Shampoo.  Towels.  Laundry detergent.  Batteries.  This may read a little differently than your Christmas list, but these items we take for granted are in need right in our own community.  When members of the National Junior Honor Society at Rivermont Collegiate chose the Transitional Housing for Homeless Youth (THY) Program for a service project, it went beyond filling service hours; students felt a personal connection to this project, which serves youth-clients ages 14 through 21.  There are about 850 homeless youth in Davenport and Rock Island combined.  Members of Rivermont NJHS are hosting a "Bed, Bath, and Beyond for Bethany" fundraiser through December 10th, collecting donations of clothes and household products to supply youth apartments. NJHS members have thrown themselves behind the cause with fervor, even spending a chilly morning on the Rivermont front lawn with cardboard signs reading "Cold.  Tired. Hungry." and "Wanted: A Safe Place." to raise awareness about local homeless youth and encourage donations.  The cause is about to become even more meaningful!  On Friday, December 10th, THY Program Supervisor Ben Cleaveland will be on the Rivermont campus at 1:00 p.m. to speak with students in grades 5-12 about THY. He will be accompanied by a client who has benefited from THY and its services, providing the opportunity for students to see the significance and direct impact of their donation.  Following the program, Rivermont's donation boxes will be loaded and delivered.

Bethany for Children and Families has been providing services since 1899, ranging from custody mediation to teen parent support.  Specifically, the THY Program provides services for homeless youth, available to clients ages 14 to 21 that are homeless or living in a shelter.  Client-youth are located in various apartments throughout the QC community, furnished by donations, and must attend school or be employed.  THY focuses on providing educational and employment counseling, money management skills, vocational training, mental health services, and assistance with housing, food, and transportation.  THY encourages self-sufficiency by giving young people opportunities to exercise leadership, build skills, and get involved in the community.

Rivermont Collegiate, located in Bettendorf, is the Quad Cities' only private, independent, nonsectarian college-prep school for preschool through twelfth grade.  For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate, visit us online at www.rivermontcollegiate.org.

For additional information about Bethany for Children and Families and the THY Program, including a list of needed donations, please visit www.bethany-qc.org.

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Davenport, Iowa (November 2010) - Gilda's Club will host Dr. Mario Sy, Board Certified Hematologist and Medical Oncologist, who will offer vital information about the most current lung cancer treatments, strategies for symptom/side effect management , and tools for survivorship. Lung cancer patients, friends, and family members are welcome to learn how to build a more proactive relationship with their health care team. Free comprehensive booklets about lung cancer treatment and care will be provided. The workshop will take place on Tuesday, November 30th at 6:00 p.m. at Gilda's Club Quad Cities, 1234 East River Drive, Davenport, Iowa.

Advanced registration is preferred and dinner is included.

For more details and registration call Gilda's Club at (563)326-7504 or email erin@gildasclubqc.org.

Quad Cities, Iowa/Illinois?Unclean water is the leading cause of death in undeveloped nations. Such dirty, unsanitary water kills 45,000 people each week, 90 percent of them being children under the age of five.  That means 4,500 children die each day to water-related illnesses.  The numbers are grim, the facts are startling...but thankfully, a growing group of Iowans believe there is hope.

Water for Christmas, a grassroots effort born in Iowa, is on a mission to ensure that all people have access to clean water.   Specifically focused on the nation of Liberia, Water for Christmas offers people an opportunity to trade consumerism for compassion during the holidays and beyond.  Since its inception in November 2008, Water for Christmas has raised $325,000 for the organization charity: water and has inspired people all over the country to action.

This Saturday night, a "Wine to Water" fundraising event will take place at the third floor of the Redstone Building in downtown Davenport.  Event organizer, Tesi Klipsch, says that the Wine to Water party is all about what individuals can do in working toward a solution for a global issue.  "If you come, you'll see people you've seen in the community?at the Y, at the grocery store, at restaurants?who have found something they are passionate about. The party will have a very underground, grassroots type of feel, which we love because that's just how Water for Christmas started."

Last year the "Wine to Water" event raised $13,000 from a small group of individuals. This year, Klipsch is hoping to reach out to people who haven't heard just how extensive the water crisis is around the world. "We are asking the public to come join us, hear a little about why we're doing this and have some fun while they're at it. Local wine by Wide River Winery, local desserts by some of the best in our community and local musicians like Lojo Russo and the BE Project make this evening the perfect event to bring what is global, local," she says.

Based in New York, charity: water is a highly recognized organization that has raised over 10 million dollars in the last four years, changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people by building fresh-water wells in places that are without.  Charity: water takes 100 percent of all donations directly to water solution projects and follows up with proof...pictures and Google earth coordinates of all completed projects.

Event details:

Saturday, November 13th, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

3rd floor Redstone Building, 2nd and Main, Downtown Davenport

Music by Lojo Russo and The BE Project, local wine and dessert tasting 

$20 minimum donation at door

The Bettendorf Discovery Shop in Cumberland Square invites you to their Annual Holiday Open House Sunday, November 21st from noon to 4 pm.

Let us help you with your shopping list and at the same time you can make a difference in the fight against cancer! The Discovery Shop will be overflowing with all kinds of beautiful holiday clothing, ornaments, collectibles and gift items. If you are looking for something for yourself or for someone on your list, this is a great place to start.

The Discovery Shop is an upscale resale shop. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society to fund cancer research, patient services, education and advocacy.

The shop will be closed Saturday, November 20th to prepare for this event.

Donations are accepted anytime the shop is open and a tax receipt is always available. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am to 5 pm., Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm. and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Portion of Proceeds from Card Sales Donated to Operation Gratitude

Van Nuys, California; November 1, 2010 - CafePress, the leading source for custom printed products, has launched a special initiative to generate support for Operation Gratitude with customizable holiday cards. Cause-minded consumers can now send holiday cards customized with their own photos and text and benefit our Military at the same time.

With each customer purchase of a charity card, CafePress will donate 10% of the sale to Operation Gratitude to support its current mission of sending 50,000 Holiday Care Packages to U.S. troops deployed in harm's way.

To support Operation Gratitude, CafePress users simply select one of the cards designed especially for the organization at http://www.cafepress.com/make/operation_gratitude-holiday-photo-cards.  Then, they can easily customize it by uploading a personal photo and adding a festive message. Once they select from two types of high-end, textured paper and set their preferred quantity, they can send their holiday cheer on its way to friends and family.

"This is a wonderful way for our supporters to send their personal holiday greetings and also spread the word about Operation Gratitude," said Carolyn Blashek, founder of the non-profit Military Support organization.  "And each greeting card purchase helps us send another care package to a Service Member who will be far from home for the holidays-that makes these cards extra special."

"At CafePress, we know how passionate and active our customers are when it comes to giving back to the charities close to their hearts especially during the holidays" said CafePress Vice President of Marketing Amy Maniatis.  "With the launch of our stationary line, we saw the opportunity to use our unique platform to allow customers to both participate in a long-standing tradition of sending photo holiday cards as well as give back to the charity and cause close to their hearts."

To create a holiday photo card to benefit Operation Gratitude, please visit http://www.cafepress.com/make/operation_gratitude-holiday-photo-cards.

Vera French Foundation to host Ribbon Cutting & Open House on Thursday, October 28, 2010

Bettendorf, IA - A milestone event will be held this Thursday for a local housing corporation dedicated to giving back to person with mental illness in the Quad Cities community. Vera French Housing Corporation will hold an open house to commemorate the completion of construction on the new Vera
French Court facility. Located at 3465 Holiday Court in Bettendorf, IA the open house will take place on Thursday, October 28 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting at 2:00 p.m. Press are invited to attend.

If any press would prefer take a tour or photographs prior to the open house date, please contact Dean Drexel, Director of Vera French Housing Corporation at 563.445.7977 or vfhousing@netexpress.net.

Vera French Court, is a new 9,460 square foot ranch style building with 13 one bedroom apartments, a community room with computer learning center, cafeteria, public restrooms, office space, tenant storage area and laundry facilities. The housing development will provide additional supported housing
options for persons with persistent mental illness. Tours of the facility will be available to attendees. Established in 1949, originally as the Scott County Mental Health Center, Vera French Housing Corporation was created to provide safe, decent and affordable housing for those with persistent mental illness that is linked with ongoing services provided by the Vera French Mental Health Center Programs and other community service providers. For more information on the Vera French Housing Corporation, please visit their website at www.verafrenchmhc.org.

Russell Construction, located in Davenport, IA, served as the General Contractor on this project. In the past Russell has constructed two 10-unit Low Income Housing Tex Credit (LIHTC) projects, named Vera French Manor and Vera French Terrace. Robin Andrews, located in Huntley, IL served as the Architect.

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Churches United was the recipient of this award and received a $500 check.

Make sure to tune in to WQAD Channel 8 on Thursday, October 28th at 6:30 pm or Friday October 29th during "Good Morning Quad Cities (5-7 am) to check this out!

You can also log onto www.wqad.com or www.lujack.com

Please forward on to your friends, co-workers and family.

MOLINE, ILLINOIS - WQPT, Quad Cities PBS invites the public to join them for a night of fun and fundraising on Friday, November 5, 2010 when they hold a Trivia Night at the North Hall at the Highland Park Bowl located at 4202 Avenue of the Cities in Moline.

Participants can bring their own food and beverages are available through Highland Park Bowl. The fun starts at 6:00 p.m.  Cash prizes for first place is $150, $80 for second place and $40 for third place. Mulligans and "Phone a Friend" will be available, as well as prizes are awarded between each round.  Tables of 8 people must be reserved, $80.00 for a table. Please call WQPT at 309-764-2400 to reserve a table.

WQPT Trivia Night is a great night of fun and to help support local public television.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University.

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MONTICELLO, IA - Camp Courageous Antique Show will be held on Sunday, November 7th at the Berndes Center on the fairgrounds in Monticello. Doors will be open from 9:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M.  Camp Courageous is seeking dealers and exhibitors to display quality antiques and collectibles.  Food and beverages are available for purchase throughout the day, including pie and ice cream.  A 10'x16' space is offered with four tables for $50.00

Chuck Wolf, a professional appraiser from Maquoketa, will be available to the public throughout the day to assess items for a $5.00 fee (excluding guns, military memorabilia, and Indian artifacts).  Proceeds from this event goes to benefit Camp Courageous, a recreational and respite care facility for individuals with disabilities of all ages.  It is run on donations, without government support, without paid fundraisers, and without formal sponsorship.

Admission for the public is $3.00 and parking is free!  For inquiries or dealer information contact Sharon Roller at Camp Courageous  (319-465-5916 Extension 2200). All proceeds for this event will benefit over 5,100 individuals with disabilities served by Camp Courageous each year.

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Des Moines, Iowa–A sea of green shirts at the IMT Des Moines Marathon will mean a river of money flowing all the way to Mozambique to build a school there. Iowans for Africa, a running team from the Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls, has already raised nearly $50,000 for World Vision and hopes to hit $100,000 by race day.

Between 135 and 145 athletes will make the trip to Des Moines, along with nearly 400 supporters wearing green Iowans for Africa shirts. The group will hold a worship service before the race at Nollen Plaza.

The team was founded by Don Williams, a church staffer who is also a running coach. "We have four main goals," Williams said. "One: Use this event to praise God and advance His kingdom. Two: Get everyone to the finish line healthy and happy! Three: Develop a team mentality through building community and relationships. Four: Raise money to build a school in Mozambique, Africa."

Last year the team ran the Chicago Marathon to raise money for HIV/AIDS research and prevention in Africa, also through World Vision.

"It's not unusual for a group of runners to raise money for a charity," said Chris Burch, IMT Des Moines Marathon director of racing and events. "But this is certainly one of the bigger groups we've seen, and the number of people coming to support them is inspiring."

To make a donation to Iowans for Africa, go to www.firstgiving.com/iowansforafrica.

The IMT Des Moines Marathon & Half Marathon and Bankers Trust Marathon Relay start at 8 a.m. Sunday, October 17. The Principal Financial Group 5K Road Race starts at 8:30 a.m. The Bankers Trust Kids Run Presented by Iowa Kidstrong starts at 1 p.m. All races start and finish at Nollen Plaza. Register to race or to volunteer at desmoinesmarathon.com.

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