Bettendorf – The Family Museum will hold a press conference on Saturday, February 22 at 10:00 am

Ethan Geifman (pronounced GEEF-man), is a ten year old youth volunteer at the Family Museum. He has volunteered 50 hours since his start in March of 2013. He works with visitors in the Museum's Special Needs Creative Movement class, interacts with children in the Museum's exhibits, and cleans gallery props to keep the exhibits looking great.

Making Ethan the Honorary Mayor of Fox Hollow was a unanimous decision of the Family Museum staff. "At such a young age, I am so impressed with his volunteerism, his maturity, sense of responsibility, and his respect for the Museum and for people in our community.  Ethan has a great sense of enthusiasm and truly wants to make the world a better place.  He is one-of-a kind, and I'm so glad that he is part of our volunteer team," said Volunteer Coordinator Kristina Bouxsein-Hearn.

On Saturday, Ethan will be presented with a proclamation, and his name will be added to the Wall of Honorary Mayors located in the Fox Hollow Post Office. The proclamation will read: "On this day, the 22^nd of February, 2014, we hereby recognize Ethan Geifman, a true steward of the Family Museum, as honorary mayor of Fox Hollow. Because of his ongoing dedication to Volunteerism; his efforts keeping Fox Hollow safe and clean for all; his work, undertaken with maturity and positivity and his genuine interest in the inclusion and happiness of all peoples, we thank you, Mr. Mayor."

Fox Hollow is an exhibit in the Family Museum consisting of a town square with a Shoe Store, Post Office, Vet Clinic, Grocery Store, Fire Department, and Pizza Parlor. This hands-on gallery space opened February 15, 2013. For more information on Fox Hollow, please visit our website.

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College students with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) drink more alcohol than their peers, according to a new study published earlier this year in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

In addition to the problems normally associated with alcohol abuse, the students' heavier drinking also exacerbates their PTSD symptoms, the study found.

"The study doesn't identify what traumas led to the students' stress disorder, but it's safe to assume a good portion of them are survivors of child abuse and/or neglect," says Rayne E. Golay, psychotherapist, child advocate and award-winning author of The Wooden Chair, (www.raynegolay.com), a novel that illustrates the post-traumatic stress in the wake of child abuse and neglect.

Parental alcoholism is often a factor in child abuse and neglect. It's compounded by the risk that as adults, these children model their behavior on their parent - including drinking alcoholically.

Golay, who specializes in addictions counseling, says that in her many years in practice, she saw one common misconception among her alcoholic patients: They all believed that their drinking didn't affect anybody but themselves.

"That's simply not true. In a home with an alcoholic parent, everyone suffers, the most vulnerable being the children," Golay says. "They live in an insecure and unstable home, and because the alcoholic parent's behavior is unpredictable and terrifying, the children learn to be constantly on guard."

Not everyone who drinks alcohol is an alcoholic, Golay is quick to note. And she's not anti-alcohol. However, she urges parents and young adults to seriously evaluate whether alcohol is a problem in their lives, because there are solutions.

Golay offers these suggestions for people who suspect alcohol may play too important a part in their lives:

• Ask yourself the following questions; if you answer "yes" to one, alcohol may be a problem in your life.
Have you had the morning after drink? Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble? Does your drinking cause problems at home? Do you tell yourself you can stop any time you want although you keep getting drink? Have you neglected your duties because of drinking? Has anybody suggested you should stop drinking?

• Try having one drink every day for a month.
"One drink -- that is, 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor -- one drink, no more, no less," Golay says. "If you can do that, you're probably not an alcoholic." She suggests this test because most alcoholics can remain completely abstinent for a length of time, but they're unable to stop after one drink. To an alcoholic, one drink is too much and a million isn't enough.

• If you think alcohol is a problem, a 28-day Minnesota Model treatment program gives good results. Golay mentions Faith Based Treatment (www.SoberRecovery.com), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (www.samhsa.gov) among other options.

The residential Minnesota Model combines detox and counseling built around the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (www.aa.org). Individualized, it includes the patient's family.

"It's effective because it starts with detox from all mood-altering chemicals, which is
imperative for lasting sobriety," Golay says. "It also aims to break down denial. It forces
the patient to take a serious look at the consequences of alcohol in his or her life."
No matter which treatment the individual chooses, aftercare and continued attendance     
at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are of vital importance for lifelong sobriety.

"When the protagonist, Leini, in my book The Wooden Chair, is a young woman, she realizes that she's relying more and more on alcohol to cope with daily life," Golay says.

"Leini also recognizes that the abuse she suffered as a child and her parent's drinking are family patterns passed down to her from her maternal grandmother through her own mother. In my book The Wooden Chair, Leini determines to end this cycle by getting professional help."

About Rayne E. Golay

Rayne E. Golay, (http://www.raynegolay.com/), is a certified drug and alcohol counselor whose work with addicts informs her understanding and insights into the consequences of child abuse. She has a Master's in Psychology and is a lifelong reader and writer. The Wooden Chair, published in 2013 by Untreed Reads, won the Royal Palm Literary Award for mainstream literature in the 2005 Florida Writers Association's competition.  She hopes that this story inspires witnesses to speak up for children whom they suspect are suffering from any form of abuse and/or neglect.

Hellyer has been sidelined by a lower body injury after briefly returning to the lineup for the Mallards' loss Sunday to the Mavericks in Missouri.  Hellyer missed two games before returning to the ice Sunday.  The 27-year old native of Brandon, Manitoba, has scored ten goals and totaled 25 points in 42 games this season after last year being named Central Hockey League Rookie of the Year.

Frazee has been forced out of the line-up by an upper body injury.  The 23-year old North Vancouver product missed Sunday's game after playing in each of the Mallards' first 43 tilts.  Among CHL rookies Frazee is tied for third in goals (13) and points (31) and tied for fourth in assists (18).  Frazee has been moved to IR retroactive to Saturday while Hellyer's move is retroactive to Sunday.

Lee joins captain Darren McMillan and fellow alternate captain Mike Stinziani in wearing a letter for the Mallards.  Jim McKenzie also donned the "A" before being called up to the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild last month.  Lee has enjoyed a strong first season with the Mallards and of late has been the team's hottest forward.  The 25-year old Calgary native leads the Mallards in goals (16) and is tied for the team lead in points (38).  Lee, who last year spent what was his rookie campaign with the Rapid City Rush, has posted a plus/minus rating of +10 while playing in each of the Mallards first 44 games this season.  Lee is in the midst of a six game point scoring streak (3-7-10) and has piled up 17 points (five goals and 12 assists) in his last 12 games.

DAVENPORT, IA -  River Bend Foodbank Executive Director Tom Laughlin recently announced the hiring of Steve Morenz, of Rock Island, IL, as the organization's first Director of Finance and Human Resources.

"The operations of food banks across the country have changed immensely in the more than 30 years since I was hired as the first Executive Director of the River Bend Foodbank," said Laughlin.  "With increased responsibilities in all aspects of our organization, the time was right to hire someone with the skills and background necessary to not only handle accounting and finance responsibilities but also take a lead role in the hiring and support of other future employees.  Steve is that person."

Having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and a Masters of Business Administration, Morenz has more than 20 years of experience in the field, first in healthcare and eldercare and then with non-profit organizations.  He was most recently the first Director of Finance for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association, a position he held for six years.

In 2013, the River Bend Foodbank collected, stored and redistributed nearly 8 million pounds of food to more than 300 charities which serve people in need.  These non-profits include food pantries, soup kitchens and those that manage programs that assist and low-income children and elderly.  The Foodbank serves 17 counties in Illinois and 5 in Iowa.