Take home a treasure from Brucemore's greenhouse at the annual Brucemore Plant Sale on Saturday, May 12, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Several plants seen in Brucemore's formal garden will be available for sale, including annuals, perennials, and hanging baskets. A variety of herbs will also be available, including basil, thyme, and rosemary. Plant Sale prices range from $3.50 to $30.00, with all the proceeds benefiting garden and landscape rehabilitation projects at Brucemore. The Plant Sale will be located around the 1915 Lord & Burnham Greenhouse to celebrate the grand opening of this structure, which has been closed since 2008 and underwent rehabilitation in 2012.

The "Heritage Section" will return for a second year to feature a limited supply of a Cedar Rapids' celebrity-inspired plant with a history on the Brucemore estate. The Bill Quarton Plant (Iresine lindenii or commonly called Bloodleaf) began its story at Brucemore around 1985. Mr. Quarton brought it to former head gardener Don Novy to winter in Brucemore's Lord & Burnham Greenhouse. While Mr. Quarton passed away in August of 2007, clippings of the plant can be seen around the estate.

The garden staff will be on hand to provide expert advice on the selection, placement, and care of plants; and a variety of garden books and merchandise are available for purchase in the Brucemore Store. For further information on the Brucemore Plant Sale, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

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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At 6 feet and 5 inches tall, Shawn Thomas stands out in virtually any crowd, but there are several things that make him unique among Christian recording artists. He writes and records his own songs, he tours at no cost, and his ministry includes an outreach to the GLBT community.

Thomas, a Florida-based singer-songwriter with seven CDs to his credit, will visit MCC of the Quad Cities to deliver his message of inclusion at 7:00pm on Saturday, May 12th with a full concert, and again as part of morning worship on Sunday, May 13th at 11:00am.A four-time Pride in the Arts Awards recipient from The Stonewall Society and 14-time nominee, Shawn Thomas'

A four-time Pride in the Arts Awards recipient from The Stonewall Society and 14-time nominee, Shawn Thomas' newest musical effort is a two-disc set called "Covered and Created," which features 10 tracks previously recorded by other artists (the  Covered" disc) and 10 new original works (the "Created" disc).

In 2010, he released a book describing his experience as being both gay and Christian. Titled "Unashamed: Coming Out of the Second Closet," the volume deals with being in the crosshairs from both groups, as many Christians think his sexuality is incompatible with faith and many in the GLBT community believe his faith runs contrary to GLBT causes. In its pages, Thomas explains that neither assumption is true.

With a minister as a father and a talented musician as his mother, Shawn's ministry is the natural combination of his musical and spiritual influences. A member of the Grammy Recording Academy, Shawn Thomas emerges not only as an outstanding performer and singer, but as a dynamic and versatile worship leader and presenter. His intention is to share the message of God's of love and grace through music in order to build unity, understanding, and acceptance while still encouraging personal responsibility, self-reliance, and the development of conviction and values.

"Covered and Created" as well as Shawn's book and other CD releases are available for sale on popular internet sites including iTunes.com and Amazon.com, and is distributed by Aaron's Rainbow Project and Shawn Thomas Studios, West Palm Beach, FL. For more information about Shawn Thomas and his ministry, visit www.shawnthomasonline.com and www.aaronsrainbowproject.com.

MCC of the Quad Ciites is located at 3019 N Harrison in Davenport, and can be contacted at 563-324-8281 or on the web at www.mccqc.com.

JOLIET, IL (04/11/2012)(readMedia)-- A collection of eight clergy and community-based church leaders from the Chicago area gathered at the Joliet National Guard Armory April 10 to kick off a five-event Partners In Care campaign.

"The purpose is to bring clergy as well as community-based church leaders together to offer training in terms of how they can better support military members in their congregation as well as their community," said Chaplain (Capt.) Vincent C. Lambert of Chicago, with 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery in Chicago. "So the idea is that we want to provide them with tools, resources and training that better equips them to serve the military population."

This training is in light of the vast amount of people in Illinois who are connected to the military. There are more than 750,000 people living in Illinois who have either served or are serving in the Armed Forces.

"Military personnel are a significant chunk of the population, here in Illinois and if we can get as many partners as possible to help support the population I think the state is better for it, those families are better for it and ultimately the people who provide that support are better for it," said Lambert.

Martin R. Stidham of Chicago and pastor at the Chicago International Church initially expressed interest in the Partners In Care training to understand and help his son who is in the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Illinois. He walked away with a larger vision of how beneficial this training could be.

"I would say we are more equipped now," said Stidham. "I, at least, feel more compassionate toward them, more understanding of what they've gone through. I feel that I have a much greater understanding than before. Understanding is a good tool to help listen better."

Those in attendance received instruction to help servicemembers with traumatic physical and mental injuries to deal with post traumatic stress disorder. Instructors then addressed secondary traumatic stress disorders and the pain family members can go through, with the goal to effectively support servicemembers facing the reality that there is a "new normal."

"What we want is to make sure that we're offering resources that helps individuals be emotionally healthy, spiritually healthy, and to have a good family," said Lambert. "So the idea is to offer up resources that are spiritual, emotional and mental so that people will be whole and healed."

The Partners in Care program looks to take advantage of a unique connection between institutions of faith and the military.

"I think the military benefits greatly from the stability and support that is provided by religious communities and by people of faith," said Tony J. Sorgi of Chicago, a doctoral student at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in the military psychology track. "I think it can provide a measure of mental resilience from a psychological perspective and I think that's very important. On the flip side I think the military communities make enormous contributions to the religious communities they are a part of in civil society. The experience of war is profound and for the people who work their way through that experience, they bring a strength to democracy and civil society that we badly need."

The Partners In Care campaign will continue with a stop at the Chicago Armory April 12, the Mount Vernon Armory April 17, the Elgin Armory April 18, and the Illinois Military Academy at Camp Lincoln in Springfield April 25. All instruction beginning at 9 a.m.

"The more partners we have, the more points of support we have throughout the state," said Lambert. "The more points of support we have the better we are at being able to support our military personnel and their families. We are always looking for more partners and houses of faith that would be committed and want to become a part of the program."

Date Location

April 12 Chicago Armory; 5200 S. Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago

April 17 Mount Vernon Armory; 205 7th St., Mount Vernon

April 18 Elgin Armory; 254 Raymond St., Elgin

April 25 Camp Lincoln Illinois Military Academy, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield

Original works by local high school students due April 18^th

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today that the deadline for high school students in the Second Congressional District to submit original pieces of art to be considered in the Congressional Art Competition is April 18^th.  In the spring of every year, the United States House of Representatives hosts this competition to recognize talented young artists from across the nation. The winning student from each district is invited to Washington, DC for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and will have his or her artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.

"The creativity of our talented young artists demonstrates that the arts are thriving in Iowa.  Each year that I have hosted this contest, I have been amazed by the talent of these students," said Loebsack. "For a young artist, having your artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol is quite a remarkable accomplishment. Judging this competition is always difficult, but I look forward to seeing this year's entries and meeting with the artists."

All entries should be sent to Loebsack's Iowa City office at 125 South Dubuque Street, not later than Wednesday, April, 18^th.  Loebsack will also host a reception to honor all students who submit artwork on Saturday, April 21^st from 11:00am to Noon at the University of Iowa's Art Building West on North Riverside Drive in Iowa City. For additional details about the competition, students should contact Dave Leshtz in Loebsack's Iowa City office at 319-351-0789.

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