usic has a way of expressing how we feel in a way words alone simply cannot. And, when cranked up loud for all to hear, it has the power to amplify – both literally and figuratively. A single lyric or melody can catch fire, spreading until its reverberations are felt throughout an entire community. This is the idea behind United Way’s recent fundraising campaign – Amplify the Quad Cities: The Soundtrack. United Way Quad Cities is an organization dedicated to improving the education, health and income of all Quad Citizens. To meet their 2020 goal, leadership presented a new, innovative approach for their yearly campaign – storytelling through music. Six people, each impacted by United Way in different ways, shared their story for one purpose: to make the Quad Cities even stronger. Rhiannon Bell was one of the six whose story was transformed into a song, co-written by Scott Community College (SCC) English Instructor
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Amy Foley and local musician Mo Carter no less. Titled “Grow,” the lyrics describe how Bell went from battling a drug addiction that left her running from the law, to SCC student conquering her classes. “Drug addiction is like being on a merry-goround that’s going really fast that you can’t get off unless you jump. It’s a huge step to jump off and try to change,” Bell said. But as the lyrics in the song point out…she did.
Through the labyrinth By 2018, Bell had hit rock bottom. Her addiction had taken over her life, leading from one bad situation to another. “I did a lot of things I wasn’t proud of, I didn’t like to be living like that because it was scary,” she said. She knew something had to give. So, she bravely turned herself in to her probation officer fully expecting to go to prison. To her relief, the courts had something else in mind. Instead of
handing down a punishment, she was given a second chance. “I was offered drug court, which is a highly intense probation program and with that I was housed at One-Eighty.”
Toward the garden From that moment, Bell’s life began to change for the better. One-Eighty, located in downtown Davenport, provided Bell a safe place to live, emotional support, job training, and most importantly, faith. “I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was a faith-based program and I was just coming into my spirituality, so I was very open to what they had to offer. I expected good things because it is such a long program and the people there are just really awesome. It opened my mind and my eyes to a lot of things.” Among those things, Bell discovered the power of education. Carter and Foley captured the emotion of this discovery in one single lyric.