual donations,
fundraising events, donors orgrants.
So the community has reallyhelped us just fund our mission
and be there for those who needsupport most.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
So you're busy wrangling.
Where are we going to?
You know, where does thefunding come from?
How are we getting enough?
You know volunteers and justhelping hands and I think, what
you've cooked up for we'retalking in September of 2025, so
we're just weeks away from thisevent, the Mississippi Dragon
Boat Festival.
Tell me everything about thisfundraiser.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well, first, before we do that, you mentioned
volunteers, so I have to throwout there as a fun fact for
those who may not realize wehave, like so many volunteers
who help make what we dopossible.
Our front desk, like our frontdesk, is 100% manned by
volunteers.
So I feel like it's really coolto mention for those who might
be looking for opportunities,but we had over 4,000 hours of
(09:37):
volunteer hours last yearthrough events or just our
outreach volunteers or peopleworking at our front desk.
So I feel like we should take asecond to thank them, because
they're a big part of the QuadCities and I know our community
really rallies around thingsthat mean the most to them.
So we're very thankful for allof them.
But yes, I have been busy.
(09:57):
We are getting ready for thefirst inaugural Dragon Boat
Festival.
We're very excited.
This is going to be afundraiser to support our free
services that we offer.
So it's actually coming up justnext week, which it doesn't
even seem.
Oh right.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
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 backin May.
No, no, you're right, we are,we are.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
It doesn't feel like September.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
It doesn't.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
No, it doesn't, but you'reright, we are coming up quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Okay, yes, we're very excited.
Uh, so we are hosting thisfestival.
So we'll have teams rowing outon the water.
Each team will get a practicethe week of, but we'll also have
a festival portion of the eventwhere we have food vendors.
We're going to have a craftfair Really just a fun time,
because we know this is such aniche event and people in the
(10:51):
community might not recognizewhat dragon boating is.
The first time I heard it I waslike wait, what, what is this?
The first time I heard it I waslike wait, what, what is this?
So after watching a lot ofvideos, I'm like that's actually
really neat.
For anyone listening thatdoesn't know, they're like these
40 foot long boats.
They're very narrow, they canfit over 20 people in them and
people row to the beat of a drumand then there's a person in
(11:15):
the back steering the boat.
So the idea is you really haveto be in sync and in rhythm with
one another.
So it's a great team buildingexercise, but it's also, you
know, just a great way to bondwith one another.
So it could be like a family.
We're actually going to have aboat of our cancer survivors out
on the water rowing.
I know, we have a breast cancersurvivor team coming up from
(11:36):
Wisconsin.
We have actually sixout-of-town teams coming in
which we're very excited about,so we have 12 teams total this
year so far and we're reallylooking forward to everyone
coming out and paddling for apurpose, if you must.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
So help paint the picture.
Do they race physically againsteach other, or is it like one
goes at a time and it's timed?
How does that work?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
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 threeboats out on the water at a time
and they're going to becompeting against one another
and so if they're really in sync, the idea is their boat should
(12:21):
glide across the water, becausethey're all rowing at the same
time.
So it's really a neat concept.
I encourage anyone to go lookup a video of dragon boating, or
even go on our webpage.
We have a great video ofanother nonprofit who hosts a
festival and you can kind of seethe camaraderie and the team
spirit and how it all kind ofplays a apart and so they're all
.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
So they're all racing in heats, and do they get to
practice ahead of time?
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Yes.
So the teams have an option.
They can come out.
So 22 Dragons, the companywe're working with, they're
going to be coming in town nextWednesday.
We'll offer one practicesession to each team and the 22
Dragons team will work with themand really kind of help explain
dragon boating and what theyneed to do.
And, you know, nobody has tobring anything.
That's been one concern thatpeople bring up is like was it
(13:08):
like the cardboard boats?
Do we have to build our boat?
And we're like no, no, no, Likethey're bringing in the boats.
They have the life jackets,they have the paddles.
All you have to do is get readyto.
You know, get on the dock andget in the boat and paddle away.
Yeah, I've.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
I've been kind of talking about this event coming
up, not knowing a ton about itmyself, having not seen it, but
just kind of you know thereading and having you all
explain it to me.
When I first mention it topeople, I hear like their
thoughts are oh, like thecardboard regatta that, like you
know, the schoolers do.
That kind of thing comes tomind.
So I'm excited for you guys tobring this new concept of, like
(13:50):
a fundraiser activity to ourdestination.
We've been talking, you and I Ithink we talked a year ago as
you were kind of working ongetting this going.
There are, like large citiesthat host this type of event.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Typically they are large cities, they're not
usually in small communities.
So like we're an affiliate, sowe have multiple partners.
But everything raised herestays here and we get to choose
our own programming and such.
But we have an affiliatepartner in Atlantic City and
they host one annually and it issuch a big event for them.
(14:24):
I mean I think they have like30 teams, if I'm correct, off
the top of my head, and thenthey do the festival portion.
So it's like a big thing.
People like to come out andwatch the races, they get to
shop the vendors that they have.
But then you know, at the endof the day they're raising over
$150,000 to support their freeservices.
And you know we recognize thatthis is something that will grow
(14:47):
over time.
So we're really excited and wehope the Quad Cities really
embraces it.
So you know, if somebody didn'tregister this year but they're
interested in next year, reachout to us.
We'll get you on a waiting listand once we have a registration
open we'll send it out.
But we're really excited justin general to be bringing such a
niche event to the community.
(15:08):
A lot of people, I don't think,realize but even Floatzilla
that we do here locally, that'sa fundraiser, for River Action
and even Tugfest that's also afundraiser.
They donate majority of thefunds raised to a local
non-profit.
I know we've been chosen in thepast, but really a lot of those
water-based activities thatbring the community together.
So we think this is somethingthat will rally the community.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Yeah, I think it's going to be one of those things
that you know people will comeout 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 seeeven more registrations.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
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 inperson, because we've watched
enough videos and talked to 22dragons enough.
But yeah, you don't know whatit is until you see it and
(16:03):
you're like whoa, that'sactually pretty neat right.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
and then you know, just kind of like you know
inside baseball, but you knowinghow much like volunteer support
, like you were talking about,and you know how much like the
quad being from here, how muchthe Quad Cities community can
and will rally around reallyworthy causes, I absolutely see
that happening for for thisevent too next year.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
We're very excited, yeah, excited yeah, so okay, so
that is happening September 20th2025 at Westlake yep nine, nine
to about four, so the raceswill take place from 9 to 2 30,
but then we recognize that a lotof people might just want to
hang out and watch them load theboats back up to be taken away.
(16:46):
But we'll have vendors thereuntil roughly four o'clock and
it should be a great day.
I can see it being a veryfamily friendly event.
Yes, we'll have face paintingavailable, so there will be a
face painter there selling herservices.
Craft vendors, there's a tacotruck.
I think there's an Asian fusiontruck that we have coming.
So we have a lot of differentthings happening and, you know,
(17:08):
you can even bring a blanket andsit down and just watch the
races.
22 Dragons has said thatWestlake's perfect because it
has like a bowl shape so you cansee the the races perfectly.
So I remember he came all theway from Canada to visit our
site.
We took him to about threedifferent locations and usually
he says that he doesn't love allthe locations.
But he said that we took him tothe Sunset Marina in Rock
(17:32):
Island, which he also liked, butthen we took him to West Lake
and he's like oh my gosh, thislocation is perfect.
I think this is the one andwe're like, okay, sounds good,
we'll figure out what we need todo.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
Oh, that's awesome.
Well good, so.
So yeah, you've got the supportfrom them.
This is very exciting.
I can't wait to see how thisall turns out and what it
actually looks like in real life.
So congratulations on bringingthis to fruition.
We are, oh yeah, thank you, weare so close to seeing this
through.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
We couldn't do it without the community.
Like Visit Quad Cities issupporting us, but we also have
a variety of other communitysupport, like the porta potties
were donated by PristinePortable.
I mean those are things thatyou don't realize, but they all
add up very quickly.
I mean even I think it's TaglerCrane Service they are donating
the crane to load and unloadthe boats.
(18:22):
I mean we really couldn't dowhat we're doing without the
Quad Cities community here.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
It really is such a unique destination.
So I'm a transplant, I'm notfrom here originally, I've got
relatives, so I was familiar,coming like my whole life, and I
kind of got a sense for, like Ialways said and we say at Visit
Quad Cities, small town feelwith big city amenities, because
you really do have that likeneighborly I mean people say
(18:48):
Midwest nice, but like thatneighborly, just like you know,
I'll help you, you help me likeoh yeah, for each other, there's
room for everyone, kind ofthing.
Um, so it's interesting Lexi,you are from here, you are back
here, you're kind of a boomerangstory a little bit, because you
went to Idley.
Yes, briefly yeah.
(19:09):
So I mean, I get that.
You know you all missed homeand maybe there were things here
you wanted to get back to, butcan 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 (19:23):
uh, just our family and you.
The community here is so greatand we just miss the, like you
said, the small town feel butbig city vibe.
So we decided that it was bestfor us and you know it was just
the right move for us.
So we were really excited toget back and you know I mean
personally I really love theFreight House Farmers Market.
(19:45):
So one of the first things thatI was excited about when we
moved back I think we were goingto the farmer's market every
weekend, but that that was onething 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 wenton a little Whitey's bench.
But but there are so many greatthings about the Quad Cities
(20:06):
Valid.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
I totally get that.
So so do you guys have like umseasonal favorites, like you
know, freight House during thesummer, like what's your go-to
thing during the winter, fall,spring?
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Oh shoot, we, we do a lot of different things.
Um, we, we've only been backthree summers, so last year will
be our second, but I've been sobusy with everything.
We got married this summer.
We actually got married atBlackhawk State Park.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Oh, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Congratulations, thank you.
We we love that venue.
You know it was so rustic andhas so much history to it.
But also you know we we lovegoing out every now and then, so
lemongrass is definitely one ofour favorites.
So if it's colder out, we likegoing to lemongrass.
Sometimes, mercado Really justdepends on what's happening.
(20:54):
Even alternating currents hasbeen cool to go to.
But so many things.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
There are so many, there's too many to mention.
I always, when I have, like, myfamily or friends come visit, I
always take them to like theI-74, oculus walk and I just
think it's so cool that, youknow, being this bi-state region
, you can cross between Illinoisand Iowa in a matter of you
know, no matter really where youare in the community, like 20
(21:22):
minutes or less of a drive,commute times are null and, yeah
, you can just experience bothsides so effortlessly.
And there's just, there's somuch of the Mississippi river.
I do feel like if you live hereyour whole life or you know you
you're here for a long time.
It's really easy to take forgranted.
We drive by it every day, wesee it all the time and it's
(21:44):
gorgeous and it's so importantand I just love to shout it from
the rooftops about we have theMississippi River here.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Oh my gosh, it is nice.
Yes, when I went to Western, Ialways loved being able to sit
by the window and watch walk outthere.
But you know, the worst part Iremember was when it flooded.
But you know that's only partof the year.
Yes, but it is a great viewotherwise.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
I mean, that's why you would experience the
flooding is because you're soclose to the river and you have
such a great view right, yeah,yeah, every, every community has
their like drawbacks and it'sthe flooding, the issues that
come up, like you know, whetherit's minor or major, it's.
It's another one of those likehuman interest stories to me,
(22:31):
that like it just shows howeverybody kicks in to help and
the plans get put in motion andthings happen so quickly.
It's like it's this naturalasset that's like, yes, we have
that, you know, impending, yes,it may or may not flood this
year, like we're ready and andultimately it's it's worth it to
(22:51):
have all those months andmonths and months of the views,
the activities.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Oh, yes, no yeah, I mean, even if you aren't
expecting a flood like with therecent flash flooding, everybody
was ready to jump in and behands on deck to help the
businesses and individualsimpacted by that.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
So yeah, yeah, we love it.
Yeah, we've made the QC home.
Yeah, I think other things thatI kind of gravitate toward are
like the live music things.
I've got two little kids, sotalking about the Dragon Boat
Festival, you know, I think itwould be a good activity for
(23:29):
them.
They're they're pretty youngand sometimes hard to entertain
and I'm like thinking the DragonBoat Festival would be.
There'd be tons to look at.
You know, airtime you mentionedface painting and I'm like
check, check, check.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Well, and we all have a DJ too, playing music and
making announcements, and itshould just be a really good
time.
So they'll be like commentatingas the races are live.
So it's it should be such a funday and I think anybody can
have fun with it, whether youknow they have kids or they're a
couple just trying to get outthe house, or you know they're
retired and they just want tosee something new.
(24:04):
I think it's a great event tocome out and support the
community and support ourservices.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
That's awesome, well thank you so much, lexi.
So let's have you move to thetradition of the end of this
podcast.
I will say QC, that's when andI would love to have you fill in
the blank for what you wouldlike your QC that's when to be.
Qc that's where Community isstronger than cancer.
(24:30):
I love that.
Lexi, thank you so much.
Let me know how we can find youguys on social.
How can people support?
Where can we?
Where?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
can we find you?
Our handles are typically it'sliterally just at CSCIAIL, so
I'll send you that.
But yeah, otherwise pretty easy.
That's how we are on allplatforms now and I'll send you
our web link for if anyone wantsto support Dragon Boats or just
our general services to 38314for insider events, activities
(25:08):
and updates sent straight toyour phone.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
That's V-I-S-I-T-Q-C.
One word to 38314.
Message and data rates mayapply Bye.
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Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.