Modern Woodmen of America recently announced that residents and organizations in northwestern Illinois, southeastern and eastern Iowa received $333,697 in fraternal assistance from Modern Woodmen members in 2008. These dollars support the fraternal organization's social and volunteer activities for local members and their communities.

"Local members continue to make a difference in their communities," says Regional Director Thomas J. Hosmanek. "Modern Woodmen members do more than donate money - they also contribute their own time to local projects they believe in."

Modern Woodmen members in these areas are organized into 69 local chapters called camps and 27 youth service clubs. Through the organization's various volunteer programs, camp and youth club members conduct service projects to meet the needs of their own communities.

In 2008 alone, area Modern Woodmen members contributed 20,927 volunteer service hours to their communities.

Examples of ways Modern Woodmen members can help the community include collecting canned goods to donate to a local food bank, landscaping a local school or raising money for a resident in need.

Additionally, Modern Woodmen representatives donated 390 free Youth Educational Programs to area schools and youth organizations. These programs reached 27,914 local children and provided them with information about safety, citizenship, creativity and confidence. Youth Educational Programs are free community education resources.

The six current programs donated by Modern Woodmen are:

• Ecology Awareness
• Patriotic Civics
• Fall Fest
• School Speech Contest
• Exercise and Nutrition
• Safety and Life Skills
  

"There is more than one way to give back," says Hosmanek. "From activities to education to volunteering, Modern Woodmen and its members were able to touch many lives in 2008."

As a fraternal benefit society, Modern Woodmen sells life insurance, annuity and investment products not to benefit stockholders, but to improve the quality of life of its stakeholders - members, their families and their communities. This is done through social, charitable and volunteer activities. In 2008, more than $23.8 million* and 1.3 million volunteer hours were contributed nationwide for local community projects.

For more information about how Modern Woodmen touches lives in northwestern Illinois, southeastern and eastern Iowa, contact Hosmanek at 563-386-8600, or visit www.modern-woodmen.org.

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* Including general expenses and taxes.

The Iowa Community Education Association (ICEA) will mobilize more than 1000 young people to participate in the 21st Annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26, 2009, across the state of Iowa.

Millions of youth in the United States and in more than 100 countries will plan simultaneous service events and service learning projects celebrating GYSD.  Spanning three days, GYSD is the largest service event in the world.

At ICEA, we are excited about facilitating opportunities for youth to plan, carry out and celebrate volunteerism. It’s a wonderful way to strengthen communities and learn valuable life lessons.

For more information, please contact: ICEA, Michael O. Johnston, MPA 09' Webmaster, ICEA, 1800 Grand Ave. Apt. 38, West Des Moines, Iowa 50026, Phone: (641) 799-1076, moj@iastate.edu

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) announced today that Ben Wolf of Clinton received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy.  Wolf will enter the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, this fall. 

"I'm proud to announce Ben Wolf's acceptance to the U.S. Naval Academy," Braley said.  "With his exceptional character and history of community service, Ben will be a valuable addition to the Naval Academy.  I'm happy that Ben will have the opportunity to further his education while continuing to serve his country at Navy." 

Ben Wolf will graduate from Camanche High School this May. Ben is the son of Michael and Margaret Wolf.

Each year Congressman Braley nominates students to the military service academies, including the U.S. Naval Academy.  Nominees must demonstrate upstanding character, academic achievement, physical fitness, and leadership skills.  A nominating committee comprised of community leaders reviews all applicants, with Congressman Braley recommending top candidates to the respective academies.  Final acceptance decisions are made by the service academy.

Students interested in applying to military service academies for enrollment in fall of 2010 should contact Congressman Braley's Waterloo office at (319) 287-3233.

The German American Heritage Center will open an historical exhibit with a regional focus. By focusing on a forgotten institution of the mid-19th century,the German Free School, this exhibit will explore a forgotten idea.  The migrating Germans of the 1850s took their ideas with them, and opened Free German Schools in Austin, Texas, Madison, Wisconsin, and Davenport, Iowa.  But only in eastern Iowa did the school continue in its original form until the 1880s, and enjoyed an attempted revival and an influence until 1910.                       

"This exhibit tells us many things about the original German settlers of eastern Iowa, and their unique ideas about education which impacted public education of today," said Schar Blevins of the Center.

The exhibit traces the powerful ideas of the 1848er generation who moved to America, and Midwestern leaders such as Theodore Guelich who supported the founding of a German Free School in Davenport, in 1853.  Attention is placed on the early teachers who helped make the school a success by the early 1870s, and the interesting interaction of ideas on Iowa's public schools.  The final attempts by Emil Geisler to revive this concept in the 1890s are traced for the first time.

"This is the first time that the whole story has been described, with an analysis of historical forces invovled and the results," said Prof. William Roba, Scott Community College and Executive Director, Roba consulting.  He will be presenting an interpretive talk about the exhibit on April 5, 2009, at 2 P.M. at the German American Heritage Center.