Thanks to all for your support of our organization!

Director
German American Heritage Center

Special tax-free gift option for 2014

For those over age 70½, it is once again possible to make tax-favored charitable gifts from traditional and Roth IRA accounts.

On December 19th, legislation was signed into law that extends this special opportunity for gifts completed in 2014. Amounts given in this way will count toward 2014 required IRA withdrawal amounts.

A total of up to $100,000 can be transferred directly from traditional or Roth IRAs to the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend free of federal income tax. There may also be state income tax savings.

To make such gifts, it is important to not withdraw funds prior to a gift, but distribute them directly from an IRA to one or more qualified charities. For those with check writing privileges on their accounts, this may be the most efficient way to make gifts directly from an IRA.

Check with us, your IRA administrator or your advisors for more information. You can also visit our Planned Giving site for more information. 

For more information please contact Barbara Melbourne, 563-326-2840 or by e-mail at barbaramelbourne@cfgrb.org.

ANNOUNCEMENTS - Friday 12/26/2014

 

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

Hope Church - 709 Wisconsin Street, founded in LeClaire in 1931.  Pastor Matthew Darnell and Children's Pastor, Bridget Darnell, invite you to Wednesday Service 6pm and Sunday Service 10am. 563-289-4650 www.hope-church-le-claire.org

Everfield - Stephanie Hasakis.110 N. Cody Road, LeClaire. Everfield is a clean beauty and personal care boutique specializing in high quality cruelty free, organic, vegan, and natural products. View Our Product Lines at shopeverfield.com. Email info@shopeverfield.com - phone 563-289-2523. Be kind, be beautiful.

ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER

The LeClaire Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Steventon's, LeClaire.

5:30-6:30 p.m. - Cocktails (Cash Bar) and Silent Auction

6:30 p.m. - Annual Awards

7:00 p.m. - Dinner

8:00 p.m. - Live Auction

6-10 p.m. - Live Music, Keep Off the Grass

RSVP by January 23, 2015 to First Central State Bank, or email dmulvania@firstcentralsb.com $35 per person paid in advance.

Checks payable to:

LeClaire Chamber of Commerce

PO Box 35

LeClaire, IA

If you would like to donate items for the Silent or Live Auctions, please contact dmulvania@firstcentralsb.com or take your items to First Central State Bank, LeClaire!

CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP

It is time to renew your membership for 2015! Membership forms have been mailed out, or you can renew your membership by going to www.leclairechamber.com and pay via Pay Pal. If you did not receive a letter and form by mail, please contact the Chamber at LeClaireChamber@gmail.com and they will be immediately sent to you!

 

CALENDAR

Now - January 4^th - Enright's Super Wash Annual Holiday Promotion Automatic carwash tokens are now on sale - 5 for $20!  Each token a $6.50 value. Cash, check or credit cards accepted.  Stop in and see Henry or Dennis 8:30-10:00 Mon-Fri and 8:30-3:00 weekends, subject to weather. Sign up to win carwashes and more! Weekly winners will be posted on our reader board.  Our carwash tokens make Great Holiday Gifts!

December 26^th - Wide River Winery - Annual Customer Appreciation Party! We are grateful to you for your continued support of the winery. Thank you for visiting the tasting rooms in Clinton & Le Claire and the Wide River Inn in Le Claire and all of the stores that carry our wine throughout IA and IL.  You are invited to join the party on Friday, December 26! Bring family and friends to our annual customer appreciation party in Clinton and enjoy complimentary wine tastings, savory pairings with samples of appetizers and desserts and live music with The Old 57's from 2-5pm. Take advantage of the secret sales and special giveaways. Enjoy a safe and happy holiday season! For more details call 563-519-9463 www.WideRiverWinery.com

December 28^th - First Presbyterian Church, LeClaire We return to our study of The Story, chapter 13.

December 31^st - New Year's Eve the Crane & Pelican Café Open for lunch and a special dinner on New Year's Eve. 6pm & 8pm seatings, 3 course meal, $50/person. See the menu at   www.craneandpelican.com 563-289-8774.

December 31st - New Year's Eve at Faithful Pilot Seating at 6:00 & 8:30 $75.00 per person to include 4 courses.  Option for $25.00 Wine Pairing or $25.00 Beer Pairing. *Please note a credit card is required to make reservation and will be charged $25.00 for a no show.  *Not valid with any other promotion, coupon, or discount. 563-289-4156

December 31^st - New Year's Eve at Steventon's in LeClaire. It's never too early to start planning your New Year's Eve! Join us at Steventon's for our Annual New Year's Eve Event. Enjoy live music provided by Hap Hazard, drinks appetizers, and our Champagne toast at Midnight! Tickets are limited for this exclusive event. Order yours before they're all gone! 563-289-3600

December 31^st - New Year's Eve at Go Fish featuring live music by Malfunktion at 8pm playing 60's, 70's and 80's Classic Rock!

December 31^st - First Presbyterian Church, LeClaire - New Year's Eve Party! For all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring snack and game to share. 8p.m.-12:15a.m.

SAVE THE DATE

 

January 1^st - Faithful Pilot closed

January 2^nd - First Friday in LeClaire! 5-8pm

Mississippi River Distilling Company Food and Spirit Tastings www.mrdistilling.com

Wide River Winery wine samples. www.wideriverwinery.com

Faithful Pilot - Live Music with Jordan Danielson beginning at 7:30p.m

Razzleberries - Booze cake while it lasts!

Aunt Hattie's - Open late!

Restaurants and several shops will be open late!

January 7^th - First Presbyterian Church, LeClaire - Halftime! Our Wednesday night program for children from Kindergarten thru 5th grade begins again at 5:30 pm. All are welcome to our time of dinner, games, lesson, song and snack. This program will meet nearly every Wednesday from 5:30-7pm. Children are invited to come occasionally or every week.

 

January 16^th-19^th - Be a Tourist in Your Own Backyard! Look for the LeClaire specials at http://www.qcbeatourist.com/#city-LeClaire/alpha Bierstube, Blue Iguana, Steventon's, Buffalo Bill Museum, Mississippi River Distilling Co. and more will have specials to enjoy. The Faithful Pilot Café and Spirits will be open Sunday, noon-5pm for lunch.

 

January 17^th - Trivia Night at the LeClaire Civic Center. Doors open at 6:30pm; Trivia starts at 7pm. 8-person teams; $10 per person. Everyone will be entered into a drawing for door prizes. Mulligans are 10 for $10. Each team may bring its own snacks, beer, wine, and soft drinks. Call Debbie at 563-349-4403 or email Smith73075@aol.com to reserve a table.

 

January 18th - Faithful Pilot - Dress for Success Charity Wine Tasting beginning at Noon bring in a gently used dress for women who need to "dress" up for job interviews and receive $5.00 off a wine tasting of a selection of our wines.  We will also be open until 5:00, and serving lunch.

January 19^th - Economic Development Meeting City Hall - 8:00 a.m.

January 20^th - Vino Van Gogh at Go Fish 6:00pm. Sign up on line at Vino Van Gogh on or after December 20, 2014.  We are painting Moonlit Blooms.

 

January 25th - Faithful Pilot Wine Tasting 15 wines for $15.00 and of course a selection of Chef Robert's small bites.

 

January 31^st, 2015 - LeClaire Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner - Steventon's.

FYI

First Central State Bank is pleased to announce they will be part of Ohnward Bancshares' college leadership internship program for the summer of 2015.  There will be a total of five positions available for college students entering their sophomore, junior or senior years.   Actual positions will be available in each of Ohnwards' member organizations including First Central State Bank with offices in DeWitt, Long Grove, LeClaire and Eldridge. These unique opportunities will combine having hands on experience with assignments in our banks as well as 1.5 days a week focused on leadership development.  Positions will be available for application beginning January 1 at www.ohnward.com, under employment opportunities.  If you have any questions, please contact First Central State Bank, or or call Ohnward Bancshares Human Resource department at 563-652-7822.

It is time again for the River Valley Optimist Club to offer their FREE basketball clinic to children grades 3-6 in the LeClaire/Bettendorf area. The clinic will be held Saturdays beginning January 31, 2015 and ending on March 7, 2015. The sessions are one hour in length and will teach basketball fundamentals while having FUN! Registration is limited so sign-up soon! Please contact Josselyn Smith at josselyn.e.smith@gmail.com or call 563-723-1877, or check out the RVOC Facebook page under River Valley Optimist Club for more information. We hope to see you there!

Ascentra Honored as 500th Branch in Regional Network of Branches. With access to over 5,000 locations, Ascentra Credit Union has joined forces with other credit unions in several states offering members more convenience by sharing locations. Shared branching is a national network of credit unions that have opened their branches to members of other credit unions.  Members can walk in and do their banking just like they would at their own credit union.  "To be the 500th shared branch of CUSN is an important milestone for Ascentra which speaks to the cooperative spirit of the credit union movement," President and CEO Dale Owen said.  "Together all shared branching credit unions now have a footprint as prominent as the largest banks in the country."

In honor of the holidays, Riverbend Signworks "updater" is a little different this time!http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Merry-Christmas----and-a-look-back-in-time-.html?soid=1111968629442&aid=1_k3cR3TZYw

Tired of dealing with messy entryways? Perhaps NOW is the time to put in a tiled floor that is both beautiful and easier to take care of. Call LeClaire Home Improvement and Construction at 563-381-7778 today to schedule a meeting to discuss ideas and solutions. We have an artisan tile layer on staff who will transform your entryway or any other room into a thing of beauty.

Faithful Pilot is open Sundays 12-5 - Wednesdays Half Priced Wine Night!

 

Stop by Steventon's every Sunday to experience our breathtaking view of the Mississippi River while enjoying our brunch menu. Our brunch menu offers a variety of options to satisfy the whole family. Only $12.95 adults / $6.00 children 10 & under.

 

The Crane & Pelican will be featuring a special Sliders & Suds menu on Thursday nights from 5pm-9pm. Every Thursday night you can come get 3 gourmet sliders and hand-cut chips for $10 and 3 8oz sample pours of our delicious beers for $5.The menu will change monthly and will be posted at www.craneandpelican.com

Bierstube is open for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays, 7am-11am (we will reopen daily for breakfast in the Spring)

Big Dave and Holly's hours and specials: Open 11am-8pm Monday-Saturday; closed on Sunday for the Winter. Weekday specials are: Monday - Meatloaf, Tuesday - Tacos, Wednesday - Sweet Apple Pork, Thursday - Jambalaya, and Friday - Open Faced Hot Roast Beef Sandwich. They also have fresh "Holly-Made" pies and soup daily and are available to cater your party. Holiday Hours: will close at 4pm on New Year's Eve and will be closed New Year's Day.

Blue Iguana's Winter hours: closed on Mondays; open Tuesday - Thursday 11am-8pm; Friday and Saturday 11am-9pm and Sunday 11am-8pm

The Buffalo Bill Museum will be open winter hours, every day from 9am-4pm and Sunday from noon-4pm. Visit their gift shop for great gift ideas!

 

Visit the LeClaire Chamber of Commerce website www.leclairechamber.com and see us on Facebook!

If you would like to attend a Chamber Board Meeting in order to present a topic, please contact the Board in advance at LeClaireChamber@gmail.com in order to be included an upcoming agenda. Board Meetings are held the 4^th Tuesday of each month, 8a.m. at LeClaire City Hall.

SERVING THE COMMUNITY AND BEYOND

From the First Presbyterian Church, LeClaire to you and your family: May you and your family receive God's deep blessing, Love, this year and throughout 2015! Please join us at the First Presbyterian Church in LeClaire, 200 S. 12th Street; across from Bridgeview Elementary School. We dress casually and welcome children of all ages. Noisy babies and children are welcome in worship (we consider their noise to be a joyful song to the Lord) or, if parents prefer, in our nursery, which is staffed by 2 loving adults.

First Presbyterian Church, LeClaire - Halftime! Our Wednesday night program for children from Kindergarten thru 5th grade begins again at 5:30 pm. All are welcome to our time of dinner, games, lesson, song and snack. This program will meet nearly every Wednesday from 5:30-7pm. Children are invited to come occasionally or every week.

 

First Presbyterian Church, LeClaire Men's group Saturday at 7:30 am at church; there are donuts, coffee, discussion and Bible Study, plus really great guys! What more could you ask?

LeClaire Information Center Volunteers Needed! Contact Cindy Bruhn at info@visitleclaire.com or 563-650-7963 to volunteer.

PROPERTY LISTINGS

Commercial Property for Sale 510 N. Cody Road. Contact William Robertson (563) 940-1517 billrobertson@ruhl-ruhl.com

For Rent 118 N. Cody Road, includes employee parking and trash service.  Contact Terri Applegate at 563 271-6800 or 563-289-2525.

Commercial Property for Sale 613-617 N Cody Road, LeClaire IA 52753. Contact Jeff R. Heuer, NAI Ruhl Commercial Company, jheuer@ruhlcommercial.com, Office: 563-355-4000, Direct: 563-823-5107.

Commercial Property for Sale Cody Road, LeClaire IA 52753. Description: contact John G. Ruhl, NAI Ruhl Commercial Company, jruhl@ruhlcommercial.com, Office: 563-355-4000, Direct: 563-823-5126.

Commercial Property Available Eagle Ridge Road, LeClaire, Iowa. Please call: Mike Burke - Mel Foster Co. mburke@melforsterco.com, Mobile: 563-349-2705, Direct: 563-823-5272

Park Run Apartments/Newbury Living complex - 1, 2, & 3 Bedrooms Available - 1701 Iowa Drive, LeClaire, Iowa 52753. 1 BR, 2 BR or 3 BR unit. Call (563) 289-5159 more information today!

LeClaire Events Coming Up!

January 16-19 - Be a Tourist in Your Own Backyard

January 31 - LeClaire Chamber Annual Awards Dinner - Steventon's

Chamber Networking Events - Everyone Welcome!

Dates and Places to be Announced for 2015

LAMONI, IA (12/24/2014)(readMedia)-- The honor roll lists for Graceland University's 2014 fall term have been announced, and Olivia St Claire of Bettendorf, IA, has been named to the president's list for the 2014 fall semester.

Graceland University students with a perfect 4.0 grade point average are named to the president's list. Students with a GPA between 3.65 and 3.99 are named to the honors list. Students with a GPA between 3.25 and 3.64 are named to the dean's list.

Congratulations Olivia! Graceland commends you on your academic success.

Graceland University is a liberal arts university located in Lamoni, IA, and is sponsored by Community of Christ. It has been recognized by the Princeton Review as a top school in the Midwest and fosters academic excellence in a caring community with over 50 academic programs and a 15:1 student to faculty ratio. The warm community of inspired faculty, caring staff and remarkable people believes in educating the whole student. For more information visit www.graceland.edu and find Graceland University on Facebook and Twitter to follow additional student achievements.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (12/24/2014)(readMedia)-- The Warrior 2 Warrior (W2W) program is the Illinois Army National Guard's (ILARNG) only direct, peer-based, support program for Soldiers who do not qualify for traditional veteran benefits because they have not deployed.

Born from the 'Buddy 2 Buddy' program founded in Michigan, the Illinois W2W program evolved from its foster foundation. The Illinois National Guard program supports the servicemembers and families. The program works in direct partnership with the ILARNG, the McCormick Foundation and the Health and Disability Advocates.

"If you are genuinely struggling, I would definitely refer you to the Warrior 2 Warrior program," said Pfc. Reggie Shepherd of Berwyn, Illinois, with Headquarters and Headquarters Service Battery, 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery in Chicago. "They have been and continue to be a big part of how I was able to get a job, find housing and support myself."

Shepherd learned about the program after a volunteer veteran visited his unit. The volunteer explained what the W2W program is, how it works and how Soldiers can seek help.

"When the volunteer veteran came to my drill weekend, it couldn't have been at a better time as I was coming up on being homeless," said Shepherd.

Whitney Shefte, a Peabody award-winning broadcaster took interest in the efforts of the W2W program in October. She highlighted the program in a short documentary in the Washington Post in November. The documentary can view it at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/11/11/struggling-to-survive-wars-trauma-by-helping-other-soldiers-to-do-the-same/ .

"The W2W program was able to provide me with a wealth of resources that lead me to my current employment, both my volunteer veteran and the veteran staff of Health and Disability Advocates (HAD) supported me throughout my entire job search," said Shepherd.

The HAD, ILARNG W2W program and the servicemember support branch asserts the program and has historically served hundreds of service and family members of the Illinois National Guard community and continues to provide an outlet of connection for Illinois veterans seeking to help those who serve.

"They really took the time to help me share my struggles and find a path towards employment," said Shepherd. "They helped me to develop a resume and let me use the computer lab resources and phone lines to network and set up interviews. They even connected me to other resources which ultimately enabled me to receive financial support."