The Quad City Symphony Orchestra and Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra have been awarded a week-long residency by world-famous violinist Midori in the spring of 2011. Over a period of five to seven days, Midori will participate in a wide range of activities, including concerts with both ensembles.
Black Hawk College offers free tuition for high school students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high-school class. Students must send their seventh-semester official high-school transcript to Black Hawk College and complete a BHC Application for Admission. The deadline is Friday, May 15. For more information, contact Dori Cosgrove at the college's Quad Cities campus in Moline at (309)796-5346 or cosgroved@bhc.edu, or Valerie Reading at the college's east campus near Kewanee at (309)854-1709 or readingv@bhc.edu.
Eleven organizations have received $175,000 in support from The Amy Helpenstell Foundation. Grants were made to assist ongoing community projects and to ensure that programs vital to the Quad Cities area continue. The spring 2009 grant recipients include Augustana College, Amy Helpenstell Student Interns Program, Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health, and the Eating Disorder Consortium. To learn more, visit AmyHelpenstell.org.
Diamond Builders will host the inaugural Helping a Hero Tour of Homes to benefit families of injured and fallen veterans. The tour will showcase homes built in three developments located in the Illinois Quad Cities area: Fancy Creek Crossing (Andalusia), The Conservancy (Milan), and Fyre Lake National (Sherrard). The event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, and will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the door of any tour property for $5 for adults; children under the age of 12 will receive free admission. Developers, subcontractors, and other supporting businesses are sponsoring the event so that 100 percent of ticket sales can assist local veterans and their families. For more information, e-mail info@diamond-builders.com or call (309)756-3720.
The Rock Island Community Foundation will accept grant applications through June 30. Grants will be announced by the Board of Governors in writing by August 31. Last year the Rock Island Community Foundation awarded $95,000 to 46 not-for-profit community organizations. For a grant application, visit RICF.org or call (309)269-4412.
Rock Camp USA was founded in 1995 by renowned Austin, Texas, guitarist Dave Sebree, who also founded the Austin School of Music the same year. Each camp is two weeks long and culminates with the young rockers giving a live performance in a professional live-music venue - such as the Redstone Room at the River Music Experience in downtown Davenport. This marks the River Music Experience's fourth year as a national affiliate of Rock Camp USA. The first of three sessions begins June 15. Complete information and a downloadable registration form are available at RiverMusicExperience.org/programs/rockcamp.htm.
April 26 marks the beginning of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. This year's theme, "25 Years of Rebuilding Lives: Celebrating the Victims of Crime Act," honors a landmark national commitment to victims of crime. The Victims of Crime Act established the Crime Victims Fund, which has supported more than 4,400 public and not-for-profit agencies serving almost 4 million victims and has paid more than $440 million in victim compensation. For more information about National Crime Victims' Rights Week and events in the Quad Cities area, contact Carla Veasey at (309)794-6451 or Mike Bladel at (515)473-9342.
The Muscatine Art Center (1314 Mulberry Avenue) is presenting Las Artes de Mexico, drawn from the collection of the Gilcrease Museum and scheduled to run through June 21. The exhibit examines more than 3,500 years of art and culture, from the ancient worlds of the Mayans and Aztecs to the 20th Century works of Miguel Covarrubias and Diego Rivera.
WQPT has announced the winners of the 15th Annual Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators Contest. Nearly 300 children entered the contest, and WQPT picked 16 local winners from kindergarten through third grade. For a complete list of the winners, see the WQPT/Reading Rainbow here.
