(Rock Island, IL) - The Royal Neighbors of America Board of Directors and Executive Team will exchange their business suits for painting clothes and work gloves when they paint the gymnasium and plant flowers at the Rock Island YWCA. These activities will help make the YWCA a more attractive place for women and their families.

Each year, the Royal Neighbors directors from across the country join with local executives to volunteer for a project that will empower women.

"Working side-by-side on a volunteer project brings us together in a different environment," said Cynthia Tidwell, Royal Neighbors President/CEO. "It's not what we're used to doing in our corporate positions, but we enjoy making a difference. It is part of our legacy to empower women to reach their full potential, and the YWCA plays a vital role in providing services to women who are building a better life."

Ringling Bros.® Presents Built To Amaze! a Circus Spectacular Extraordinarily Engineered by The Greatest Show On Earth® comes to the iWireless Center for 7 great performances, August 29-September 1

[Moline, IL]-Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!, is an extraordinarily engineered circus experience where Children Of All Ages® find out what it takes to build The Greatest Show On Earth®. The foundation is set and the rising anticipation of high-energy, high-jinx and hilarity is ready to be transported by colorful circus machinery and unleashed from shipping crates right before the audience's eyes from August 29-September 1 at the iWireless Center.

Built To Amaze! opens with the All-Access Pre-show where everyone is invited to join the fun and meet the Built To Amaze! international cast of performers as they prepare for the show. The Ringling Bros.® Ringling Girls and Barnum B-Boys encourage kids to participate in a tug-of- war and kick off what will soon become an insane battle of girl power versus boy power in Built To Amaze! Audiences also can pick up some hip dance moves during the dance party, try on custom designed costumes, learn circus skills like juggling from the famous Ringling Bros. Clown Alley and even have the opportunity to witness and win a one of a kind masterpiece created by Asia, Ringling Bros. very own painting pachyderm!

Andre McClain, Ringmaster and America's favorite cowboy takes the Ringling Bros. reins and accompanied by his horse Comanche, leads his Built To Amaze! funny and mischievous super circus supervisors, to construct The Greatest Show On Earth. A fantastic design with more than 110 of the world's best performers representing 17 countries along with 95 exotic and domestic animals will be assembled, creating never-before-seen heart pounding performances. Ringling Bros. is thrilled to introduce nine-time international award winning comedic animal presenting duo Alex and Irina Emelin of Russia. Also new to Ringling Bros. is the Tower Tumblers, a troupe of competitive aerial athletes from the Ukraine who launch themselves from trampolines to scale, repel and pass through a three-story high translucent tower. Ringling Bros. brings a spirited and fiery competition of basketball with the next generation of whirling unicyclists, the legendary King Charles Troupe hailing from New York City!

You can only experience this design of excitement at Ringling Bros. Built To Amaze! Get your tickets for super circus fun today!

Tickets for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey PRESENTS Built To Amaze start at $13.  All seats are reserved, and tickets are available at the iWireless Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. For group rates and information, call 309-277-1356. For more information, visit www.Ringling.com

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Feld Entertainment is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year. Feld Entertainment's productions have appeared in more than 70 countries and on six continents to date and include Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, NuclearCowboyz®, AMSOIL Arenacross, Disney On Ice, Disney Live! and Marvel Universe LIVE! More information on Feld Entertainment is available online at www.feldentertainment.com.

One lesson the average American should have learned from the recent financial crisis and gradual recovery is that putting more money into savings is, in general, good, says veteran financial expert Jeff Gorton.

"When things are fine, most of us are prone to commit less of our money to savings; when the economy is down, however, we realize that having money is far more important than spending it on things we don't need," says Gorton, a veteran Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner™, and head of Gorton Financial Group, (www.gortonfinancialgroup.com).

The personal savings rate in July 2005 hit an all-time low at just 2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But in May 2009, near the beginning of the recession, the average American's savings rate hit a high of 8 percent.

"That rate dwindled as the economy recovered, which is unfortunate because you can do more with accumulated money, including benefit from investments yielding compound interest, which means that interest also earns interest in an investment," says Gorton, who suggests practical ways to trim spending in the short term in order to get your financial house in order and accumulate more money in the long term.

•  Car buying says plenty about how a consumer views their money. For most Americans, the question is whether to buy new or used. The moment you drive a brand new car off the lot after the purchase, the car's value drastically drops. Many of the benefits you may enjoy in buying a new car can be had with a certified pre-owned car: low miles, good-as-new functionality and, usually, that new-car smell. And, a given model will have a history, so you can avoid cars that have been recalled. Buying a certified pre-owned car will save you several thousands of dollars versus buying new.

•  Summer vacation is an important lifestyle enhancer for many couples, but consider replacing the $400-per-night hotel with a condo rented through a private owner, especially if your vacation will last for an extended period. A condo rental should cost you in the ballpark of $200 per night, which totals $2,800 savings for two weeks.

•  Your home is probably your most significant asset if you're like most Americans. But with that grand house on the hill comes plenty of costs, many of which you may not need. As with a luxury car, rethinking the amount of luxury for a home can save you big on taxes, insurance and maintenance. The cost of maintaining a large home can be put toward lifestyle activities, such as travel and hobbies.

"Of course, these are all simply suggestions; money plays a major role in how we achieve happiness, and I've found through years of working with clients, a few tweaks here and there frequently yields greater satisfaction with their money," Gorton says. "You don't have to be on autopilot with your expenses."

About Jeff Gorton, CPA, CFP®

Jeff Gorton is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Financial Planner™ specializing in individual tax and retirement planning as head of Gorton Financial Group, (www.gortonfinancialgroup.com). He is also an Investment Advisor Representative under Alphastar Capital Management, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, and has a life and health insurance license. Gorton works with individuals and their families to create and protect their financial legacies. He specializes in working with retirees in the areas of tax planning, benefits, retirement planning, estate planning and safe money techniques. He received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Oklahoma. Gorton previously worked for 10 years as the Chief Financial Officer for a large retail organization, overseeing their accounting, benefits and 401(k) retirement plans.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (May 22, 2014) - Quad Cities River Bandits left fielder Ronnie Mitchell homered for a second straight game and had a game-high four RBIs, six players had multi-hit games, and every player in the lineup contributed one of the team's 15 hits in an 11-6 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels in front of 4,387 at Modern Woodmen Park Thursday night.

Cedar Rapids (22-24) took the first lead of the game in the second inning against left-hander Chris Lee (2-2). Third baseman Bryan Haar hit a one-out infield single, left fielder J.D. Williams walked, and a two-out ground ball by catcher Michael Quesada got through shortstop Thomas Lindauer to score a run. In the next half-inning against right-hander Aaron Slegers (4-2), third baseman Tyler White and designated hitter Brian Holberton hit consecutive singles, and Mitchell lifted a game-tying sacrifice fly to center field.

In the top of the third inning, Kernels first baseman Chad Christensen hit a two-out single and scored on designated hitter Mitch Garver's double down the third-base line. Haar then doubled to right-center field, bringing home Garver for a 3-1 Kernels lead.

In the bottom of the third inning, Quad Cities (22-23) used its highest-scoring inning of the season to take a commanding lead. With one out, second baseman Chan-Jong Moon singled to right field, and right fielder Brett Phillips put a bunt single to the third-base side of the pitcher's mound. After a double steal by Moon and Phillips, first baseman Conrad Gregor hit a game-tying double down the right-field line. White then collected his 11th hit in four games against the Kernels with a go-ahead double down the left-field line. Designated hitter Brian Holberton singled up the the middle to put runners at first and third bases, and Mitchell drove a 1-0 offering from Slegers to the Built Ford Tough Deck in right field for a 7-3 lead. The six runs were the most in a single inning for Quad Cities this season.

The River Bandits added on to the lead in the fourth, when center fielder James Ramsay hit a leadoff double to the center field fence, followed by Moon's RBI double down the right-field line. Phillips then hit an RBI triple - his team-high seventh of the season - to right-center field, and Gregor singled him home for his third RBI and a 10-3 lead. Having given up hits to 10 of the last 12 batters, Slegers was removed without recording an out in the fourth inning. He was charged with 10 earned runs on 14 hits with no walks and two strikeouts.

Lee allowed a walk and single for another run in the fifth inning but completed the frame for his first Midwest League win as a starter. He allowed four runs - two earned - on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Right-hander Andrew Thurman began the sixth inning and with one out, he allowed a single and back-to-back walks before a bases-loaded groundout brought in a run. Thurman retired eight of the last nine batters he faced in three innings, with the exception an eighth-inning, one-out solo home run by center fielder Jason Kanzler to the DHCU On Deck in right-center field. Thurman allowed two earned runs on two hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

The River Bandits tallied their final run in the seventh, when White led off with a hit-by-pitch against right-hander Yorman Landa and scored on Lindauer's RBI single. With an 11-6 lead, right-hander Frederick Tiburcio tossed a scoreless ninth inning in his home debut.

With sole possession of fourth place in the Western Division, Quad Cities will continue its series with Cedar Rapids at 7 p.m. Friday, when River Bandits right-hander Michael Feliz (1-1) is scheduled to face Kernels right-hander Ryan Eades (3-5).

UP NEXT: A limited number of tickets are still available for the Inaugural Ferris Wheel Ride event and fundraiser to benefit the Genesis Health Services Foundation May 24. Only the first 300 will be sold for the noon to 3 p.m. event at Modern Woodmen Park. Call 563-421-6865 or visit Modern Woodmen park to order tickets. To order any of the River Bandits 2014 ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.