Red Cedar Chamber Music Performs He's Gone Away

Red Cedar Chamber Music presents He's Gone Away at Brucemore on Saturday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. Flutist Jan Boland, guitarist John Dowdall, tenor Jonathan Dyrland, narrator Michael Zahs, and actor Susie Streit commemorate the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a blend of nineteenth-century American music, readings from Iowa Civil War letters, and stories about Iowa's role in our nation's greatest conflict.  The poignant Appalachian ballad, He's Gone Away, and letters between a Washington, Iowa soldier and his wife highlight the challenges faced by women left at home, while stories of Iowa nurses reveal contributions women made on the battlefield.  A champagne and dessert reception will be held during intermission.

Tickets are $35 per person or $30 per Brucemore member.  Space is limited; purchase tickets online at www.brucemore.org, by telephone at (319) 362-7375, or by visiting the Brucemore Store.

The He's Gone Away concert provides a natural partnership between two local cultural organizations?nineteenth-century chamber music in a nineteenth-century parlor. As artists in residence at Brucemore in 1983, Jan Boland and John Dowdall began performing nineteenth-century music on period instruments?an 1830 wooden flute and an 1830 gut-strung guitar. Currently celebrating its seventeenth season, Red Cedar Chamber Music continually strives to reach, challenge, and expand audiences that rarely have the opportunity to attend chamber music performances. Red Cedar Chamber musicians inform and entertain audiences, engaging them with lively commentary about the music, composers, and instruments. Their first recording, Czech Chamber Music, received a Critics' Choice award from the American Record Guide, which stated, "Chamber music should be just like this?intimate, bonding, and conversational." For more information about Red Cedar Chamber Music or other performances, visit www.redcedar.org or call (319) 377-8028.

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

Rock Island, IL - One of every three homeless individuals is under the age of eighteen. In recognition of this sad statistic, Aeropostale?a retail clothing store that primarily serves the youth market?is focused on helping homeless youth in need of clothing. Aeropostale is collecting clean, gently used jeans as part of the Teens For Jeans campaign to benefit residents of Christian Care and other needy area youth. Donations of new or gently used jeans of all shapes and sizes are welcome.

The program provides an easy way to pass along jeans that are no longer wanted while making sure that young people in need of clothing do not have to go without. Those wishing to participate in this program can bring the jeans they wish to donate to Aeropostale, located inside of North Park Mall, at 320 W Kimberly Road in Davenport from January 13 through February 6. Christian Care will then distribute them, free of charge, to needy youth in the area.

The Teens For Jeans Campaign is sponsored in part by DoSomething.org the country's largest not-for-profit for young people and social change. DoSomething.org spearheads national campaigns so 13- to 25-year-olds can make an impact - without ever needing money, an adult, or a car. Over 2.4 million people have taken action through DoSomething.org, putting the focus on pressing issue such as bullying, animal cruelty, homelessness and cancer.

Christian Care is transforming the lives of homeless individuals, victims of domestic violence, veterans, men and women coming out of prison, and the mentally ill. Their two facilities?a domestic violence shelter for abused women and children and a rescue mission for homeless men?provide safe shelter, nutritious meals, clothing, counseling, referrals and guidance to those in need. Christian Care's services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the goal of nourishing the bodies, minds, hearts and souls of the men, women and children who come seeking a new way of life. Help Christian Care help others; donate now. Call Lindsey at 309-786-5734 for more information, or visit Christian Care's website at www.christiancareqc.org.

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in the Quad Cities!

Saturday, Jan. 25th at 1:30 PM

Bettendorf High School's

Performing Arts Center

$22 - Adults; $12 - age 18 & under

Tickets available through

Bettendorf High School's Activity Office

563-332-4516 OR CLICK HERE

to order online

Special pricing available to

Big Brothers Big Sisters members

This performance sponsored by:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday, Feb. 21st at 7:30 PM

Davenport North High School's

Holzworth Auditorium

$22 - Adults; $12 - age 18 & under

Tickets available through Ballet Quad Cities

309-786-3779

QUESTIONS?

Contact Diane at Ballet Quad Cities

309.786-3779

dkosterballetqc@mediacombb.net

By Jason Alderman

Anyone who's ever been asked to step in and manage their parents' or someone else's personal finances can tell you that it's an awesome responsibility - and by "awesome," I don't mean "totally cool." It's more like "inspiring an overwhelming feeling of fear." (Thank you, Dictionary.com.)

In recognition that millions of Americans act as fiduciaries (i.e., manage money or property) for loved ones, often with no formal training or expertise, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has created four, easy-to-understand caregiver guides called "Managing Someone Else's Money" (at www.consumerfinance.gov.)

CFPB Director Richard Cordray notes that there are 50 million older Americans - and millions of aging baby boomers are rapidly approaching retirement. Some 22 million people over 60 have already given someone power of attorney to make their financial decisions, and millions of others - including younger disabled adults - have court-appointed guardians or other fiduciaries. "In order to protect our seniors, we must educate the caregiver generation," he explains.

Sometimes that means learning more about the financial products and services available to seniors to help them make informed choices. But often, it's the caregivers themselves who must make critical decisions - whether they've got power of attorney for a parent with Alzheimer's or have been tapped to manage Social Security benefits for a disabled friend.

The CFPB guides are geared toward people in four different fiduciary capacities:

• Someone has granted you "power of attorney" to make money and property decisions on his or her behalf.
• "Court-appointed guardian," where a court appoints you guardian over a person's money and property when they can't manage it themself.
• You're named as "trustee" under someone's revocable living trust and have decision-making powers over the trust's assets.
• "Government fiduciary," where you've been appointed by the government to manage someone's Social Security or Veterans Administration income benefits.

The CFPB cites four main responsibilities for fiduciaries:

• Act in the person's best interest. For example, a fiduciary shouldn't loan or give the person's money to themselves or others and should avoid other conflicts of interest. The guides provide examples of actions that may pose conflicts.
• Manage money and property carefully. This includes paying bills on time, protecting unspent funds, investing carefully, and maintaining a list of all monies, properties and debts.
• Keep your money and property separate. This means paying the person's expenses from his or her own funds, and avoiding joint accounts.
• Maintain good records: Keep detailed lists of money received or spent on the person's behalf, avoid paying in cash in order to have a record of purchases, and keep all receipts.

The guides walk caregivers through their fiduciary responsibilities and provide practical money-management ideas, such as what sorts of records you should keep, how to interact with banks and other professionals on their behalf, and suggestions for avoiding conflicts with family members and friends who disagree with your actions.

They also provide tips for spotting financial exploitation and avoiding scams. As Cordray notes, seniors "make attractive targets because they often have tangible household wealth - whether it is in retirement savings or home equity - but they may be isolated or lonely or otherwise susceptible to being influenced by a predator in disguise."

Bottom line: Fiduciaries must be trustworthy, honest and act in good faith. If you don't meet these standards you could be removed from the position, sued, forced to repay ill-spent money or possibly even jailed. That's why it's important to make sure you're qualified before accepting the responsibility of watching over someone's finances.