The Salvation Army is overwhelmed by the community's generosity!

Quad Cities, USA -Major Gary Felton, Quad Cities Coordinator for The Salvation Army, would like the community to know that the organization is simply blown away by the generosity and enthusiasm shown this year. The goal of $700,000 was achieved, and $717,625 is the final total for this fund raising Major Felton said, "The Quad Cities heard our cry for help, and responded! It feels good to know that we have the community's support as we help people tackle some very tough issues.

"To every Quad Citian that donated at the kettles, directed checks our way, and volunteered to ring bells or work an event, our hearts are filled with gratitude - Thank you!"

During this Red Kettle Campaign, The Salvation Army also packed and distributed 2,300 food boxes to over 2,000 local households. The 3,000+ children in those households received toys Christmas morning because of the generosity of the community at the Angel Trees.  Major Felton continued, "Because the goal was reached, our largest programs at the Family Service Center -- Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, and Meal Site -- will remain strong. Last year we saw a 35% increase in the number of residents living at the Center. 32,000 nights of lodging were provided to the families, and over 43,000 meals were served from this facility to our residents and the community."

Felton extends his gratitude to The Salvation Army's community business partners. Felton said, "I'd like to thank every one of our community partners for giving The Salvation Army the opportunity to ring our bells in front of their establishments."

"And a special thank you to VON MAUR for their match days on December 23rd and 24th. The goal still seemed out of reach, but when we saw a 26% increase for those two days over last year's kettles - a record breaking two days - those additional donations brought us within sight of the $700,000 target."

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(DES MOINES) -  Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced the second leg of their tour across Iowa to share the administration's Condition of the State message with Iowans in their local communities. The tour is set to visit Bettendorf and Mason City next week.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Noon Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds deliver Condition of the State address to Bettendorf Rotary Club at the Fortune Garden Restaurant, 2211 Kimberly Road, Bettendorf, IA

Thursday, January 19, 2012
11 a.m. Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds deliver Condition of the State address at Kaplan University, 2570 4th St SW, Mason City, IA
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St. Malachy's Church

595 E. Ogden Ave., Geneseo, IL

church@saintmalachy.org

Saturday, February 11,   9 am - 3:30 pm

Featuring:

*Italian Café serving Coffee & Rolls (9 to 11 am)

Homemade Soups, Sandwiches, Pies (11 am to 2 pm)

*Artisan Crafts (9 am to 2 pm) from Vendors throughout the Quad City Area                          

*Raffles: "Marie-Grace" American Girl doll, Hand-made Quilt, Hand-crafted Oak Deacon's Bench, John Deere Child's Gator, $100 Heaven Sent Gift Certificate, and Kindle Fire

*Live Auction (2:30 pm) and Silent Auction (ending at 3:30 pm)

*Bake Shoppe with Baked Goods, Candy, Jams, Jellies & more

*Men's Den for men to hang out when their wives are shopping

Sunday, February 12, Spaghetti Dinner  4-7 pm

Raffle Drawing  6 pm

Are you ready for some fun? Tell all your friends! Join us for a night of trivia with a mix of engineering and general questions.

Friday, February 24th, 2012

St. Ambrose Rogalski Center, Davenport, IA

Doors Open @ 6:00pm

Questions Start @ 7:00pm (10 Rounds of 10)

There will be a cash bar. Pizza will be available for purchase, but feel free to bring your own food.

$10 per Person (you can be assigned to a team) or

$80 per Team (Maximum of 8), $5 Admission for Full-time Students

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams will be awarded cash prizes based on total team admission fees. Proceeds will go towards scholarships awarded to Quad City area students. There will be a variety of door prizes, and - a 50/50 raffle will be conducted by the Society of Women Engineers.

For reservations, by February 23rd - text or phone Bonnie at 563-340-3270 OR email at ThiedeBonnieJ@yahoo.com

Please specify team's name, captain, # of players, contact telephone number, and email address. Checks can be made payable to: IIE Ch. 46.

Reserve early, but pay at the door.

Farmers Masonic Lodge No. 168 of Kinross requests your presence for a very special Third Degree for a returned soldier on Thursday, January 26, 2012, with dinner beginning at 6:30 PM.  Lucas Snedigar, 21, currently serving in the U.S. Army, a mechanic and resident of Keota, Iowa, recently home from Afghanistan and completed his First Degree at Farmers Lodge on August 31, 2011, and Second Degree on November 12, 2011.

This is open to Master Masons only in good standing with their lodge.

Please join us for  "One Hero - 3rd Degree in Bibs,"  6:30 PM, Thursday, January 26, 2012, with 3rd Degree work beginning at 7:00 PM.   Farmers Lodge is located in the Christian Church at Kinross, one block south of Highway 22, just west of Wellman, Iowa.

Our Lodge dress for Degree Work is Bib Overalls if you have them.  Otherwise, casual dress is just fine.  Come as you are, you won't want to miss this special occasion to honor a returned soldier at completing his Masonic Degrees.  Contact Brant Andreassen, WM, bandreassen1@yahoo.com or Dave Jackson, Secretary, dbjiowa@netins.net if you plan to attend and can assist.  We always do a group photo.

JACKSONVILLE, IL (01/12/2012)(readMedia)-- Mackenzie Oak of Taylor Ridge has been chosen to serve on the residence life staff at Illinois College for the 2012 academic year.

Oak, is the daughter of Kevin and Cynthia Oak of Taylor Ridge. She is a graduate of Rockridge High School.

Hall directors, or HD's, serve the college in many capacities: implementing, developing and operating the Residential Life program within their building, and serving as role models for their staff and students. HD's are responsible for creating an environment that promotes positive academic and social experiences.

Founded in 1829, Illinois College is a residential liberal arts college fostering academic excellence rooted in opportunities for experiential learning while preparing students for lifelong success.

Red Cedar Chamber Music and Brucemore are partnering for Home Sweet Home, a nostalgic evening of music in the warmth of Brucemore's Great Hall on February 24 and 25 at 8:00 p.m. The intimate wintertime concert features poignant Stephen Foster melodies, 19th-century American popular music, and light classics from the salons of Europe, including arias from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute. Red Cedar Chamber Music's flutist Jan Boland and guitarist John Dowdall will be joined by Lisa Ponton, Principal Viola of Orchestra Iowa and violist of the Orchestra Iowa String Quartet. A champagne and dessert reception will be held during intermission. Tickets are $35 per person or $30 per Brucemore member. Space is limited; please call (319) 362-7375 to purchase tickets.

The Home Sweet Home 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 fifteenth 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." The artists will be performing Serenade, Op. 26 by Wenceslaus Matiegka from Czech Chamber Music for the first time since it was released by Fleur de Son Classics in 1998. Red Cedar Chamber Music returned home to Brucemore in 2009 and 2011. For more information about Red Cedar Chamber Music or other Home Sweet Home performances visit www.redcedar.org or call (319) 377-8028.

Brucemore, Iowa's only National Trust Historic Site, is located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 26-acre park-like estate in the heart of Cedar Rapids boasts a Queen Anne style mansion built between 1884 and 1886. Brucemore has been home to three prominent families who used the estate as a center for culture and the arts. The estate continues to be a hub for cultural, philanthropic, and educational activities. Each year thousands of visitors attend specialty tours, concerts, fine arts performances, children's programs, holiday celebrations, preservation events, and garden workshops on the estate. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

 

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DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Three Quad-Cities area families who endured the heartbreak of the loss of a toddler in 2011 also felt the warmth of Kennedi's Kisses.

Parents of those lost children received assistance with burial expenses and memorial costs as well as the more important message that a community cares, through money raised by Kennedi's Kisses.

Kennedi's Kisses is a support organization and charity founded by Matt and Crystal Sherwood following the death of their young daughter Kennedi Eve on April 27, 2009.

The second annual Kennedi's Kisses Poker Tournament, a primary fundraiser for the fledgling organization, will take place on Friday, Feb. 24, at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport.

Seats are available for 296 players, and the inaugural event sold out last year well before the first hand was dealt. Buy-in is $40 with one $20 rebuy. Prizes include a first-place award of airfare for two and a three-night hotel stay in Las Vegas, plus a $1,000 entry into a World Series of Poker qualifying event.

Cards will hit the air at 6 p.m., with doors to open at 5 p.m.

Pre-registration is recommended at kennediskisses.org. Registration also will take place the night of the event until all seats are sold.

For more information, contact: Kennedi's Kisses, 120 Crestview Drive, Eldridge, IA, 52748, or call Matt Sherwood at (563) 529-4623 or email kennediskisses@yahoo.com.

What: Bowling to Banish Bullies

Who: Ballet Quad Cities

When: February 4th 6pm to10:30pm

Where: Blackhawk Bowl and Martini Lounge at The Hotel Blackhawk

200 E. 3rd Street Davenport, IA 52801

Ticket Prices: $10 for spectators at door,      $40 per person - $240 per team

Ticket Purchase: Send a check to Ballet Quad Cities 613 17th Street Rock Island, IL 61201. Or purchase your tickets online through PayPal at www.ballequadcities.com

Join Ballet Quad Cities for another "way tutu" much fun event to raise dollars for our ongoing anti-bullying program that we take to area schools.
Game, shoes, heavy appetizers and 2 drink tickets are included. Everyone will take home a "bowling bag" filled with certificates and goodies.

Visit our website for a registration form. www.balletquadcities.com

For more information call 309-786-3779

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Senator Chuck Grassley made the following statement after an opinion was released by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel regarding the President's ability to make recess appointments under certain circumstances.  Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led committee Republicans in questioning the Justice Department's role in the White House's position.  Grassley expects a full response from the Justice Department.

"The Justice Department opinion is unconvincing.  Its conclusion is at odds with the text of the Constitution and the administration's own previous statements.  It fundamentally alters the careful separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches that the framers crafted in the Constitution.  It relies on no Supreme Court decision and many conclusions are unsupported in law or the Constitution.  It recognizes that the courts might well disagree.  And it flies in the face of more than 90 years of historical practice.  Taken together with a laundry list of other assertions of the power to act without Congress, this is clearly an escalation in a pattern of contempt for the elected representatives of the American people.  The Senate will need to take action to check and balance President Obama's blatant attempt to circumvent the Senate and the Constitution, a claim of presidential power that the Bush Administration refused to make."

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