ROCK ISLAND, IL (04/01/2010)(readMedia)-- Augustana's top choir, symphonic band and orchestra will perform in the renowned Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center in Chicago on Sunday, April 18 at 3 p.m. Augustana musicians made their first appearance at Orchestra Hall in 1926. This return concert will be in honor of the college's sesquicentennial anniversary. For ticket information, please visit www.cso.org or call (312) 294-3000.

The concert will include David Manslanka's Symphony No. 8 performed by the Augustana Symphonic Band, Béla Bartók's Dance Suite performed by the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, and Eric Whitacre's Cloudburst performed by the Augustana Choir.

Student performers from your area include the following:

• Audrey Taylor from Moline , IL. Taylor plays the horn in the Symphonic Band and is a junior majoring in biology education.
• Grace Drenth from Davenport , IA. Drenth plays the flute in the Symphonic Band and is a first year majoring in elementary education.
• Jennifer Youngs from Taylor Ridge , IL. Youngs plays the trumpet in the Symphonic Band and is a sophomore majoring in psychology.
• Katie Lambrecht from Moline , IL. Lambrecht plays the oboe in the Symphonic Band and is a first year majoring in psychology.
• Paul Lambrecht from Moline , IL. Lambrecht plays the trumpet in the Symphonic Band and is a senior majoring in political science, history, and secondary education.
• Lauren Reid from Sherrard , IL. Reid sings Alto I in the Augustana Choir and is a sophomore majoring in business administration.
• Luke Osborne from Moline , IL. Osborne sings Bass II in the Augustana Choir and is a senior majoring in classics.
• Michael Kendall from Silvis , IL. Kendall sings Bass II in the Augustana Choir and is a senior majoring in biology and pre-dentistry.
• Tom Larrison from Davenport , IA. Larrison plays the violin II in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in religion.
• Kelsey VanDyke from Davenport , IA. VanDyke plays the violin II in the Symphony Orchestra and is a juinor majoring in music education.
• Kelli Schledewitz from Davenport , IA. Schledewitz plays the viola in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in English education.
• Samuel Alvarado from Davenport , IA. Alvarado plays the violoncello in the Symphony Orchestra and is a senior majoring in chemistry.
• P. J. Wiese from Davenport , IA. Wiese plays the violoncello in the Symphony Orchestra and is a first year majoring in psychology.

All the ensembles are looking forward to the amazing acoustics in Orchestra Hall. "The experience of being in a world-class performance hall is just different," said Dr. Jon Hurty, choir director and co-chair of the music department.

Dr. James Lambrecht, symphonic band director, agrees with Hurty. "The privilege of performing in one of the world's greatest concert halls, steeped with all the history and memories of performances by one of the world's greatest performing ensembles, will leave the students with a 'once in a lifetime' sort of experience," he said.

Orchestra Hall was established in 1904 and is home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. "For the orchestra to have an opportunity to play in the hall which is the home of the Chicago Symphony is a rare pleasure," said Dr. Daniel Culver, symphony orchestra director and co-chair of the music department.

Students are also looking forward to performing for their friends and family, many of whom live in the Chicago area. "My family has had season tickets for Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances for as long as I can remember," said Dana Gustafson, a junior French horn player from Des Plaines, Ill. Read Gustafson's blog about the band's preparation at www.augustana.edu/blogs.

A charter coach will make a round trip from Augustana to Orchestra Hall on the day of the concert. Tickets for the coach are $35. For more information or to reserve a spot on the coach, please visit www.augustana.edu/hallbus.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls nearly 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 70 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.

YMCA And Area Agencies Come Together To Help Families Focus on the Needs of Our Children

DAVENPORT, Iowa  - April 1, 2010 - As part of a nationwide effort to encourage kids to get moving, the Scott County Family Y will host YMCA Healthy Kids Day, the nation's largest health day for kids and families as part of the Quad Cities National Week of the Young Child.

April 11-17 is designated as The National Week of the Young Child.  In the Quad Cities, more than a dozen trusted community child and family agencies have come together to host a variety of events focused on the needs of young children and their families. The week will kick off with a special opening ceremony at the Bettendorf Family Museum on Sunday, April 11.  The Museum in partnership with Family Resources will host this celebration from Noon - 4 p.m. and the Museum will offer half price admission that day.

There will be additional activities throughout the week including opportunities to hear speakers regarding issues facing our children as well as other events in cooperation with local agencies including the YMCA, Scott County Kids Empowerment, the Davenport Public Library, Lutheran Social Services and the Child Abuse Council.

The big finale to this week-long celebration is YMCA Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 17.  The event is fun-filled day of engaging and creative activities that foster healthy living, and is a part of the YMCA's larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active.

YMCA Healthy Kids Day

YMCA Healthy Kids Day, a free community event, will be held in three locations this year.  The Two Rivers YMCA in Moline, Illinois and the Maquoketa Area Family YMCA in Maquoketa, Iowa will host activities from 9am - Noon.  The event will also be held from 1-4pm at the West Family YMCA, 3503 West Locust Street, Davenport.

In addition to the fun, the day will provide resources to help educate grown-ups about making healthy choices for their families every day. More than 30 area children's organizations will interactive activities and games at the West Family YMCA event and will focus on topics such as personal safety, health and wellness, reading advancement and body development.  And thanks to Healthy Kid's Day partner, the Davenport Community School District, nationally known children's entertainer, Steve Couch, will give a special concert at 3:30pm.  In addition to the concert, the first 300 children attending YMCA Healthy Kids Day will get Healthy Family Home activity books and a lunchable sample, compliments of Kraft-Oscar Mayer Foods.

"Keeping kids healthy is at the core of what the YMCA stands for," said Deb Gustafson, Executive Director of Child Care and Family Services for the Scott County Family Y. "The word 'exercise' doesn't sound very enjoyable to many people, especially kids, but getting them to move more through play that requires physical activity is the key to building healthy habits that last a lifetime. On YMCA Healthy Kids Day, both kids and grown-ups will have the opportunity to get moving, to play and to have fun."

Experts recommend that kids engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity, including active play, each day. Studies show that kids who consistently engage in play are happier and healthier, and develop and enhance a variety of skills including motor skills, social skills, problem solving, and creativity. Kids who get 60 minutes of physical play also tend to have higher self-esteem and perform better academically.

"The goal of encouraging kids to play more is to build a lifetime of love for physical activity," said Gustafson. "Play should not seem like a chore - it is an activity that is fun and brings joy and allows a kid to just be a kid."

YMCA Healthy Kids Day is supported locally by Scott County Kids Empowerment and the Davenport Community School District and nationally by Northwestern Mutual Foundation and Tropicana. Quad Cities National Week of the Young Child partners include : the Davenport Public Library; Care For Kids; Family Resources, Inc; I-Smile; Lutheran Social Services; Mississippi Bend AEA; the Putnam Museum; Community Action of Eastern Iowa; Iowa Child Care Resource & Referral; Scott County; Scott County Kids Empowerment and your Quad Cities YMCAs.

For more information about Healthy Kids Day or a complete list of National Week the Young Child activities, visit the Scott County Family Y website, www.ScottCountyFamilyY.org.

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WASHINGTON - Chuck Grassley today said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded two competitive grants totaling $3,030,257 to the Iowa Department of Public Health and the University of Iowa.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will distribute the money as shown below.

• $2,745,257 to the Iowa Department of Public Health to help pay for the Ryan White Care Act Title II.

• $285,000 to the University of Iowa from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to help pay for pharmacology, physiology and biological chemistry research project titled, "Evolution of Pre-mRNA Splicing in Primates."

Each year, thousands of local Iowa organizations, colleges and universities, individuals and state agencies apply for competitive grants from the federal government. The funding is then awarded based on each local organization or individual's ability to meet criteria set by the federal entity.

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Awarded Re-Accreditation from the American Association of Museums

Davenport, IA (3/31/10) - The Figge Art Museum has achieved re-accreditation from the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for a museum. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.

"Our original museum was one of the first accredited museums in the US in 1973. This 2010 re-accreditation of our new facility, operations, and structure is confirmation that the Figge is well-run and providing a superlative service to our constituency," stated Sean O'Harrow, Executive Director of the Figge Art Museum.

AAM Accreditation is the field's primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability, and earns national recognition for a museum for its commitment to excellence in all that it does: governance, collections stewardship, public programs, financial stability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 35 years, AAM's Museum Accreditation program strengthens the profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and to provide the best possible service to the public.

"Accreditation assures the people of the Quad Cities that their museum is among the finest in the nation," said Ford W. Bell, president of AAM. "As a result, the citizens can take considerable pride in their homegrown institution, for its commitment to excellence and for the value it brings to the community."

Accreditation is a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum's operations.  To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers.  AAM's Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, review and evaluate the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.  While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes three years.