SPRINGFIELD, IL (09/03/2013)(readMedia)--

WHO:

• Illinois National Guard Chaplains

WHAT:

• Illinois National Guard Chaplains are hosting upcoming seminars to serve local faith-based organizations throughout Illinois.

• The training is designed to raise awareness among community religious leaders about the challenges faced by servicemembers and their families, with a focus on deployment-related issues such as anger management, suicide prevention, military marriages, and church and community support for the military.

• The training is open to clergy and laity interested in understanding and learning how to support servicemembers, veterans and their families.

WHEN/WHERE:

Sept. 20 Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, 3001 Green Bay Road Building 4; N. Chicago (9 a.m.-3 p.m.)

Sept. 21 Faith Family Church, 704 N. Green Mount Road, Belleville, Ill. (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Oct. 2 General Jones Armory, 5200 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Oct. 9 Joliet Armory, 2900 W. Jefferson St., Joliet (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Oct. 16 Illinois Military Academy, Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd.; Springfield (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Although we live in the richest and most advanced society the world has ever known, many of us say we need more money in order to be happy, notes best-selling business book author Doug Vermeeren.

"Even some of those in the top percentile of earners often feel like they don't have enough money," says Vermeeren, (www.DouglasVermeeren.com), an international speaker who consults with celebrities, business executives and professional athletes.

"The math is simple: More money does not equal more happiness. It's our attitude toward money, not the amount, that influences our happiness the most."

Happiness researchers Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, professors at the Harvard Business School, recently published research indicating that it's not money that makes people happy, nor the things people buy with it. Rather, it's the experiences one has that ultimately account for happiness.

"How you experience your money on a day-to-day basis is what matters," Vermeeren says. "If the software running in your brain is constantly reinforcing the message, 'it's not enough,' then that is likely how you will see yourself and experience your life - as 'not enough.' "

Vermeeren reviews the three fallacies of abundance as it relates to happiness:

• We are all entitled to a certain amount of wealth: The feeling that we deserve or are owed a certain amount of wealth will always make us unhappy with whatever we have. While we are entitled to certain human rights, those do not include a winning lottery ticket. In reality, we are not owed any amount of abundance and, in fact, should count ourselves lucky if we're able to meet our basic needs; many in the world are not. More of us, however, would be happier simply appreciating what we have.

• The result of our labors is money: Money is a means to an end, not an end in itself. This can be a challenge to keep in mind since so much of our lives are spent in the pursuit of money. We work and go to school to support ourselves and our families. We see things we want, and we know we need more money for them. Study after study shows, however, that what really makes us happy is what we do and who we do it with, and not how much money we spend.

• We'll be happiest when we finally reach our goal: We are happiest when we are progressing toward a goal. When we lose sight of our goal, veer off the path toward our goal, and even achieve our goal, we're less happy. Rather than setting one goal and deciding you will be happy when you meet it, you'll be most happy if you continually set goals and relish your journey toward them.

About Doug Vermeeren

Doug Vermeeren is an internationally renowned public speaker, author, movie producer and director. His life coaching strategies help those from all walks of life, with clients including business executives, celebrities, professional athletes and more. Throughout the last decade, Vermeeren has conducted extensive first hand research into the lives of more than 400 of the world's top contemporary achievers, making him a sought-after commentator on news outlets including ABC, FOX, CNN and more. He has written three titles contributing to Guerilla Marketing, the best-selling business series in publishing, which is included reading in the Harvard Business School. His documentaries include the award-winning film, The Opus, which has been published by Random House as a book in 23 countries. Vermeeren's latest film, The Gratitude Experiment , has received critical acclaim.

Carlos Correa hits ninth home run of the season in opener between playoff-bound clubs

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AUG. 31, 2013) - Quad Cities River Bandits shortstop Carlos Correa gave his team a 4-2 lead with a fifth-inning home run Saturday night, but the Beloit Snappers pitchers set down the next 13 batters, and Snappers right fielder John Wooten and first baseman Matt Olson each homered in a 5-4 comeback victory in front of 5,126 at Modern Woodmen Park.

In the first game of the final regular season series for two playoff-bound clubs, Quad Cities (41-26 second half, 79-57 overall) had its four-game winning streak snapped and lost its last seventh straight game against Beloit (34-33, 77-60) at Modern Woodmen Park. The River Bandits last defeated Beloit in Davenport on Aug. 19, 2012.

Quad Cities took the lead in the first inning, as second baseman Tony Kemp singled to right field, and center fielder Teoscar Hernandez doubled to left. Two batters later, left fielder Danry Vasquez grounded out to bring in Kemp for a 1-0 lead.

In his first start since July 4, River Bandits right-hander Juan Minaya did not allow a hit until a third-inning, two-out single by left fielder Aaron Shipman. In the fourth inning, Snappers shortstop Daniel Robertson hit an infield single before Minaya picked up his fourth and fifth strikeouts. Wooten then hit a 1-2 pitch to the Built Ford Tough Deck in right field for his 20^th home run and a 2-1 Beloit lead. Minaya retired the next four batters to complete five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

In the bottom of the fifth, catcher Jobduan Morales and right fielder Jordan Scott drew consecutive walks against right-hander Dylan Covey (1-1), who threw a wild pitch to advance both runners into scoring position. After Covey fanned Kemp and Hernandez, Correa ripped a soaring liner to the Modern Woodmen Berm in left field for a three-run home run - his first since Aug. 9. Covey struck out Vasquez to finish five innings with five hits allowed, four earned runs, three walks and four strikeouts.

With a 4-2 lead, right-hander Richard Rodriguez (0-1) started the top of the sixth inning by allowing a double to designated hitter Ryan Mathews and single to shortstop Daniel Robertson. With one out, Olson drilled a ball over the right field fence for his team-high 23^rd home run and a 5-4 Snappers lead. Rodriguez came back to retire 11 of the next 13 batters to finish a season-high four innings, while yielding four hits, three earned runs and one walk with three strikeouts.

Three Snappers relievers were perfect after Covey. Right-haner Sam Bragg struck out one batter in the sixth inning, and right-hander Nolan Sanburn struck out two batters while retiring all six he faced in the seventh and eighth innings. Right-hander Tyler Vail struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning for his seventh save. Quad Cities had just five hits, and each team left only left three runners on base.

Quad Cities continues its final regular season series against Beloit at Modern Woodmen Park at 5 p.m. Sunday. River Bandits left-hander Josh Hader (2-0) is scheduled to face Snappers right-hander Kyle Finnegan (1-0).

UP NEXT: Arthur & D.W. will be at Modern Woodmen Park for the final Flat Screen Family Sunday, when three lucky fans will win new flat-screen TVs. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. for Bark in the Park, and as part of Fan Appreciation Weekend, the River Bandits players will sign autographs on the field at approximately 35 minutes before the 5 p.m. game. Kids Run the Bases after the game. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at  563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Governor's Key State of the State Priority Would Increase Minimum Wage from $8.25 to $10

CHICAGO - On this Labor Day holiday, Governor Pat Quinn today honored workers across Illinois by visiting Chicago's historic Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church to continue his ongoing fight to raise Illinois' minimum wage from $8.25 to $10. Governor Quinn made raising the minimum wage one of his priorities in his 2013 State of the State address and today's visit furthers his commitment to ensuring all Illinois workers are treated fairly and receive the compensation they deserve.

"No one in Illinois should work 40 hours a week and live in poverty," Governor Quinn said. "There is no better way to honor hard-working men and women across Illinois by raising the minimum wage. As we honor Illinois' workers this Labor Day, we should also remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said 'it's always the right time to do the right thing'."

At the church once visited by Dr. King in 1964, Governor Quinn - a longtime advocate of a higher minimum wage - noted that a full-time minimum wage worker in Illinois makes around $16,600 annually, which is well below the Federal Poverty Threshold of $23,550 for a family of four.

"If we want to fight poverty, curb crime and revitalize our neighborhoods, the best way to do it is with jobs," Governor Quinn said. "Increasing the minimum wage will ensure that many Illinois workers get a fair day's wages for a fair day's work and can pull themselves from poverty."

The Illinois minimum wage ($8.25) - which hasn't been increased since 2010 - is less than half of the average U.S. hourly wage ($19.97) and far less than the typical CEO's hourly pay ($3,072 per hour, according to an Associated Press analysis). By increasing the Illinois minimum wage to $10, a half-million Illinois consumers will make an extra $4,800 a year and much of that extra income will typically be spent at local businesses on food, clothing and furniture.

Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia have raised their minimum wages higher than $7.25 per hour, which is the current federal rate.

In August, Governor Quinn signed three laws that fight questionable practices in order to protect Illinois workers' paychecks. House Bill 2649, House Bill 923 and House Bill 3125 deal with the misclassification of workers and the attempts of employers to avoid paying state employment taxes and premiums.