Trinity at Terrace Park will celebrate its fifth anniversary of operation by hosting a free community birthday party from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, at the hospital (4500 Utica Ridge Road in Bettendorf). The event will feature activities for children. The hospital officially opened its doors to patients on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - the same day it ceased operations at the hospital it replaced, Trinity Medical Center's North Campus in Davenport. Since opening, nearly 1,400 babies have been born in at the hospital, and almost 70,000 patients have been treated in its emergency room. If you'd like to attend, call Trinity's My Nurse at (877)242-8899.

St. Ambrose University is moving forward with construction of a health-sciences education center, to be located on the northwest corner of Genesis Medical Center on West Central Park in Davenport. St. Ambrose expects to break ground on the facility this spring, with an anticipated opening in August 2010. The university has raised $7.5 million of the projected $11.5 million cost of the building from the local corporate and medical community, as well as alumni and friends of the university. Once completed, the facility will house the university's academic programs in nursing, occupational therapy, and physical therapy and allow the university to expand these programs.

Inspired by the soon-to-be-released film The Soloist, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and more than 40 other orchestras are partnering with River Bend Foodbank to make a change. On February 22, the Youth String Ensemble and Prelude Strings will be performing their annual concert in Augustana's Centennial Hall. Both groups and the audience will bring in food items to be collected by Quad City Symphony Orchestra volunteers and staff. At the Quad City Symphony's most recent Masterworks concert, the audience was asked to bring items with them to the March 7 and 8 concerts.

The Mediation Center of the Quad Cities has received $3,000 from the City of Moline in the form of a Community Development Block Grant to help rental-property managers find ways to reduce conflict and violence within apartment complexes. Free training for rental-property managers is planned for the spring. Moline rental-property managers interested in learning more about the free mediation training may call (563)445-0557.

A nonpartisan PAC, Opt4Better, has been formed to promote limited government and lower taxes in the Iowa Quad Cities. Its first project is working to defeat the Davenport Promise proposal in the March 3 referendum. For additional information, visit Opt4Better.org.

The Greater Quad Cities Area Pride Fest celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride with a variety of events from Sunday, June 21, through Saturday, June 27. Vendor booths of 10 feet by 10 feet are available for $50 ($60 if electricity is required) and include two free admissions. Admission to the Saturday Pride Fest is $10 in advance or $15 at the gate. Contact Rich Hendricks at richdhendricks@msn.com for more inforamtion.

A group of nearly 30 Augustana students will spend four weeks on the first-ever Augustana international study experience in Vietnam. The country will serve as the backdrop to an international learning encounter in which students will take three Vietnamese-culture-focused courses, participate in a service-learning project, and travel. The inaugural trip idea was developed and proposed by business-administration department chair and associate professor Ann Ericson, who taught in Vietnam during the summer of 2007 and has visited the country several times. Along with Ericson, Augustana professors David Crowe (English) and Mariano Magalhaes (political science) are accompanying the students and will each teach one course in Vietnam. You can follow the experiences of Augustana students at http://www.augustana.edu/blogs/international.

Illinois State Representative Bob Biggins (R-Elmhurst), a stroke survivor, has introduced House Bill 1541, which would create the Primary Stroke Center Designation Act. It provides that the state director of public health would designate as many hospitals as primary stroke centers as apply for the designation, provided that the hospital meets the criteria set forth in the act. The stroke centers would be able to provide procedures that can help people suffering from strokes.

The 16th-annual Career Fair for People with Disabilities will be held Tuesday, March 4, at the i wireless Center in Moline. The free event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature a job search workshop from 9 to 10. People with disabilities will be able to talk with Quad Cities-area employers and find out pertinent job-search information such as the types of jobs available, skills and qualifications, and how and where to apply. They can also get résumé assistance. For more information, contact Tom Lowery at (309)786-5831 or Jennifer Marme-Lowery at (563)445-3285.

The Figge Art Museum is recruiting individuals for its volunteer and docent programs. Interested individuals are required to attend one of three informational sessions: March 11, April 8, and May 12, all at 10:15 a.m. Docents are volunteer tour guides who introduce Figge visitors to the works of art in the museum's collections and special exhibitions. For more information about the docent program, contact Ann Marie Hayes-Hawkinson at (563)326-7804 extension 7887 or ahayeshawkinson@figgeartmuseum.org.

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