Bob and Molly Ploessl: Building forever in Bellevue

Bob and Molly Ploessl have spent most of their lives in Bellevue, and it feels like home. “We just love the small community,” says Molly. “Everyone knows everyone, and everybody gets involved.” 

That small-town spirit they love has been on full display throughout the Dream Bellevue campaign. The Ploessls joined neighbors throughout Bellevue to help their town build a fund that will support community vitality for generations to come. 

Dream Bellevue is part of the Community Foundation’s Small-town Dreams Initiative, which is empowering towns across Eastern Iowa to build their capacity to address future challenges and opportunities. Bellevue is among those selected to leverage a $100,000 challenge grant from an anonymous donor and build a $450,000 endowment that will pay out every year to support community-building efforts. In the process, local leaders like Bob and Molly gain the skills to organize a successful capital campaign as well as assess and respond to local needs. 

Their involvement began the way many efforts do in small towns: Over a meal. As a Community Foundation advisory board member, Bob attended a breakfast meeting about the initiative that Molly joined, too. “It was a free breakfast,” she says with a laugh. “I was just tagging along with Bob. Then they started talking about Dream Bellevue and the anonymous donor, and all the great things that would be happening. I said, ‘Well this is a no-brainer; I’ll join this group too!’ It’s a win-win situation.” 

The response in Bellevue was swift and generous. The resident-led committee reached the fundraising goal in less than three years. The ease of fundraising speaks to the passion many rural residents have for their towns. Through Small-town Dreams, communities channel that passion to create vitality and achieve what is important to them. In Bellevue, grants have already been made for a bicycle rental program, life jacket and fishing pole kiosk, and camera that livestreams the lock and dam. A grant also has been made toward the swimming pool concept design. 

“We’re building a legacy here in town, and we’re proud of it,” says Molly. 

“It’s not often you can be involved in building something that will last forever, and this will,” Bob adds. “We’re excited to be a part of it.”