(Augustana College, Rock Island, IL) - Sybil Sanchez, Director of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), will deliver the 2011 Stone Lectureship in Judaism, the 26th annual lecture to be delivered in the series.

Speaking on "Judaism: A Green Religion," Sanchez will address Judaism's inherent environmental ethos and its stance on energy, climate change, public health, and biodiversity. Sanchez will discuss COEJL's ongoing policy work as well as other efforts to mobilize the Jewish community, including the Jewish Energy Covenant Campaign.

Sanchez is a leader in coordinating efforts in the Jewish community and beyond to work towards environmental change. She has advocated for years on social-justice issues and served as executive director of the Jewish Labor Committee and director of UN Affairs at B'nai B'rith International. She has a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.

The Stone Lectureship in Judaism was established in 1983 by friends of Dr. Alex and Martha Stone, long-time residents of Rock Island, and supports speakers and materials which increase awareness of the cultural and historical contributions of Judaism to the traditions of Western culture.

The Stone Lectureship is free and open to the public and takes place Tuesday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Wallenberg auditorium in Denkmann Memorial Hall (3520 - 7th Ave.) on the Augustana College campus.

(MAQUOKETA, IA) Maquoketa Art Experience is hosting a "Create-a-Painting" Workshop led by artist and writer Sandra Principe of Hanover, Illinois on Saturday, April 2 from 12-3 p.m. at the Maquoketa Art Experience studio located at 124 S. Main Street in Maquoketa.

Principe has created a painting event for anyone who is interested in exploring work with acrylic paints. In this class, participants will create a portrait of a Red Parrot Tulip during a three-hour session led step-by-step by Principe. This class is designed for beginners or for anyone who wants to try something new. The registration fee is $35 for the three hour session. There is an optional materials fee of $15 that covers the cost of supplies if you choose not to bring your own. The registration form and materials list are available at www.maquoketa-art.org. For further information or to request a registration form contact Paula at Maquoketa Art Experience, maquoketaartexperience@hotmail.com or call 563.652.9925.

In her work Sandra Principe's oil paintings capture light and are reminiscent of the American painter, Martin Johnson Heade and are included in numerious private and corporate collections.  Her work has been shown in solo shows across the country, from West Palm Beach and Vero Beach, Florida to Laguna Beach, California. She is represented by Meghan Candler Gallery in Vero Beach, Florida; and Brio Gallery in Galena, Illinois. View Sandra's paintings at www.sandraprincipe.com
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Representatives from Christianity, Judaism, and the Muslim faiths discuss three questions: What does forgiveness mean in your faith tradition? How is your faith misunderstood by people of other faiths? Given the misunderstanding of your faith by others, what is the place of forgiveness? With Rabbi Tamar Grimm (Tri-city Jewish Center) - the Jewish faith; Rev. Ron Quay (Churches United) - the Christian Faith; Dr. Lisa Zaynab Killinger (Palmer College) - the Muslim Faith. Wednesday, April 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the Son Cafe (downstairs level) at First Congregational Church, 2201 7th Avenue, Moline. Free and no pre-registration required. For more information: allen@fccmoline.org.

Duluth, Minn. - maurices is putting out a nationwide casting call of sorts. The young women's retailer is looking for 12 real girls in all sizes to model maurices clothing, and the runways for the photo shoots will be the models' hometowns. The models will be selected through maurices Main Street Model Search.

"Fashion, small towns and community involvement are the heart and soul of maurices," says Brad Hartmann, maurices vice president of marketing. "Last year through our Small Town Charm campaign, we flew professional models into charming communities across America from St. George, Utah; to Miles City, Mont.; and Meridian, Miss., to Brunswick, Ga. The photos showcased our seasonal fashions as well as these beautiful locations. This year, the exciting twist is that we'll be highlighting hometown girls in their hometowns for our fall, holiday and spring campaigns."

Women ages 18 and older can enter the maurices Main Street Model Search online. They'll need to upload photos and a video about themselves. They'll also need to answer a few questions about why maurices should select them and what makes their hometown special. Full model contest rules should be reviewed before entering.

Fashion designer Christopher Straub from Lifetime's Project Runway will lead the judging panel. "His passion for fashion and sense of style are a great fit for maurices Main Street Model Search," says Hartmann. He adds that Straub also understands how exciting national exposure can be, and he can help guide winning models through this journey.

Straub says he sees beautiful women in all shapes and sizes and was inspired when maurices approached him about this model search. "Being in the fashion industry I have so many aspiring models who come up to me. They say, 'I'm not your typical model - I'm not 6' tall and thin - is there a place in the modeling world for me?' I think it's amazing that maurices is providing this chance for real girls of all sizes to have their dreams come true." In addition to his involvement with maurices Main Street Model Search, Straub is working on product design and development for maurices.

Judges will select models based on appearance, written and video responses, and their representation of the maurices' image.The top 12 models will each receive a photo shoot in their hometown and national exposure at maurices store locations, www.maurices.com, mailers and social media; $1,500 in maurices clothing; and a Flip Video camera to capture their path to becoming a maurices model. maurices will also work with each model to select a nonprofit organization in her hometown to receive a $7,500 charitable makeover.

Women can enter online now through April 7. Online voting is open from April 10 through 24, with each voter receiving a coupon for 20 percent off at maurices and a chance to win maurices' gift cards. Online voting will narrow the field of contestants to 50, and then maurices will select 20 models for a final casting call in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 5 and 6. The top 12 models will be announced May 9.

For more information, visit maurices.com or facebook.com/maurices.