Celebrate Preservation Month at Brucemore with free guided tours of the Mansion on Saturday, May 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 5 from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Explore over a century of Cedar Rapids history through the lives of the three families who called Brucemore home.  Follow a guide on a tour of the 21-room Queen Anne Mansion and investigate the art, furnishings, technology, architecture, surrounding landscape, and stories preserved at Brucemore. The Mansion tour provides a glimpse into the past and an incomparable way to understand modern Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa. Tours will begin approximately every 15 minutes with the last tour beginning at 3:00 p.m.

In 1971, the National Trust created Preservation Week to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts around the country, and has since grown into an annual celebration for local communities to honor their past and help build their future. The theme for 2013 is "See it. Save it. Celebrate it."

Brucemore will offer other Preservation Month activities in May, including:

• Evening Mansion Tour - May 2, 6:00 p.m.
• Historic Neighborhood Walk - May 9, 6:00 p.m.
• Brucemore Summer Plant Sale - May 11, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Brucemore Arts Share: An Evening of Literature and Music - May 14, 7:00 p.m.
• Hired Help Tour: Working on a Country Estate - May 16, 6:00 p.m.
• Nooks and Crannies Mansion Tours - May 23, 6:00 p.m.
• Brucemore in Bloom Tour - May 30, 6:00 p.m.

For more information about Preservation Month activities during May and throughout the year, visit Brucemore's website at www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375. Visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation website at www.preservationnation.org for more information about Preservation Month.

About Brucemore

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.

St. Ambrose University, April 6, 2013- In college, Saturdays are usually spent lounging around without a care in the world; however, on April 6, 2013 the students of St. Ambrose University will be participating in their first full-length Dance Marathon.  Last year, in less than 10 weeks, a group of SAU students planned and held a four-hour preview event to gain interest from the student body.  More than 200 students attended the event and over $6,000 was raised.  This year, the club hopes to exceed its goal of $15,000.

"Dance Marathon is more than just one event?it's a culture on campus now.  With over 350 dancers so passionate about helping some amazing Kiddos, we've created a culture of helping and service on campus.  And there's no one better or more worthy of helping than kids battling every day for their health and happiness?especially since these kids are from the Quad Cities Area.  'FTK' isn't just three letters?it's a way of life for a lot of us students now.  'For The Kids!' is so much more than three little words!"  -Mark Brauweiler, SAU Dance Marathon President

This year SAU Dance Marathon is supporting 10 amazing Miracle Kids and their families as well as the families of 3 Kiddos who are Dancing in Our Hearts after losing their battles. Throughout the year, members of the organization have held events for the kids and their families, such as a movie night, trick-or-treating in the residence halls, and a carnival night.  The dedicated members of Executive Board and the 350+ registered dancers had the opportunity to get to know the Kiddos on a personal level throughout the year, which in return drives their passion to fundraise For The Kids (FTK!).

Dance Marathon is a culmination of a year of fundraising by dancers to celebrate the lives of the children and families that the money is supporting.   Dancers will stand the entire event to celebrate life and hope for the future. The money that is raised at St. Ambrose University Dance Marathon specifically benefits the children and families of the University of Iowa Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, a Children's Miracle Network Hospital. These donations help fund many areas of hospital need such as enhancements, program support, and primary equipment. The results of these donations help improve the quality of life of the children and their families along with providing education and research of illnesses and treatments.

To learn more about St. Ambrose University Dance Marathon or to donate to this cause, please visit our website www.saudm.org .

Rock Island - Christian Care, a local nonprofit charity that provides shelter and an array of services for homeless men, and women and children who have experienced domestic violence, now offers a support group called Understanding Suicide: ASAP (Awareness, Support, Action, Prevention). The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 3rd at 4:00 p.m. at the Rock Island Public Library, 401 19 th Street in Rock Island. The Understanding Suicide group will meet every other Wednesday from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.

The group has been formed to serve individuals who have contemplated or attempted suicide, those coping with the suicide of a loved one and those concerned about a loved one by providing education, resources, support and an opportunity to share and process thoughts and feelings related to suicide. Although a mental health expert will facilitate the group, this is not a therapy group.

"I went through a hardship ten years ago, and I attempted suicide," said Holly Bailey, one of the group's founders. "I wish people would feel more comfortable talking about mental illness?there's still a stigma that's attached to it, leaving people feeling helpless and all alone."

The group's goals include sharing experiences related to suicide, learning suicide's warning signs, understanding the process for helping at-risk individuals, and providing information and knowledge about preventing suicide. For more information, contact Sharon De Frieze at (309) 799-5421.

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So you're a woman and you want to see the world - on your terms.

Join the crowd!

More and more women are traveling alone or with girlfriends; an estimated 32 million in the past year, according to the Travel Industry Association.

"It's the new trend in travel and, really, it's a no-brainer," says Ruth Yunker, an intrepid solo traveler and author of "Paris, I've Grown Accustomed to Your Ways," (www.ruthyunker.com), a humorous recounting of her extended stay in Paris as part-time resident, part-time tourist.

"Women hold the purse strings, so to speak, and we don't necessarily want to see and experience our travel destinations in the same ways men do."

The numbers tell the story:

• 28 million single women ages 35 and older - a growing demographic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
• Earnings for women with a college degree have increased 31 percent since 1979 while men's grew just 16 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• In 2011, 28 percent of married women made more than their husbands, up from 17.8 percent in 1987.

"We value our independence and we have the means to get up and go, so why not?" Yunker says.

If you're a woman who has dreamed of taking off on a safari, jaunting across Europe or sampling fried seahorses in Beijing, Yunker offers valuable advice:

1. So you want to travel. You are dying to travel. You have a list of 10 favorite places you're going to get to ... one day. Buy the airline ticket six months in advance. A non-refundable ticket. Don't fret. Don't get stopped by all the details. Just do it. There. You've taken the first step. You can, and will, worry about all the other details later. But baby, with this ticket, you are now on your way.

2. Bring a few creature comforts from home. I bring my own pillowcase for the airline pillows, my ragged at-home comfy wear instead of new nightgowns for the hotel or apartment, and the clipboard for working crossword puzzles.

3. Pack only clothes you currently actually wear. Do not buy a ton of new clothes for the trip. A suitcase packed with new clothes is a trip doomed to tears, trust me. The old clothes fit you now. You know without thinking how to look pulled together. The new clothes are uncomfortable. They don't go with anything yet. And they scream brand new traveler!

4. Bring some currency from your destination country with you. Do it. Everyone will tell you otherwise. They'll say it's so much cheaper to change your money once you get there. Maybe. But in the mayhem of the airport, suitcases going in every direction, do you really want to be finding the currency exchange? Just getting to the hotel/apartment will be job enough. So do arrive with Euros or whatever currency you need. It doesn't have to be a huge sum, just enough to ease your arrival.

5. Once at the hotel, unpack your toilet articles and arrange them in the bathroom in the same order you do at home. It makes things so much easier. It's so nice to be able to leave the hotel/apartment without having had a meltdown looking for misplaced mascara.

About Ruth Yunker

Ruth Yunker is an author, humorist, columnist, blogger and diehard world traveler. Her peripatetic childhood led to an adulthood always on the move; she has lived all over the United States, from Boston to Los Angeles, Brussels, Belgium and, for a short time, Paris. Her first book, "Me, Myself & Paris," recounts her first experiences as a single woman living alone in Paris for three six-week stints. Her newest book, "Paris, I've Grown Accustomed to Your Ways," continues the saga from a more City of Light-experienced perspective.