The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded two grants totaling nearly $1.3 million to Iowa fire departments. Included is the Davenport Fire Department, which received a $975,420 grant from the Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response program. Funds under this program support the hiring of firefighters and the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters to assure that communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias' office wants to return lost, forgotten, and abandoned funds to Rock Island-area residents. A representative from Giannoulias' office will conduct "Cash Dash" searches on the state's online database from 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday, January 23, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 24, at the QCCA Expo Center, 2621 Fourth Avenue in Rock Island. This event will be held in conjunction with the 26th Annual Rod Custom Auto Motorcycle & Product Show. The Cash Dash program reunites Illinois residents with "unclaimed property."

 

Girl Scout Cookies will be sold door-to-door in eastern Iowa and western Illinois from Friday, January 16, through Sunday, February 1. Through the spring, Girl Scout troops will also be selling cookies at booths set up in areas such as department stores and shopping centers. For a list of cookie booths in your community, visit GSEIWI.org, or call (800)798-0833 to be connected with a local troop.

 

The Scott County Family Y is offering the Swim the Mississippi fitness program. You don't actually get to swim the mighty Mississippi, but for every mile you swim in the pool, the Scott County Family Y will count it as 40 miles of the Mississippi, which means your total mileage will be 59 miles - 2,124 laps or 4,248 lengths of a 25-meter pool. Anyone interested in participating in the Swim the Mississippi program can register at the Davenport Family YMCA, 606 West Second Street. For more information about this or other health and wellness programs, visit ScottCountyFamilyY.org.

 

A grants-submission deadline has been announced by the Moline Community Foundation. Not-for-profit organizations are encouraged to apply if they serve the citizens of Moline and the Quad Cities. All materials necessary to receive funds are due in the Moline Foundation offices by 4 p.m. on Friday, January 30, or must be postmarked by that date. For more information and recent grants history, visit MolineFoundation.org.

 

Award-winning poet Li-Young Lee will read from his work on Thursday, January 29, in Augustana College's "River Readings at Augustana" series. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1957 to Chinese parents, Lee is the author of four books of poetry. The reading is free and open to the public and takes place in Wallenberg Hall, inside Denkmann Memorial Hall (3520 Seventh Avenue), at 7 p.m. Lee will also be featured at the Bettendorf Public Library on Wednesday, January 28, at 7 p.m. along with the six winners of the Love & Forgiveness Poetry Contest, and the art of Katie Kiley.

 

The Quad City Symphony celebrates the 253rd birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with its annual Mid-Winter Chamber Music concert at the Outing Club in Davenport on Saturday, January 17, at 8 p.m. A pre-concert dinner is also available for $30. The cash bar opens at 5:30 p.m., with dinner served at 6:30. Tickets for this concert can be purchased at QCSymphony.com or by calling (800)982-2787. Dinner reservations should be made through the Outing Club at (563)324-5284.

 

River Action, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering the environmental, economic, and cultural vitality of the Mississippi River and its riverfront in the Quad Cities area, is seeking nominations for its 10th-annual Eddy Awards. Nominations forms are available at River Action's office, 822 East River Drive in Davenport. Nominations are also being accepted online at RiverAction.org and via e-mail at riveraction@netexpress.net.

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