March 16, 2011 (Davenport, IA) - Juan Diez Rancheros is celebrating their 1st anniversary with their annual open house and barbecue fundraiser on Saturday, May 21 from 3 - 8 PM at their facilities located at the former zoo area of Fejervary Park at 1800 W 12th Street in Davenport. Activities include a guided grounds tour, pony rides, children's games, live music, a barbecue dinner and a silent auction.  Tickets are $10 for adults and children ages 12 and up, $5 for kids 2 - 11 and $35 for families of 5 or more. Proceeds from the event will be used to continue Juan Diez Rancheros program of providing alternative outlet sessions with horses at no charge to children that are in counseling due to abuse or emotional trauma.

"Our first year has been truly remarkable.  Over 100 children from the Quad Cities benefited from the program.  In addition, counselors within the Davenport Community Schools have started enrolling students in the program," said Michele Allison, Juan Diez Rancheros Executive Director and Founder.  "I am so proud of the strides we made in 2010 and am looking forward to 2011 as we build towards reaching our goal of serving 300 children a year."

Founded in 2010, Juan Diez Rancheros is a non-profit organization, operating on proceeds from the annual fundraiser, public donations and grants.  This event is an excellent opportunity for the public to come out and learn more about the program and services available to children in need.  Each dollar contributed will go directly back into the program and will not only benefit the children, but will help provide the basic needs for sustaining the good health of the horses.  This fundraiser is an opportunity for the public to invest in a program that has the power to change lives and provide emotional hope and healing to the adults of tomorrow in our community.

Juan Diez Rancheros is a nonprofit organization providing sessions with horses to children and young adults from ages 5 to 24 that are currently receiving counseling or some form of structured mentorship.  Led by Michele and her team of 10 extraordinary horses, and the safe and private environment provides an alternative outlet for children who have not previously responded to conventional counseling. Visit their website at www.jdrhorses.org .

For additional information, contact Michele Allison at M.Allison1010@gmail.com
Sandbaggers are needed to help the City of Davenport prepare for the upcoming flood. Please call 563-888-3200 for more details or to volunteer.

Moline, IL - Golfers can sign up for the Jim Victor Junior Achievement Golf Classic to benefit Junior Achievement of the Heartland on May 2, 2011. Tournament play will take place at two beautiful courses: TPC Deere Run and Davenport Country Club. The event includes a 4-person best ball format, box lunch, player gift and Player's Reception. Check-in and warm-up begins at 11:00 am, tee time is Noon.  

The Player's Reception will be held at Davenport Country Club at 5:30 pm, following the day of golf. Participants will enjoy appetizers and a cash bar while bidding on wonderful live and silent auction items.

Golfers can register online by contacting Leslie Corlett at 309-277-3919, leslie.corlett@ja.org. Cost to participate is $250 per golfer. If golf is not your game, you can still support area youth by participating as a Spirit Golfer. Spirit Golfers receive the same amenities as the golfers without having to hit the course ($50 registration fee).

Proceeds from the event will support Junior Achievement programs offered in area schools. JA empowers young people to own their future economic success by providing programs that focus on work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. More than 56,000 K-12 grade students in JA of the Heartland's 24-county area will benefit from programs this school year.

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of this event. The title sponsor is Jim Victor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The course sponsors are DHCU Community Credit Union and HNI Corporation.

# # #


(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.

Davenport and Bettendorf Parks and Recreation Departments announced today that Emeis Golf Course will open for the season on Thursday, March 17. Located at 4500 W Central Park in Davenport, 18-hole Emeis is known in the Quad Cities as a long and challenging course. The course was established in 1961, and is a popular course for play. Tee times may be reserved by calling Emeis at 563-326-7825.

"The course made it through the winter without any major issues," according to Troy Evans, Senior Revenue Facilities Manager. Evans also pointed out that most golf fees remained the same for this year, and in fact some were even reduced. Over 100,000 rounds a year are played on Davenport's three public courses - Emeis, Duck Creek and Red Hawk. The other 2 courses are slated to open sometime later this month depending on conditions.

(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
# # #


(MAQUOKETA, IA) Maquoketa Art Experience (MAE) welcomes fine art photographer Sindi Mueller to their artist-in-Residence Program with an opening reception and exhibition on Friday, April 1, 7-9 p.m. at 124 S. Main Street in Maquoketa. Mueller joins working artists Rose Frantzen, Thomas Metcalf, and Charles Morris as a permanent resident artist. Maquoketa Art Experience is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to bringing accomplished artists to Maquoketa for short- and long-term residencies, workshops, and exhibitions.

The April 1 event features an exhibit by Sindi Mueller entitled "Unveiling" that offers an exploration of kinetic photography and a study in rural and urban landscape photography. Sindi's kinetic work, photography in which the camera is moved while the shutter is open, captures light, color, motion, and abstraction. Her landscape work explores color, shape, light, and texture of nature in her home state of Iowa, as well as the magnetism of the Chicago urban landscape.  Sindi's landscape images have been published in the Maquoketa Sentinel Press and Bellevue Herald Leader. Her first solo exhibit was held at Darkroom in Chicago entitled "Seduced by the Darkness" in December of 2010.

Sindi Mueller is a native of Dubuque, Iowa. She studied at the Chicago Photography Academy where her mentor William Benson inspired her to create photographs that did not appear to be photographs at all. This study revealed a world of surrealism, abstraction, and interpretation resulting in an exploration of kinetic photography.

As a resident artist Mueller will instruct classes and workshops at her studio and gallery space at 124 S. Main Street in Maquoketa. The instruction will be at various skill levels to inspire photographers to think outside the box and create a new form of photographic fine art.

The public is invited to attend the event and welcome Sindi Mueller to the Eastern Iowa art community. For more information contact Paula Neuhaus at maquoketaartexperience@hotmail.com or by calling 563.652.9925.

Maquoketa Art Experience programming is made possible in part by a grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

#  # #


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.

 
Friday April 15th @ MARTINI'S On The Rock
Rock Island, Illinois
8:30 PM Show
 

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.

Pages