(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.

ST. LOUIS (March 14, 2011) - It's not often that a community is fortunate enough to have a citizen with the energy and determination to make a positive difference, but the Quad Cities area  is just that lucky. Sarah Cronk of Bettendorf, Iowa is being honored for her unstoppable energy and for her commitment to making a positive impact. In January, baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. and Energizer began a national search for the next member of the Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame, a program dedicated to celebrating everyday people who possess the same persevering spirit as the Energizer Bunny^® and use that determination to make a difference. From all of the submissions received, Cronk's nomination rose to the top. She is now one of 100 Semifinalists in the running to become the 2011 Inductee into the Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame.

As the younger sister of a brother with special needs, Sarah Cronk knows firsthand how much students with disabilities yearn to fit in. With her brother as her inspiration, Sarah helped form the Spartan Sparkles, the nation's first high school-based cheerleading squad to include students with disabilities. But she didn't stop there, since then, she has also started The Sparkle Effect Inc., which provides grants for uniforms and free on-site training to new inclusive squads nationwide. As a result of these programs, students with disabilities experience true acceptance and gain confidence as high school students inspire entire communities to open their minds and hearts in the spirit of inclusion.

Everyone has the power to make a positive impact, so the Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame was created to honor unstoppable people making a difference, like Cronk, in the hope that their stories will inspire others to do the same. Baseball's Ironman, Cal Ripken, Jr., who holds the record for the most-consecutive games ever played (2,632), was the inaugural inductee in 2006. In January, Ripken and Energizer launched the sixth annual search for everyday people doing extraordinary things. Nominations poured in with inspirational stories of friends, family members, neighbors, teachers and coworkers who greet every day with a spirit of optimism and determination, all while making the world a better place to live.

"We're always so inspired by stories of people who live with the spirit of the Energizer Bunny^® and then use that energy to make the world a better place" said Jim Olsen, Vice President of Marketing for Energizer North America. "We're thrilled with this year's 100 Semifinalists, who truly embody that spirit and turn it into something positive for their communities. Now That's Positivenergy^TM"

Cronk now moves on to the second round of judging, during which judges will narrow the 100 Semifinalists down to a pool of nine Finalists. Energizer Bunny^® Facebook fans will have the opportunity to select the 10th Finalist by voting for their favorite Semifinalist on www.facebook.com/energizerbunny beginning March 17, 2011 and ending March 25, 2011. Each of the 10 Finalists will receive a $1,000 donation to a charity of his or her choice.

And the Inductee Is ...

Then, it's up to America to determine the 2011 Inductee by voting for their favorite of the 10 Finalists at www.energizer.com/halloffame. Voting begins April 4, 2011 and extends through May 14, 2011. Each Finalist vote will trigger a $1.00 donation from Energizer to the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, up to $10,000. The donations will help connect kids in distressed communities with mentors, giving them the opportunity to learn life's critical lessons while having fun on the fields and off the streets. Now That's Positivenergy^™

The 2011 Inductee will receive a $10,000 cash prize plus a $5,000 donation to his or her favorite charity. That person will also be formally honored at an induction ceremony with Cal Ripken, Jr. in June at the Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Mo.

To read more about the Energizer Keep Going^® Hall of Fame, past honorees and current Semifinalists, visit www.energizer.com/halloffame or www.facebook.com/EnergizerBunny.