DAVENPORT, Iowa -- May 24, 2012 -- Genesis Health System is proud to be a
sponsor of summer in the Quad Cities.

"Genesis Health System enjoys sponsoring a wide range of community events that
contribute to our diverse and vibrant quality of life and promote wellness,'' said Ken
Croken, vice president of corporate communications and business development,
Genesis Health System. "An active community with quality events like these help us
recruit and retain health professionals to the community."

Kicking off the summer is the Quad Cities Criterium bike races on Monday, May 28
on the streets of downtown Rock Island. Genesis is the presenting sponsor.

Genesis will also sponsor the Susan G. Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure as
founding sponsor on June 9 in Moline; Father's Day with the River Bandits to benefit
Genesis Cancer Care Institute and the fight against prostate cancer, June 17;
Red, White & Boom bi-state Independence Day celebration on Tuesday, July 3;
Genesis Firecracker Run in East Moline on Wednesday, July 4, in East Moline; Camp
Genesis, a free camp experience for children with cancer in their families, July 8-
13; and, Quad-City Times Bix 7 on Saturday, July 28 in Davenport.

More events may be added later.

The Criterium is first on the schedule, starting at 8 a.m. on Monday. The event
attracts top amateur and professional bike racers from all over the country. There
are events for juniors, men, women and masters riders.

For information on the Quad Cities Criterium, go to www.quadcitiescriterium.com.

Here is information about other Quad Cities events Genesis is sponsoring this
summer:

•

Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure. When: 8 a.m., Saturday, June 9.
Where: i wireless Center, Moline. Event information: Register for the 5K
or 1.2 mile walk/run. Or, you don't have to run a step to support the cause.
Sleep-In for the Cure, or become one of the Men In Pink and just cheer on
everyone else. Genesis is the Founding Sponsor of the event. Information/
registration: www.komenquadcities.org.

•

Fight Prostate Cancer On Father's Day With The River Bandits. When:
5 p.m., Sunday, June 17. Where: Modern Woodmen Park, Davenport. Event
information: A bleacher ticket and a barbeque buffet served from 4-6 p.m.
is $25, with a portion of proceeds going to the Genesis Cancer Care Institute
and the fight against prostate cancer. For more: www.riverbandits.com.

•

Red, White and Boom! When: 6 p.m., Tuesday, July 3. Where: Davenport
and Rock Island riverfront; Event information: Celebrate America's

Birthday with the best fireworks display in the Quad-Cities shot over the Mighty

Mississippi. There are also live performances, fun activities, food, drinks, and

more. For more: http://sites.google.com/site/redwhiteboom/

•

Genesis Firecracker Run. When: 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 4.
Where: East Moline. Event information: 5K/10K; new 10K 2-person
relay; Kiddie run; The National Bank Mile; Hospital Bed Races. For more:
www.firecrackerrun.com.

•

Camp Genesis. When: July 8-13. Where: YMCA Camp Abe Lincoln, Blue
Grass, Iowa; Camp information: A free camp experience for children who
are dealing with cancer in their families. A traditional camp experience of
swimming, horseback riding, a climbing tower but also cancer education and
educational and emotional support from Gilda's Club Quad Cities. For more:
Call Gilda's Club at (563) 326-7504 for information or download a camp
application at www.gildasclubqc.org (click on the Camp Genesis link.)

•

Quad-City Times Bix 7. When: 8 a.m., Saturday, July 28. Where:
Downtown Davenport. Information: A world-class 7-mile road race. There
is also a 3-mile Quick Bix and Jr. Bix events on July 27. Genesis is a Platinum
Sponsor, the volunteer sponsor and Genesis professionals staff the medical
tent. For more: www.bix7.com.

###

This spring, with the help of 800 volunteers, including an AmeriCorps NCCC team, Living Lands & Waters (LL&W) packaged and distributed over 140,000 oak tree saplings to community members, schools, park districts, and businesses within 13 different states throughout the country.  Over 350 volunteers helped LL&W wrap 24,500 saplings at the QCCA Expo center over a 6-day period in March.  Along with the wrapping and distribution, LL&W also hosted community plantings in Peoria, IL and Des Moines, IA.

 

Living Lands & Waters began the MillionTrees Project (MTP) in 2007.  In the past six years, 476,000 tree saplings have been wrapped, handed out, and/or planted with the help of over 3,000 volunteers.  The main goal of MTP has been to plant one million trees to provide shelter and a viable food source for wildlife and migratory birds, increase biodiversity, help reduce run-off and erosion, and to improve water and air quality.  The planting and distribution of oak tree saplings also helps repopulate devastated areas such as Joplin, MO after the tornado, Southern Illinois after the inland hurricane, and Cedar Rapids after the tremendous flooding.  Tree handouts are held on Earth Day at several schools to bring awareness about the importance of trees and their environment to the students as well.

 

The AmeriCorps NCCC team, stationed out of Vinton, IA, worked side by side with Living Lands & Waters for two months and contributed so much to the organization's mission.  The journey started when the team joined forces with LL&W to clean up a portion of the Mississippi River during LL&W's Alternative Spring Break in Memphis, TN.  The Americorps NCCC, also known as Maple 1, then stopped off at LL&W's nursery in Beardstown, IL to help harvest 20,000 saplings and prepare the beds for next season. Maple 1 was a huge asset to LL&W's MillionTrees Project this year, doing everything asked of them including wrapping, packaging, distributing, and planting.

 

LL&W is looking to establish a new nursery in the Quad Cities where 150,000 acorns will be planted in the first year.  Volunteers will be needed to assist with the upkeep and harvesting of this nursery.  For more information, visit LL&W's website at www.livinglandsandwaters.org or call the MillionTrees Project Coordinator, Ashley Stover, at 309.737.5913.

 

Chad Pregracke started Living Lands & Waters in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the beautification and restoration of America's major rivers and to the education of people about environmental issues. From his single boat beginning, LL&W has grown to an internationally known organization with a fleet of barges and workboats.  LL&W engages thousands of volunteers each year in river cleanups, hands-on environmental education workshops, the Great Mississippi River Cleanup, Adopt-a- River-Mile programs and the Million Trees Project.

###

SPRINGFIELD - May 23, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today issued the following statement regarding the House's passage of SB 1849.

 

"It's ironic that on the very day that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced his resignation, the Illinois House would pass a gambling bill that continues to have major ethical shortcomings.

 

"This new bill falls well short of the ethics standards I proposed in my framework last October. Most importantly, it does not include a ban on campaign contributions as lawmakers in other states have done to keep corruption out of the gambling industry and out of Illinois. Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and bordering states like Iowa, Michigan and Indiana have all approved such bans.

 

"It does not provide the Illinois Gaming Board with sufficient time to make critical licensing and regulatory decisions. This bill also does not provide adequate oversight of the procurement process. It does not ensure clear oversight of the proposed Chicago casino.

 

"As long as I'm governor, I will not support a gambling bill that falls well short of protecting the people of Illinois. It is clear that this gaming bill still needs significant improvement.

 

"Finally, Illinois cannot gamble its way out of our fiscal challenges. I urge the members of the Illinois House and Senate to pay close attention to the most pressing issues that we must address by next Thursday, May 31 -pension reform and Medicaid restructuring."

 

###

Financial how-to books come and go - they're published by the hundreds every year. But Peter Grandich, dubbed "The Wall Street Whiz Kid" by Good Morning America's Steve Crowley, says the one he relies on has been around for nearly 2,000 years.

"I get my financial guidance from the Bible," says Grandich, author of Confessions of a Wall Street Whiz Kid (www.confessionsofawallstreetwhizkid.com). "Money and possessions are the second most referenced topic in the Bible - money is mentioned more than 800 times - and the message is clear: Nowhere in Scripture is debt viewed in a positive way."

Grandich, who says his years as a highly successful Wall Street stockbroker left him spiritually depleted and clinically depressed, says the Bible is an excellent financial adviser, whether or not you're religious.

"The writers of the Bible anticipated the problems we would have with money and possessions; there are more than 2,000 references," he says. "Our whole culture now is built on the premise that we have to have more money and more stuff to feel happy and secure. Public storage is the poster child for what's wrong with America. We have too much stuff because we've bought into the myth fabricated by Wall Street and Madison Avenue that more stuff equals more happiness."  He adds, "That's the total opposite of the truth, and the opposite of what it says in The Bible."

What's Grandich's No. 1 most important biblical rule of finance? "God owns everything. You may have bought that house, but He gave you the money to buy it, so it's His."

Some other lessons from the ultimate financial guide?

• Do put money aside for investing: "One of the most revealing parables is Jesus' story about a wealthy master who left three servants in charge of his financial affairs when he went away on a long journey," Grandich says. "When he returned, two of the servants had multiplied the coins for which they were responsible. The third buried his to keep it safe." That last servant ended up out on his ear. The story is a lesson: We must invest our money - and invest wisely.

• Debt's not prohibited, but it should be avoided: The Bible clearly warns that the borrower will be a servant to the lender, but it also instructs us to lend money. That suggests that there are times when it's OK to borrow, but it should not become a way of life. The Bible also instructs us to repay what we've borrowed.

• The more you make, the more you should give: This is a hard one for people caught up in buying bigger and better things, but there are numerous references to charitable giving. The Bible says that it's quite all right to buy the bigger house - but the more you make and spend on yourself, the more you need to give to others. That doesn't include tithing, another very clear demand: God expects you to give 10 percent of your wealth to your place of worship.

• Don't focus on acquiring possessions: There are many, many warnings that accumulating stuff is dangerous. Material things are fleeting and they'll do you no good in the long run. What you put your effort into, that's where your heart will be, Grandich says.

About Peter Grandich

Peter Grandich became renowned in the financial industry when he predicted market crashes and rebounds in The Grandich Letter, a newsletter he created in 1984. It's currently a blog featuring his commentary on the world's economies and financial markets as well as social and political topics. Grandich is co-founder, with former New York Giants player Lee Rouson, of Trinity Financial Sports & Entertainment Management Co., a firm that specializes in offering guidance from a Christian perspective to professional athletes and celebrities.