The LeClaire RAGBRAI Committee has won $1,000 from Our Iowa magazine in its Best Bloomin' Towns in Iowa contest. Plans for LeClaire include beginning a "downtown makeover" with barrels along the main street with planted flowers. Barrels with wave petunias will be in place by early June. LeClaire is the ending point for this year's RAGBRAI ride. On Saturday, July 26, more than 15,000 cyclists will be riding from Tipton to LeClaire. For more information about RAGBRAI in LeClaire, visit (http://www.leclaireragbrai.com).
The six German organizations of the Quad Cities will host the third-annual Founders Day Celebration at the Kistenmacher Cemetery on Saturday, May 24, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The cemetery is located 2.5 miles west of Interstate 280 on West Locust Street (160th Street and 90th Avenue). The event will celebrate the contributions German immigrants have made to our communities. Attendees should bring their own lawn chairs. In case of inclement weather, the event will be canceled. For more information, contact Kory Darnall at (563) 499-6789.
Area high-school students awarded a total of $5,000 to six not-for-profit organizations on Monday, May 19. Teens for Tomorrow allows local teens to lead and support change through philanthropy. A program of the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, Teens for Tomorrow includes a handful of students recruited from high schools in Scott and Rock Island counties. Teens meet once a month from September to May to identify community needs and address emerging issues.
WQPT's Online Auction is back. Auction items are now available to peruse at (http://wqpt.org) and will be available for bidding from May 29 to June 12. On June 4, 6, and 7, WQPT will air a program offering a peek at the auction items. Interested businesses can still make a donation to the auction by calling (309) 796-2424.
Friends of Off-Road Cycling (FORC) is hosting a Mountain Biking 101 Skills Clinic on June 14 at Sunderbruch Park, located at the west end of Davenport, to teach mountain-biking skills to beginner and intermediate riders. There will also be a bike demo at the park with Factory Giant on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14. For more information, visit the FORC Web site at (http://www.qcforc.org).
"Put a Smile on a Child" invites children and families to come to Augustana College's PepsiCo Center, 1025 30th Street in Rock Island, on Thursday, May 29, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event includes butterfly crafts, face painting, cereal necklaces, paper airplanes, newspaper hats, and free hot dogs, chips, dessert, and milk. There is no admission charge. "Put a Smile on a Child" is part of the national "Stand for Children Day" established by the Children's Defense Fund. For more information, call Melanie at Churches United at (309) 786-6494.
The Mediation Center of the Quad Cities is seeking volunteer mediators. The Mediation Center of the Quad Cities will hold a volunteer-mediator seminar from June 25 to 27 at the Mediation Center, 805 West 35th Street in Davenport. The cost for the volunteer training is $500 with no volunteer-time commitment, or $75 with a commitment of two hours per month for 12 months. For a volunteer application and contract, call (563) 445-0557 or visit (http://www.famres.org/QCmcqctrain).
Palmer College of Chiropractic has received a $148,435 grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for medical research. The college will use these funds to establish a research program at the Developmental Center for Clinical & Translational Science in Chiropractic.
Churches United has announced the receipt of a $10,000 grant from the Riverboat Development Authority in support of its Hunger Ministry. The Churches United Hunger Ministry is made up of 26 food pantries and three hot-meal sites that serve Scott and Rock Island counties. In 2007 Churches United had more than 26,400 visits to its food pantries and served more than 29,950 meals to those who would have otherwise gone hungry.
The Alzheimer's Association is offering free education to family caregivers and professionals on "Creating Safe Environments" for people with dementia. The class will be offered: Friday, May 30, at Country Bank Community Room, 1308 Southeast Fourth Street, Aledo; Thursday, June 5, at Moline Public Library, 3210 41st Street, Moline; and Friday, June 6, at Black Hawk College Community Education Center, 404 East Third Street, Kewanee. Each class runs from noon to 3 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Registration in advance is required. For more information, call (800) 272-3900.
