The American Bass Anglers will hold a regional championship in the Quad Cities this year. The event takes place from September 27 to 29 at Sunset Marina in Rock Island. Debra Talley, national marketing director for the American Bass Anglers, was in the Quad Cities on February 14 to tour the area and discuss tournament logistics. Pre-tournament fishing will begin on September 23, with official weigh-ins and banquets on Saturday, September 29. Approximately 500 anglers will fish the Mississippi River over the spring and summer to practice for the regional event. The economic impact of this event is estimated at close to $1 million.
The 2007 Athena Business Women's Awards have announced that Carol Graham, a Davenport artist, has been selected from a field of seven entrants to create and produce the Athena awards to be presented on March 20 at The Mark of the Quad Cities. The awards, given by the Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce and The Women's Connection, honor "women within the Quad City Region excelling in their business or profession and making a significant difference in the community." (For more information, visit (http://asktwc.com/events_athenaAwardsPresent.html). A fused-glass artist, Graham works out of her home studio in Davenport. Her art is sold at art fairs throughout Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and she is represented at Quad City Arts, the Genesis West Gift Shop, and the Carriage House Gift Shop in Des Moines.
To support its mission and vision statement and to provide quality services to its citizens, the City of Bettendorf conducted a citizen survey. Survey results are located on the city's Web page at (http://www.bettendorf.org/citizen-survey.html).
The Illinois Quad Cities community needs additional shelter space for people who do not have a long-term residence. Churches United is establishing a new ministry: a shelter program to assist women, with or without children, who are homeless or victims of violence. It is named Winnie's Place: Women in Need-Nurtured into Excellence. In April 2005, Churches United received a commitment of seed money to get the program and shelter established, but additional funding is needed. Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to: Churches United; Attention: Winnie's Place; 630 9th Street; Rock Island IL 61201.
The Moline Public Library is holding a humorous-essay writing contest for teens in February. Teens in grades six through 12 are invited to submit an essay on "Why My Library Book Is Late" to the Moline Public Library by Monday, February 26. Essays should be no more than one double-spaced typed page and should be appropriate for a family audience. The top 10 essays as judged by the Teen Advisory Group will be displayed in March for popular vote, with an awards ceremony for the top five essays to be held at the library on April 1. For more information or to pick up an application, contact the reference department at (309) 736-5737.
Girl Scouts of the Mississippi Valley are researching and creating displays for the World Thinking Day Festival - an annual event that promotes global thinking among all Girl Scout councils in the nation and across the world. The event, which takes place from 1:30 to 5 p.m. on February 25 at the Rock Island High School Field House, emphasizes understanding other cultures. Participating girls research topics such as the cultural traditions, foods, government, and society of the country they select. The event is sponsored by Girl Scouts of the Mississippi Valley and is open to all registered Girl Scouts in the 15-county council.
The Quad City Chapter of U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association is celebrating Chinese New Year on Sunday, February 25. The event will be held at Martin Luther King Center, 630 Ninth Street in Rock Island. (Park in back and enter on northwest side.) Doors open at 3:30 p.m. for decorating and learning to prepare dumplings-jiaozi. At 5 p.m., there will be a potluck dinner, and the main program starts at 6 p.m. Fifteen dollars for a yearly membership is requested at door, $10 of which pays national dues. People who do not wish to join can pay $5 for admission, with children 12 and under free. Bring a dish to share; tea and tableware will be furnished.
The Quad City Chamber Federation is offering its first-ever Leadership Alumni Workshop on March 8. The event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Butterworth Center in Moline. Registration is open to all graduates of the leadership programs of any of the three chambers: DavenportOne, the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce, and the Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce. Sign up at (http://www.quadcitychamber.com) by clicking the "upcoming events" link. For more information, contact Susan Zelnio at (309) 757-5416. The registration deadline is March 5.
The City of Davenport, through the diversity committee of its High Performance Work Group, is creating a "multi-cultural directory" featuring information on resources such as cultural organizations and festivals, ethnic places of worship, relevant governmental offices, bilingual health-care services, immigration and legal services, and ethnic restaurants and businesses. The directory will be distributed on CD-ROM and paper in summer 2007. Cultural or ethnic organizations or businesses should send information they feel would be useful to newcomers and current residents of the Quad Cities to Yasmeen at (mcdirectory@gmail.com), or they can call Marcia at (563) 388-7982.
The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center recently launched a loyalty program and integrated-scheduling system for blood donors. The program is designed to increase blood donations and donor frequency and retention while lowering marketing and communication costs for reaching whole-blood, platelet-apheresis, and double-red-cell donors. The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center serves 53 hospitals in 45 counties throughout Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
