Quad Cities through Keokuk, IA

Davenport, IA/ August 3, 2012- A massive volunteer effort to clean the mighty Mississippi is about to begin its third phase.  The Great Mississippi River Clean-up, which began as a one-day, simultaneous event now encompasses 20 cities and is growing into a summer-long campaign.  Living Lands & Waters (LL&W) will launch phase three August 11^th from the Quad Cities through Oquawka, Illinois.  This year's cleanup began on June 13^th, when volunteers gathered along the Mississippi from Saint Paul, MN to La Crosse, WI, pulling garbage out of the waters.

Originally a one day event, the Great Mississippi River clean-up has had to expand to a summer long excursion due to the overwhelming volunteer response.  In all, 2,500-3,000 volunteers are expected to take part in this year's clean-up of this iconic waterway.

The next scheduled phases of the clean-up are:

• August 11^th - Quad-Cities to Keokuk, IA
• September 15^th - Quincy, IL through St. Louis, MO.

LL&W Founder and President Chad Pregracke calls the shift a logical progression in the life cycle of this massive undertaking.  Pregracke  says, "Doing the clean up in phases will help bring our important message to more people.  And that's part of what Living Lands & Waters is all about:  bringing the health of our rivers to the attention of everyone who depends upon them, and then working to improve it."

Living Lands & Waters is a 501(c) (3) environmental organization established in 1998 and headquartered in East Moline, Illinois.  LL&W has removed more than six million pounds of trash through cleanup efforts along the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Potomac rivers since its launch 15 years ago. LL&W also coordinated flood relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina and the historic floods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Lake Delton, Wisconsin in 2008.

For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please visit www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

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ROCK ISLAND, IL - On August 5th from 3:00-5:00pm, Theplace2b invites the community to an open house (1600-2nd Avenue Rock Island) and art sale to celebrate two years of service to our community's youth and their families.

Art created by our youth, as well as art donated by members of Handmade City, will be for sale at the open house. All proceeds from the sales will serve as the starting funds for our new Youth Entrepreneurial Program.

Miriam Prichard, our new associate director, will be speaking at 4:00pm about what has been happening at theplace2b recently.

Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

Background: Theplace2b opened its doors in August 2010 to help meet the needs of the rising numbers of at-risk, displaced and homeless youth of our area. It came into being through the involvement of persons from the social services, financial supporters, concerned citizens, and religious institutions who saw the issue an opportunity and responsibility of the entire community to come together and open a center.

The first youth who entered our doors in 2010 was 17-yrs-old and came all the way from Arkansas, homeless and sleeping under someone's bed. We began helping just one youth, and from there we have evolved to helping over 100 youth in the Quad City area. We provide youth with a meal, job skills, and a safe place to hangout. For many of youth that have come in here we have provided resources to other services in our community such as housing programs and referrals to other agencies. We have been lucky to have the support of our community through donations of food, clothing, and having generous volunteers.

According to a 2011 Quad City Times Article, over 400 youth in Davenport School District and 140 in Rock Island/Milan School District were reported as homeless (9/5/11 "Counting Q-C's homeless teens hard").

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What:
11th Annual ALS Walk4Life
When:
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Time:
Check-in 9:30 a.m.; Walk start 11:00 a.m.
Where:
Solider Field, Chicago
Registration/More Info:
www.alswalk4life.org or 847-679-3311


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Join the Les Turner ALS Foundation for the 11th Annual ALS Walk4Life on September 22nd.
This 2+ mile walk along Chicago's lakefront is a celebration of hope, courage and community,
and is an ideal way to support for those affected by Lou Gehrig's disease.

Emceed by meteorologist Phil Schwarz of ABC7 and Kathy Hart of The Mix 101.9FM, the event
will include music, entertainment, food and children's activities. The Walk4Life will occur rain or
shine.

Most participants walk as a team, honoring those living with ALS or in memory of someone
who has passed away from the disease. Teams have clever names such as "Hoofin' for Helga"
and "Pat's Warriors" and nearly every group designs their own colorful T-shirt.

The ALS Walk4Life is one of the world's largest gatherings for the ALS community, and in
its 10-year history, the Walk4Life has raised more than $7 million. Registration is free, but
participants are encouraged to fundraise for the Les Turner ALS Foundation.

ALS
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or motor neuron
disease (MND), causes motor neurons to stop working and die. The result is loss of voluntary
movement and muscle functions such as speaking, swallowing, and breathing. In the United
States, someone is diagnosed every 90 minutes, and 35,000 people are living with ALS.
Average lifespan is three to five years from diagnosis. Approximately 10 percent of all cases
are inherited, and a faulty protein pathway is known to play a role in all types of ALS. Though
treatment of symptoms often improves quality of life, there is no cure for ALS.

Les Turner ALS Foundation
Founded in 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation is recognized internationally and is the only
independent, publicly supported non-profit organization in the Chicago area dedicated solely

to the treatment and elimination of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Foundation is
affiliated with Northwestern Medicine where it supports two scientific research laboratories and
a large multi-disciplinary clinical program. Currently, the Foundation serves 90 percent of the
ALS population in the Chicago area with an array of patient services, such as support group
meetings, professional in-home consultation services, and respite care grants.

For more information, contact the Les Turner ALS Foundation at 847-679-3311 or visit
www.alswalk4life.org.
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The 40th Annual Barnes Family Bluegrass Music Festival will be held August 31, September 1 & 2, 3, 2012 at the Mercer County Fairgrounds, Aledo, Illinois.

Shows start;
Friday at7:00 PM
Saturday; 12:30 and 7:00 PM
Sunday 11:00 AM

Admission for the weekend; Friday $15; Saturday $20; Sunday $15. Weekend Passes are $40.

Children under 16 are free with a parent.

Camping fee is $12 per day and electricity is available.

Bring your own lawn chairs. RAIN OR SHINE!!! There are shelters in case of rain.  Concessions on the grounds.

Proceeds will benefit the Children's Therapy Center.