Piano Celebration, hosted by Piano for a Richer Life, is looking for piano players of all levels to perform!  Last year over 400 talented local celebrities, student pianists and piano enthusiasts of all ages performed at Northpark Mall in Davenport with a dual purpose:  to raise funds to support Ronald McDonald House and get the message out that piano study equals brain development!

Iowa City Ronald McDonald House serves the families of thousands of children suffering from critical conditions.  The House receives no state or federal tax dollars, relying 100% on private gifts.

Numerous University studies prove that piano study leads to increased brain development, academic achievement and builds confidence while keeping you happy and healthy.  "Piano Celebration helps to get the important message out - while raising substantial dollars for Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City," quotes Jim Foster, the spokesman for Piano for a Richer Life.

The event will take place on Saturday, April 16th 10am-5pm and Sunday, April 17th noon-5pm at Northpark Mall in Davenport, Iowa. Three conservatory grand pianos will be placed outside of Dillard's, Younkers and JC Penny's stores.

Contact Lynn Kroeger at 563-285-8421 to schedule a performance time or to give a financial contribution. Donations can also be made during the performances at any of the three concert locations.

Over the past 6 years Piano Celebration has raised over $210,000 for Iowa City's Ronald McDonald House, and this year the goal is $35,000.  Admission is free and the public is welcome!

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) introduced a bill that would require a full accounting of the human and financial costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Earlier this week, Rep. Braley returned from a Congressional fact-finding mission in Afghanistan where he met with General David Petraeus and discussed the cost of the Afghanistan war with him. Rep. Braley also met with several top commanders on the ground and numerous Iowa National Guard troops - 3,500 of which are currently stationed in Afghanistan.

"These wars are incredibly personal for me and the people of my district," said Rep. Braley. "I've met with dozens of my constituents - young men and women and their families - who have sacrificed a great deal in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And when I meet injured soldiers and I see the hardships - physical and financial - that they and their families will endure for the rest of their lives it becomes crystal clear that the true cost of the war is not being accurately reported. With this bill, we can change that."

The bipartisan True Cost of War Act, co-sponsored by Republican Congressman Walter Jones (NC-03), requires the President to work with the Secretaries of Defense, State and Veterans Affairs to submit a written report to Congress on the long-term human and financial costs of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan through 2020.

"In the last 10 years, Congress has appropriated over a trillion dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Rep. Braley. "But what we don't account for in that figure is the more than 5,800 U.S. Service members who've been killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Or the more than 40,000 who've been wounded and who will spend the rest of their lives treating injuries like PTSD, traumatic brain injury, severe burns and amputated limbs. These are not just costs that our troops and their families bear - these are also significant costs for the Veterans Affairs department and all American taxpayers. As a nation, we have a right to know what these conflicts will actually cost us."

Rep. Braley has been fighting for a true accounting of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since he came to Congress. He has introduced and passed similar language in several amendments to past House bills.

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The advent of spring brings about a special type of activity in the Midwest, the training and retraining of weather spotters and a heightened awareness of being prepared in the event of an emergency.

Girl Scouts is no different in being prepared. A unique series of programs has been brought to the region this year by Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois in an effort to prepare girls for emergencies, disasters, severe weather and climate change. The series of programs, which started earlier this year, has been well received by audiences of girls and their parents.

The first set of programs held in January taught girls and their families who attended information about recognizing severe weather threats and trends, learning about the basics of weather and forecasting, looking at a weather map and how to protect your family in bad weather.

For almost 100 years, Girl Scouts has been at the forefront of preparing girls to be leaders. "Be Prepared" has been the motto of Girl Scouts since 1917, and this series of sessions helps girls to be better prepared in their households and communities. There are any number of types of emergencies to be prepared for, including natural hazards such as floods, tornadoes, fires and winter storms; technological hazards such as hazardous materials incidents or nuclear power plant emergencies; and terrorism from explosions and chemical threats. Recovering from disasters includes following health and safety guidelines, seeking disaster assistance, coping with the disaster and helping others.

The Girl Scouts disaster preparedness series is being presented by Eddy Weiss, a storm chaser, through the weather education organization, Chasing 4 Life. The program he presents gives girls in grades 2-12 the skills needed to be prepared in the event of disaster and weather emergencies. Girls and parents say they love Weiss' interactive speaking style as well as the way he relates to young people.

A series of program across Eastern Iowa this week and next week and also in April and May will take home Eddy Weiss' message to girls and their families on a variety of preparedness topics. This week and next week, Weiss talks about emergency preparedness, especially helping girls and their families become prepared in case of an emergency and to tell them how to make a disaster preparedness kit for the home.

In April, the program offered is on climate change and helps girls understand the past, present and future of climate change and how it affects everyone. Weiss' May program is about animal safety and how disasters affect not only humans, but also our pets. He helps girls make a plan for their pets during disasters and other emergencies.

Ensuring that your family is prepared in the event of a disaster or emergency is essential to getting through the event. Families should know how to receive warnings about impending disasters and have a plan to respond to those. It's also helpful to catalog the types of disasters and emergencies that might happen in your community in an effort to become prepared for each type of event.

By identifying the types of emergencies and disasters to be prepared for, a plan can be created by families, especially in knowing where to meet outside the home and perhaps elsewhere in the community in case of a widespread disaster. An out-of-state family member or friend can be a contact for those to coordinate where everyone is located.

The April sessions by Weiss talk about climate change and how the past, present and future affects all of us. Earth has warmed by about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the past 100 years, but scientists aren't sure why and how that has occurred. Earth could be getting warmer on its own, but many of the world's leading climate scientists think that things people are doing are helping to make the earth warmer. Weiss' presentation in April will help girls understand the importance of global warming.

The May sessions presented for Girl Scouts by Chasing 4 Life address the issues of pets in the home and how disasters force us to plan for them, too. Only in recent years has the Federal Emergency Management Agency recognized the importance of planning for pets in disasters. FEMA says on its website that pets should not be left behind in a disaster because they cannot survive on their own during an evacuation and families may not be able to find their pets when they return home.

While many emergency shelters may not be able to accept pets, some hotels and motels may be able to. It's a good idea to call in advance and identify possible locations you may be able to go with your pet in the event of a disaster situation. Pets also have needs during an evacuation, including food, safe drinking water, leashes or pet carriers, cat litter and medications. Being prepared with a checklist will assist in a speedy evacuation with your family and pet.

The emergency preparedness sessions presented over the next week by Weiss will occur at these locations on these dates:

Emergency and disaster preparedness: 6-7:30 p.m., Friday, March 11, First United Methodist Church, Mount Pleasant; 10-11 a.m., Saturday, March 12, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dubuque; 3-4:30 p.m., Saturday, March 12, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Bettendorf; 6-7:30 p.m., Monday, March 14, Taft Middle School, Cedar Rapids; and 6-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 15, Kaplan University, Cedar Falls.

Climate change: 5:30-7 p.m., April 27, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Bettendorf; 6-7:30 p.m., April 28, First United Methodist Church, Mount Pleasant; 6-7 p.m., April 29, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dubuque; 2-3:15 p.m., April 30, Hope Lutheran Church, Cedar Rapids; and 10-11:30 a.m., April 30, First United Methodist Church, Cedar Falls.

Pet safety during emergencies and disasters: 6-7:30 p.m., May 19, Highland Elementary School, Waterloo; 6-7 p.m., May 20, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Dubuque; 5:30-7 p.m., May 23, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Bettendorf; 6-7:30 p.m., May 24, Aldo Leopold Middle School auditorium, Burlington; 6-7:30 p.m., May 25, Jefferson High School auditorium, Cedar Rapids.

Cost of each event is $7 per girl and $5 per adult, and includes a Chasing 4 Life patch for girls. Seating is limited and is expected to fill up fast for each event. Register by going to GirlScoutsToday.com or call 800-798-0833. For more information about the event, including an online video, visit GirlScoutsToday.com and click on the link from the rotating billboard on the home page. Girls who are not current Girl Scouts may attend the sessions by becoming a member; dues are only $1 a month.

Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development program for girls where girls can have fun, make new friends and learn new things in a safe all-girl setting. For more information, visit GirlScoutsToday.com or call your local Girl Scout Leadership Center at 800-798-0833.

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Quad Cities, USA (March 7, 2011) - March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and gastroenterologists  and other healthcare professionals from around the Quad Cities are joining forces to spread the word about how colon cancer can be prevented.  Colon Cancer Free QCA is a coalition of physicians and staff from The Center for Digestive Health, Gastroenterology Consultants and Trinity Medical Center.  Colon Cancer Free QCA is coordinating efforts to raise public and clinical awareness of the role that colonoscopies play in the prevention and early detection of colon cancer.  Physicians from these practices will address groups in the area about why colonoscopies are so important.  Others will be talking with family physicians about the importance of patients receiving colonoscopies early in life.  Colon Cancer Free QCA will also publish public service announcements throughout March.

On Saturday, March 5th, as part of Colon Cancer Free QCA, free colonoscopies were provided to 15 uninsured patients identified as high-risk by the Good Samaritan Clinic in Moline.  Nurses and support staff from Trinity Regional Health System - along with Drs. Ahmad Cheema, Sreenivas Chintalapani, Arvind Movva, Shasinath Chandrashasegowda and Poonput Chotiprasidhi,  gastroenterologists from competing practices -- volunteered their service.  The exams were performed free-of-charge for the high-risk patients, who were identified as being high-risk by the Good Samaritan Clinic.  Anesthesiologists from Western Illinois Anesthesiology participated in the free clinic.  Lab and pathology services were donated by Metro Lab.  A grant from Trinity Health Foundation helped fund part of the clinic's costs.

Excluding skin cancer, colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosis in the United States.  It remains among the top three cancer killers, even though it is also the most preventable form of deadly cancer. The most effective means of preventing colon cancer is a colonoscopy, where pre-cancerous polyps are removed before they turn to cancer and early cancers are seen and biopsied, often before they cause symptoms.  If the cancer is detected early, before symptoms appear, a person's chance of survival is about 90 percent. People with an average risk for colon cancer should be tested at age 50.  However, screenings should begin at age 40 if you have a family history of colon cancer.   Colon cancer affects men and women equally, crossing all socio-economic lines.

Among those serving on Colon Cancer Free QCA committee are several who've been personally touched by colon cancer.   Committee member Courtney Boothe is a Moline native and the daughter of Frank Boothe, a colon cancer survivor, "This coalition is doing something that is much needed in today's world, I hadn't really heard of colon cancer until my father was diagnosed with it. Last year when I heard about Colon Cancer Free QCA, I wanted to do anything I could to help raise awareness."  Booth hopes her participation in CCFQCA inspires others to take a step that could save their lives.

For more information about Colon Cancer Free QCA visit www.coloncancerfreeqca.com.

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