Hope at the BRICK House: A Davenport Corner Transformed
At our June 1 meeting, the Rotary Club of Davenport welcomed Joyce Klopp, director of Hope at the BRICK House, who shared the remarkable story of a building — and a neighborhood — turned around.
The two-story brick building at 14th and Ripley wasn't always a place families could count on. For years it operated as the Brick House Bar, with blacked-out windows and a reputation for drug activity, before sitting vacant. Roughly three decades ago, mission-minded volunteers took it over and gave it a new purpose. Today, that same corner is one of central Davenport's most dependable places for kids — a former bar and drug house now devoted entirely to hope.
Hope at the BRICK House: A Davenport Corner Transformed
At our June 1 meeting, the Rotary Club of Davenport welcomed Joyce Klopp, director of Hope at the BRICK House, who shared the remarkable story of a building — and a neighborhood — turned around.
The two-story brick building at 14th and Ripley wasn't always a place families could count on. For years it operated as the Brick House Bar, with blacked-out windows and a reputation for drug activity, before sitting vacant. Roughly three decades ago, mission-minded volunteers took it over and gave it a new purpose. Today, that same corner is one of central Davenport's most dependable places for kids — a former bar and drug house now devoted entirely to hope.
Hope at the BRICK House exists to support individuals and families through spiritual, educational, and community-based care, and the programs Joyce described make that mission concrete:
- After School (K–5): Monday through Thursday, kids get homework help, reading and literacy support, crafts, and games — plus a snack and a full dinner before heading home. Literacy is a centerpiece, and the program even partners with St. Ambrose University's speech and language department to give kids extra one-on-one support.
- Summer Program: An eight-week, all-day program (recently serving close to 50 children) packed with reading, math, recreation, and field trips to pools, parks, and beyond.
- Neighborhood Connections: Friday-evening family events — the block parties that bring the whole neighborhood together — along with monthly meetings and connections to community resources.
What stood out most was the impact. For many of the children who walk through the door, the BRICK House is where they get a hot meal, a ride home, an adult who knows their name, and steady help learning to read. Some families now span two generations who've leaned on the center. For the surrounding blocks, a corner that once kept the world out has become a gathering place that draws the community in.
Joyce was candid that none of this happens on its own. Hope at the BRICK House is sustained almost entirely by donations, grants, and volunteers — and the need for hands is real. Opportunities that fit a service club like ours especially well include:
- Tutoring or mentoring in the after-school and summer programs
- Sharing a skill or talent once a month (a craft, music, sports, a trade)
- Helping serve an after-school meal
- Providing transportation for kids
- Assisting with the Friday-evening family events — a great fit for a small group or a few families together
- General projects and upkeep at the building
This is exactly the kind of close-to-home, hands-on work Rotary is built for, with 100% of the benefit staying right here in our community.
Want to get involved? Reach Hope at the BRICK House at 1431 Ripley Street, Davenport, by phone at (563) 322-0382, or online at hopeatthebrickhouse.org. Thank you, Joyce, for the inspiring reminder of what one corner can become.