River Cleanup Crusader in Final 10 for "Hardest Working _____ in America" Contest

Pregracke Receives Nomination from Dirtiest Jobs host, Mike Rowe

East Moline, IL - July 22, 2010 - Chad Pregracke, President & Founder of Living Lands & Waters, a Quad City-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to cleaning up the Mississippi River, has been nominated as the  "Hardest Working Do-Gooder in America" by Discovery Channel star, Mike Rowe.

The contest is sponsored by Mitchum Deodorant and designed to find, highlight and reward the hardest working man or woman in the country. Contestants submitted videos to the campaign's site and the winner of the contest will be selected by the American public through on-line voting.   To view the contestants and vote for Pregracke, visit the Mitchum website at mitchumhardestworking.com, select "Meet the Finalists", and click on "Chad Pregracke" and then "I Vote for Chad".  On-line voting will continue through August 15, with one vote per day, per computer allowed.

"This guy has given his life to cleaning up our rivers, getting dirty and loving every minute of it.  Let's do everything we can to help keep him happy and get him some much needed money," says Mike Rowe.

Since starting Living Lands & Waters in 1998 at the age of 23, Pregracke has worked tirelessly to clean up the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and over a dozen other major rivers.  He, his crew, and over 60,000 volunteers have removed over 6 million pounds of debris including over 60,000 tires, 5,000 barrels, 1,200 refrigerators, cars, trucks, and more.  His organization has helped plant over 200,000 native trees and has taught over 10,000 students and teachers about the value and importance of our rivers.

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DAVENPORT, IOWA (July 16, 2010) - Julie Wall of Trinity Lutheran School is bringing a German Tradition to the Quad Cities with German School Cones. The event will be held at the German American Heritage Center on July 25th at 2:00 PM. Cost is free with museum admission and free for museum members.

Since the early 19th century, the rite of passage for children in German speaking areas as they entered formal schooling was celebrated with the gifting of School Cones (Schultuten). Julie Wall is the artist in residence at Trinity Lutheran School and is working with her students to bring this tradition to the Quad Cities. School Cones are also referred to as Zuckeruete meaning sweet cone. In Germany, children attend the first day with their parents and grandparents, often dressed in their best outfit. The older students put on a performance followed by an short introduction, class photographs, and individual photographs with the children's school cones. School Cones are made with paper and ribbon and often times end up being as tall as the child. They can be filled with small gifts, school supplies, and plenty of candy and chocolate. Join us on Sunday, July 25th and make your child a traditional German School Cone to make their first day of school bitter sweet.

For more information on the museum's exhibits, programs, events, classes, and workshops, visit www.gahc.org or call 563-322-8844. General Admission is: Adults: $5; Seniors: $4; Children (5-17 years old): $3; Free for children under 5. Museums members are free. Hours are Tuesdays through Saturday open 10 am- 4 pm; Sunday open 12 pm- 4 pm.

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Willard White and family friend Sklyar Zesch are in the midst of a 3,333 mile trek. They are pedaling from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean to raise money and awareness for Shriners Hospitals for Children®. Willard says he hopes the three-month trip will raise at least $10,000. White's wife Laura and their daughters are following the pair in a van filled with supplies.

Willard and family will be in Davenport on Friday, July 16th.  They will be on Paula Sands Live at 4:30pm on KWQC-TV 6.

Each the White's three adopted daughters has a complicated medical history which required either life-saving or life-altering care. Now, White is charting his own expedition to thank the hospital that made that care possible.

"I am pedaling several million times to raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children® to give back for all they have done for my family and many others," he said.

The Whites credit Shriners Hospitals for Children® ? Salt Lake City Chief of Staff Jacques D'Astous, M.D., with saving the life of their oldest daughter Marcela. When she arrived in the U.S. from a Bolivian orphanage, the 12-year-old had severe scoliosis. Laura White says her daughter's spinal deformity had progressed to the point it was compressing down on her lungs, "If they hadn't put the rod in her back, she would have died in her twenties. Shriners Hospitals for Children® gave her a chance to live."

Marcela experienced complications during her 22-hour spine surgery due to another rare and undetected condition. As a result, she underwent another twelve surgeries within two weeks. The Whites say Dr. D'Astous stuck with them throughout.

"I've never been around such compassionate care," Willard said. "I just remember him crying and hugging me. It was a miracle he got her to pull through."

Marcela was never expected to walk, but after months of intense physical therapy and years of hard work, she can now walk with a crutch. At age 22 she is a happy newlywed and animation major at Brigham Young University.

The Whites also adopted two other girls. Baya has cerebral palsy and has received surgery and therapy at Shriners Hospitals for Children®. A third daughter, Faith, sustained a brain injury before birth that causes her to walk on her toes. The hospital system has helped her by providing physical therapy and orthotics.

Willard logs 50 - 60 miles a day on his bike. Along the way he shares his story about the expert pediatric orthopaedic care his daughters received at Shriners Hospitals for Children®.

Willard and Skylar are expected to reach Coney Island in August. You can follow their progress at http://inspirationroad.blogspot.com/ and donate through the White's personal fundraising page, which is on the Shriners Hospitals for Children®  website at http://support.shrinershospitals.org/site/TR/Events/General?pxfid=1090&fr_id=1030&pg=fund .

To create your own personal fundraising page to support the life-changing care provided by Shriners Hospitals for Children®, visit www.donate2shc.org/personalfundraising.

WINGS FUNDRAISER

JULY 2, 2010

9pm until 1am

Admission $5

Independence WEEKEND 2010

19 yr old and UNDER

Dance Contest - Cash Prizes Awarded

Moline Club - 513 16th St, Moline, IL.

The Wings program is an excellent program for youth leadership. The youth, 16 to 17 year old, are selected by their pastors and school counsellors, then personally trained by a series of  mentors/teachers outside of their school.