Ascentra Scholarship Competition offers ten scholarships for members

BETTENDORF, IOWA - The Ascentra Credit Union Scholarship Competition announces another round of scholarships for area students.  A total of $10,000 in scholarships are made available to Ascentra members planning to further their education starting the 2016 - 2017 school year.   The ten scholarships will be awarded to students as follows:

• Five $1,000 scholarships for high school students planning to enter college
• Five $1,000 scholarships for members age 19 or over, considered non-traditional or continuing education students

"By providing opportunities such as our scholarship program for those who are entering or returning to college and adult learners going back as non-traditional students, we are investing in a more financially stable region that ultimately benefits all of us who live here," said Ascentra President & CEO Dale Owen.

The scholarship entrants will be judged on a 500 word essay on the topic, "How do you plan on using your education to improve your community?"

All entries are judged on their essay, resume, awards, extracurricular activities, volunteer services and work experience.  Deadline for the Ascentra Scholarship Competition is March 1, 2016.  Applications and official rules may be picked up at any of our branches or found online at www.ascentra.org/scholarships. There members can find information on other scholarships.

Awarding a total of $10,000 in scholarships is another way Ascentra Credit Union recognizes that financial planning and education is essential to lifetime success for its members and the community.

About us:

Founded in 1950, Ascentra Credit Union, is Iowa's premier credit union with more than $359 million in assets and 10 branches serving the communities of Bettendorf, Clinton, Davenport, Le Claire, Muscatine, Iowa and Moline, Ill. Learn more about Ascentra Credit Union at ascentra.org. Follow Ascentra on Facebook and on Twitter @ascentra.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tickets to preliminary rounds of the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship go on sale at 10 a.m. local time Saturday, Oct. 17, to each host city. Fans wishing to buy tickets to the First Four^®, first- and second-round games or regional competition should go to www.NCAA.com/MBBTickets.

The 2016 championship begins on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, March 15-16, with the First Four -- four first-round games taking place in Dayton, Ohio. First- and second-round action takes place Thursday and Saturday, March 17 and 19, in Denver; Des Moines, Iowa; Providence, Rhode Island; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Also, hosting first- and second-round games Friday and Sunday, March 18 and 20, will be Brooklyn, New York; Oklahoma City, St. Louis and Spokane, Washington.

Louisville, Kentucky, will serve as the South Regional site and Anaheim, California, will host the West Regional on Thursday and Saturday, March 24 and 26. Philadelphia will be the site for the East Regional and Chicago will host the Midwest Regional on Friday and Sunday, March 25 and 27.

"This is a great opportunity for college basketball fans to see March Madness® in some of our traditional cities with a long history of hosting the tournament, as well as a couple of new cities that have never hosted before," said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's vice president of men's basketball. "From major markets to smaller cities, there's a great chance that America's best sporting event is going to be played reasonably close to any fan in the country, so it's a terrific opportunity to come watch history unfold."

The 78^th NCAA Men's Final Four^® will be co-hosted on April 2 and 4 by the University of Houston, Rice University and Texas Southern University. General tickets to the games at NRG Stadium in Houston are sold out, but fans still have the opportunity to purchase ticket and hospitality packages from PrimeSport, the official ticket and hospitality provider of the NCAA, by visiting www.NCAA.com/VIP. The NCAA Experience^® ticket and hospitality packages for all preliminary rounds of the championship can also be purchased at that website via PrimeSport.

ST. LOUIS (Aug. 14, 2015) - America's Farmers Grow Communities will partner again with farmers to award more than $3.3 million to community nonprofits across the country. In Iowa, 99 organizations will receive donations in 2016. Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, the program's purpose is to make a positive impact in rural communities by giving farmers a chance to direct $2,500 donations to eligible nonprofit organizations of their choice. Farmer enrollment for Grow Communities kicks off on Aug. 1 and runs through Nov. 30, 2015.

Since the program's inception, farmers have directed donations to help fire departments purchase equipment and complete training, send FFA and 4-H groups to contests and conventions, provide food pantries with meals to serve those in need and boost agriculture curriculum in rural school districts. Other beneficiaries of the program have included health care organizations, youth and community centers, state parks and economic development programs, among many others.

"Thanks to the participation of farmers from across the country, more than 7,000 nonprofit organizations have received donations through Grow Communities in the past five years," said Deborah Patterson, Monsanto Fund president. "We are excited to team up with farmers once again to help support the causes that mean the most to them and strengthen rural America."

Iowa farmers can enroll in the program and find a complete list of program rules and eligibility information at www.GrowCommunities.com or by calling 877-267-3332 toll-free. Program winners will be announced in January. Follow Grow Communities' new Facebook page to learn more about the program and connect with past winners at facebook.com/AmericasFarmersGrowCommunities.

America's Farmers Grow Communities is part of the America's Farmers initiative. Since 2010, the America's Farmers campaign and programs have advocated on behalf of farmers and their efforts to meet society's needs through agriculture. Today, consumers are more interested than ever in agriculture and how food is grown. Farmers and others in the industry are joining in on the conversation to help raise awareness about agriculture and share their stories with their communities. Learn more at cfiengage.org.

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About America's Farmers

The America's Farmers campaign highlights the importance of modern US Agriculture through communications and community outreach programs that partner with farmers to impact rural America.  The outreach programs include :

• America's Farmers Grow Communities supports rural America by offering farmers the chance to win $2,500 for their favorite local nonprofit organization.
• America's Farmers Grow Rural Education supports rural education by offering farmers the chance to nominate local school districts, who can compete for a $10,000 or $25,000 merit-based grant to enhance math and science education.
• America's Farmers Grow Ag Leaders gives students pursuing a career in agriculture the opportunity to earn a $1,500 scholarship towards their education.
• America's Farmers Mom of the Year celebrates women in agriculture by offering the chance to win up to $10,000 and the title of "National Farm Mom of the Year".

To learn more, visit America's Farmers at www.americasfarmers.com.

About the Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

America's favorite fast-casual Italian chain to provide FREE kids' meals with purchase of an adult entrée at participating locations

LEXINGTON, Ky. - (October 1, 2015) - Noodles have been a food staple around the world for thousands of years, coming in an assortment of colors, shapes and sizes. Fazoli's, America's favorite fast-casual Italian restaurant chain, is celebrating National Noodle Day on Tuesday, October 6, with a special Kid's Night Spaghetti Smarts activity and social media contest.

There are approximately 350 different kinds of noodles; penne, fettucine, and rigatoni?just to name a few! On National Noodle Day, Fazoli's will celebrate them all. This year, Fazoli's will ask kids: "Do You Know Your Noodle?" with an exciting and educational Kids Night worksheet. All activity sheets will include a FREE Kids Meal with the purchase of an adult entrée to use at a future visit to Fazoli's.

"Here at Fazoli's, we live, breathe and eat everything noodle," said Jon Quinn, vice president of marketing at Fazoli's. "We're excited to provide families with a place to dine on National Noodle Day, where kids can have fun and parents can relax without having to worry about paying a fortune for dinner."

During the celebration on Oct. 6, parents will be encouraged to share a photo of their child through social media wearing their "I Know My Noodle" sticker, using the hashtag #NationalNoodleDay and tagging Fazoli's on Twitter (@Fazolis) or Instagram (@FazolisItalian) for the chance to win a $25 Fazoli's gift card.

Fazoli's is proud to offer a wide variety quality noodles to consumers across the country. To learn more about the savory dishes available Monday-Sunday at Fazoli's, visit www.fazolis.com.

About Fazoli's

With approximately 220 restaurants, Fazoli's is America's largest Italian fast-casual chain, serving freshly prepared entrees, Submarinos® sandwiches, salads and pizza. One of the New York Post's five breakout fast-casual restaurants and a FastCasual.com Brand of the Year, Fazoli's franchisees are experiencing record sales growth. Visit www.ownafazolis.com for details on development opportunities, including new operator incentives.