Volunteers are the backbone of the American Red Cross. The sufficiency of the Red Cross blood supply is in the hands of healthy blood donors who give generously for patients in need. With National Volunteer Week approaching, the Red Cross reminds eligible individuals to become regular blood donors.

In the hour it takes to give blood, donors can help save the lives of up to three patients. Make a difference; be a Red Cross blood donor and join a family of volunteers across the country in a lifesaving cause. To make an
appointment or for more information, visit redcrossblood.org.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Carroll County
April 26 from 1-6 p.m. at Carroll County Farm Bureau, 811 S. Clay St. in Mount Carroll, Ill.

Clinton County
April 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lyondell Chemical Co., 3400 Anamosa Road in Clinton, Iowa
April 30 from 12-6 p.m. at Northeast High School, 3690 Highway 136 in Goose Lake, Iowa

Henry County
April 24 from 1:15-5:15 p.m. at First Christian Church, 105 Dwight St. in Kewanee, Ill.
April 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Kewanee Hospital, 1051 W. South St. in Kewanee, Ill.

Mercer County
April 16 from 12-6 p.m. at VFW Hall, 106 SW Third Ave. in Aledo, Ill.
April 22 from 2-6 p.m. at Alexis Community Center, 204 W. Palmer Ave. in Alexis, Ill.

Whiteside County
April 16 from 1-5:15 p.m. at River Bend Senior Center, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Ill.
April 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Morrison Institute of Technology, 701 Portland in Morrison, Ill.
April 17 from 2-6 p.m. at Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.
April 23 from 1-5:15 p.m. at River Bend Senior Center, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Ill.
April 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.
April 25 from 4-7 p.m. at Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.
April 27 from 6:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at CGH Medical Center, 100 E. LeFevre Road in Sterling, Ill.

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.™

How to donate blood
Simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

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THE National Bank presents the meal that serves the community

BETTENDORF, IA - As it prepares to host the Seventh Annual "Lobsterfest" presented by THE National Bank, the Bettendorf Rotary Club looks toward another successful year of serving the meal that provides service to the Quad City Area community (www.bettendorfrotary.com/lobsterfest).

The New England-style lobster boil is set for Saturday, June 8^th - 5:30 to 10 PM - at Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive in Bettendorf. Tickets are priced at $75.00 each or a table of eight for $520.00 (a savings of $10 per ticket). They can be purchased by calling (563) 445-4264 or visiting

www.bettendorfrotary.com/tickets. The event is open to the general public.

THE National Bank (www.thenb.com) is in its second consecutive year as presenting sponsor and is pleased to add to its service to the community with this event. The club also values its involvement with Scott Community College's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management programs (http://www.eicc.edu/adultlearning/programs/career/culinary/culinary.html). These members help prepare the meal and, with a newly expanded relationship with Bettendorf Rotary, will result in further scholarship opportunities for SCC students.

In addition, "Lobsterfest" involves several groups such as the Culinary Kids of Family Resources, Inc. and Boy Scout Troop 24 that assist other volunteers in delivering the fresh meal of Maine lobsters.

Thanks to funds raised at last year's event, the Bettendorf Rotary Club's Charitable Giving Board awarded direct grants to area charities totaling $20,000. The club also awarded $6,000 in scholarships to students pursuing higher education.

Bettendorf Rotary Club (www.bettendorfrotary.com), chartered on May 22, 1957, has more than 100 members fulfilling the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self" in a variety of local, regional and national community volunteer projects. The club meets each Wednesday at Noon at Fortune Garden Restaurant, 2211 Kimberly Road, Bettendorf. The club also has a page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bettendorfrotary).

All clubs are part of Rotary International (www.rotary.org), founded in 1905 by Paul Harris, a Chicago businessman and University of Iowa alumnus. The international organization, now based in Evanston, IL, has more than one million members participating with 32,000 clubs located in more than 200 countries.

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Keep America Beautiful Announces Iowa School Recycling Champion

Davenport, IA - First place in Iowa in a nationwide school recycling competition recently went to Central High School in Davenport, where students recycled 14 pounds of material per person, earning $1,000 in school prize money.

"Central has always been dedicated to recycling, but I knew there was still room to improve. I saw this competition as a way to motivate my peers to think about the impact of how they choose to dispose of materials they use. Central was successful in this competition because students and staff were willing to come together to make recycling a priority," said Daphne Cornish, co-leader of the school's Environmental Club.

Recycle-Bowl is a comprehensive, nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students. The competition, which reached more than 900,000 students across America with schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is facilitated by Keep America Beautiful (www.kab.org), the nation's leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. Recycle-Bowl is sponsored by Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA).

"I couldn't be more proud of the Environmental Club," said Gail Heninger, the Central High School teacher who supervises the club. "I think all the members would agree with me that we've been lucky to have senior Daphne Cornish as co-leader this year. Daphne not only excels academically, but she has used her time and talents to benefit her school and her community. She's amazing! It is through the efforts of students like Daphne and her Environmental Club peers that we see a cleaner, brighter future for the environment here in the Quad-Cities–and beyond."

Environmental Club members will be recognized Thursday, April 4 with a pizza party at the Scott Area Recycling Center, 5640 Carey Ave., Davenport. Media is invited to the event from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

Central High School's recycling efforts are supported locally by iLivehere (www.ilivehereqc.org), a Quad-Cities Keep America Beautiful affiliate housed by Waste Commission of Scott County (www.wastecom.com), which operates the Scott Area Recycling Center.

From Oct. 15 through Nov. 9, 2012, schools participating in Recycle-Bowl recycled as much as possible. The total amount of recyclables recovered during the 2012 competition added up to 4.5 million pounds, which in turn prevented the release of nearly 1,717 metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE). In real-world terms, this reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from 334 passenger cars.

If all students in America recycled at the rate of this year's Recycle-Bowl competitors, approximately 2.4 million tons of material would be diverted annually from landfills. That would be the weight of 201,135 school buses.

"Keep America Beautiful is pleased with the great momentum Recycle-Bowl achieved in its second year, and our congratulations go out not just to Central High School, but to all the effort of students, teachers and school administrators across America," said Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful.

Legislators urged to consider 10 principles including constitutionality and local input, while evaluating legislation

SPARTA - April 1, 2013. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon and members of her Firearms Working Group today urged the General Assembly to use their checklist of principles when evaluating concealed carry legislation. The checklist released today was derived from meetings the group held this spring with stakeholders on all sides of the gun debate.

"Rhetoric can get in the way of common sense law-making," said Simon, a former Southern Illinois prosecutor. "This checklist cuts through the volatile language and gets at the heart of what we need to pass a concealed carry law that is constitutional and prevents needless deaths."

Lt. Governor Simon's Firearms Working Group met with gun owners and advocates, parents who lost children to gun violence, domestic violence prevention professionals, mental and public health experts, law enforcement officials and educators from urban, suburban and rural communities across the state. Recently the group talked with Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg), the sponsor of House Bill 997, which allows for concealed carry of firearms in Illinois.

Simon said the voices reflected deeply-held beliefs on an issue that is not partisan, but regional in Illinois. Both gun rights and violence prevention advocates urged the freshmen senators and representatives who comprise the Firearms Working Group to pass reasonable restrictions that balance the constitutional right to keep and bear arms with the responsibility to prevent violence.

Currently Illinois is the only state in the nation with a law that completely bans carrying concealed firearms. The law was declared unconstitutional in December by a three-member panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Illinois now has until June to pass a law that permits people to carry concealed guns in public spaces.

Despite coming to the group with a wide variety of opinions, these members of the Firearms Working Group reached common ground on the checklist: Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake), Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park), Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Orland Hills), Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield), Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford), Sen. Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago), Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago), Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch (D-Hillside), and Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Addison).

The 10 points on the checklist are:

Constitutionality: The concealed carry law must uphold the right to keep and bear arms, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution.

Basic Qualifications: Concealed carry permits should be issued only to adult residents of Illinois who hold valid Firearms Owner Identification Cards (FOID) and do not pose a danger to themselves or others.

Funding: The concealed carry law should also create a fund made up of user fees in order to finance the concealed carry permit application and renewal process.

Permitting Authority: The Illinois State Police (ISP) should be the permitting authority for concealed carry, and the ISP should maintain a database of permits issued.

Local Input: County sheriffs and local law enforcement authorities should be allowed to provide the ISP with information about whether an applicant poses a safety risk if the applicant were allowed to carry a concealed firearm.

Background Checks: Prior to issuing concealed carry permits, comprehensive criminal background checks should be conducted along with investigations into an applicant's mental health history, record of substance abuse and history of domestic violence.

Firearm Training: Concealed carry permit applicants should be required to complete firearm safety and live fire training prior to receiving and renewing permits.

Permits: Lost, stolen or destroyed concealed carry permits should be reported to authorities in a timely manner.

Sensitive Places: Concealed firearms should be prohibited in certain public places, such as schools, which is consistent with U.S. Supreme Court guidance. Private property owners should also be able to prohibit concealed weapons on that property.

Violations: An applicant who violates the concealed carry law or makes material false statements on concealed carry permit applications should be subject to criminal penalties.

The checklist's release comes on the same day Lt. Governor Simon visited the World Shooting & Recreational Complex in Sparta to learn firsthand about safe gun operation. Please visit www.ltgov.il.gov/guns for additional information about the Firearms Working Group.