Scholars Program to pay first years of tuition at University of Iowa, Western Illinois University

DAVENPORT, Iowa (June 21, 2015) - The Quad Cities River Bandits awarded their two annual Bandit Scholarships at their game Sunday afternoon. River Bandits owner Dave Heller announced David Tra as the winner of the Bandit Scholarship for the University of Iowa, and Matthew Wieskamp as the winner of the Bandit Scholarship for Western Illinois University.

Tra, a Davenport native and Davenport West High School graduate, will attend the University of Iowa this fall. Wieskamp, a Muscatine, Iowa, native and Muscatine High School graduate, will attend Western Illinois University. Each scholarship ensures the student's first year of tuition will be covered at no expense to them or their families. The Bandit Scholarships are administered by the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend (CFGRB).

"Giving out these scholarships is the single most enjoyable thing I do as owner of the River Bandits, and I am so proud, on behalf of the team, and the Communtiy Foundation of the Great River Bend, to present these scholarships to a two recipients," said team owner Dave Heller. "David and Matthew have demonstrated incredible talent, hard work, dedication and a passion for community service, and I am confident they will be outstanding representatives of our Bandit Scholars Program and the Quad Cities in their immensely promising futures."

Tra hopes to pursue an engineering degree. He has begun taking college-level engineering classes and has been involved in Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam, National Honor Society, Youth Symphony Orchestra, High School Varsity Orchestra, Asian club, Leo club, ecology club, cross country, golf, tennis, and track, as well as working at Hy-Vee.

Wieskamp hopes to pursue a pre-physical therapy curriculum and biology degree, as well as a minor in business, to become a physical therapist. In high school, he has been involved with National Honor Society, baseball, basketball, football and track.

"It's an honor to be the recipient of the Bandit Scholarship," Wieskamp said. "This scholarship will help me to achieve my goal of becoming a physical therapist in the future. Thank you, and go Bandits!"

The Bandit Scholars Program was founded in 2009 by the Quad Cities River Bandits' team owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt. The program pays the entire first year of college tuition for two Quad Cities area students. Both winners also receive a summer internship with the Quad Cities River Bandits following their freshman year. , and recipients are selected by a committee made up of community leaders, River Bandits' ownership and staff and CFGRB volunteers.

The scholarships are funded by fan donations and fund-raising efforts by the River Bandits and the team's ownership. Fundraising events include the annual Bandits Race to Home 5K and River Bandits golf outing, set for July 27 this season. Through the partnership with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, donors can make online, tax-deductible donations to the Bandit Scholars Program by going to www.cfgrb.org. Fans can also visit the Bandit Scholars Program page on the team's website, www.riverbandits.com, and follow a link to the Bandit Scholars page on the Foundation's website.

Both scholarships are open to current high school (or home-schooled) seniors who reside in any of the following counties: Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside Counties on the Illinois side, and Cedar, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott Counties on the Iowa side.

Pints 5th annual tasting event at Niabi Zoo is a casual evening where you can explore the zoo, visit the animals and enjoy a sampling of a few of your favorite beverages. It's a roving cocktail party to support Niabi Zoo!

Food vendors will again be serving heavy appetizers at stations throughout the zoo, and we are pleased to announce Bridges Catering, The J Bar and Noodles and Company have committed to participating. Watch Facebook and the zoo's website as additional food vendors are added.

The date has moved to a Saturday and gates open 30 minutes earlier at 5:30 p.m. Only 800 tickets will be sold and the event has been a sell out in the past!

The Niabi Zoological Society will use funds raised at Pints for future improvements at the zoo. Thank you for supporting your community zoo.

Must be 21 to attend.

Chef Elizabeth Davis named the top supermarket chef in the country for her yu sheng citrus salad platter

DAVENPORT, Iowa (June 19, 2015) – Elizabeth Davis, chef at the Davenport No. 2 Hy-Vee, was recently named the best supermarket chef in the country by the Food Marketing Institute. Davis was named the Grand Champion and winner of the holiday platters category for her yu sheng citrus salad platter at the 2015 FMI Supermarket Chef Showdown competition last week.

"We are continually wowed by the creativity and professionalism of our own Hy-Vee chefs and thank them for all their hard work and dedication to their craft," said Nate Stewart, vice president of perishables at Hy-Vee, Inc. "We're extremely proud of Chef Elizabeth and of the strong team of chefs who represented Hy-Vee in the competition."

Fifteen chefs across five categories competed in the competition, now in its third year. The chefs cooked their dishes in front of a live audience at the FMI Connect conference on June 11. The dishes had to use sponsored ingredients and take less than 25 minutes to prepare. Entrants were judged on taste, presentation, creativity and consumer appeal.

"Being able to win while representing Hy-Vee means a lot to me," Davis said. "The competition shows our customers the culinary expertise our chefs have. It was a wonderful experience and one of the greatest things I've been part of."

Chef Amy Gleason of the Linden Market Hy-Vee in Omaha, Nebraska, and Chef Bryan Williams of the Rock Bridge Hy-Vee in Columbia, Missouri, also won their categories during the competition. Gleason won the breakfast on-the-go category for her cinnamon-scented faro breakfast parfait and Williams won the dessert category for his red curry and coconut bread pudding. Winners in each category were awarded $1,000 cash prizes.

Judges for the competition included Susan Westmorland, food director of Good Housekeeping at Hearst Magazines; Pat Cobe, senior editor of Restaurant Business Magazine; and Chef Philip Watson, executive chef at Green Acres Country Club in Northbrook, Illinois.

As part of her prize, Davis was awarded an all-expenses-paid culinary trip for two to the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria, Italy.

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Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 235 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $8.7 billion annually. Hy-Vee ranks among the top 25 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. Supermarket News, the authoritative voice of the food industry, has honored the company with a Whole Health Enterprise Award for its leadership in providing services and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. For more information, visit www.hy-vee.com.

Davenport, IA- NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley is excited that Quad Citian and NAMI GMV member Dr. Jim Davis will be "trekking 4 mental health" this July.  Dr. Davis, a retired chiropractor and avid biker, will hit the Colorado Trail to raise money and awareness for mental health.  Davis will bike 500 miles from Denver to Durango, Colorado.  He will embark on his journey July 10th and expects to reach Durango by July 27th.

"I'm excited to hit the trail and spread the word about all the good NAMI is doing for those dealing with a mental health diagnosis," said Davis.  "Those dealing with a mental illness often hide in the shadows.  I hope that my journey will start a conversation and bring this issue to the forefront of our society.  People can no longer be afraid to talk about mental health."

When Jim returns he'll raffle off his newly purchased mountain bike to raise money for NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley.  The bike is a 29" Mongoose Ledge 3.1 men's mountain bike with front and rear shock absorbers.  Raffle tickets are $5 for one or 3 for $10 and can be purchased through the NAMI office.  Dr. Davis will draw the winner at the NAMIWalk on September 26, 2015. The year's Walk will take place at Ben Butterworth Parkway - East Shelter, in Moline, IL.

We will follow Dr. Davis on his journey, and you can too.  Just use the hashtag #trekking4mentalhealth.  You can also check updates on NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley's Facebook page or follow us on twitter @NAMI_GMV.  

For more information on Dr. Davis' journey, NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley or the NAMIWalk contact

the NAMI Office. Call 563.322.8870 or check the website: www.namigmv.org.