On Saturday, August 12, Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities dedicated its 37th home. This is the fourth Habitat house to be built in East Moline and is located at 1321 12th Avenue. It will become home to Tracy Howard and her daughters. Howard has completed more than the required 250 hours of "sweat equity" working on her home and other partner-family homes under construction, and participating in additional Habitat activities such as homeowner classes, fundraisers, and mailings. A large portion of the sponsorship funding for the home was provided by Quad Cities Area Realtor Association and Wells Fargo. Additional funding came from the Thrivent East Scott County Chapter. The lot for the house was acquired with the assistance of the City of East Moline. For more information, go to (http://www.habitatqc.org).
Iowa Public Radio has launched a statewide "listening project" with the slogan "We're All Ears," soliciting ideas to help public radio better serve Iowans and their communities. All Iowans are invited to participate in the listening project by completing an online survey at (http://www.iowapublicradio.org). Likewise, all Iowans are invited to sign-up on the Iowa Public Radio Web site to participate in community forums that will be held in Ames, Des Moines, Cedar Falls, and Iowa City on September 26 and 27. The listening project also includes a mail survey sent to a randomly chosen sample of more than 3,500 Iowa Public Radio listeners. The results of the listening project will be available on the Iowa Public Radio Web site later this year.
The Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce will present the Second Annual Excellence in Commerce Awards at its Annual Business Meeting & Awards Night. Any business that submits an application and is an Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce member is eligible for an Excellence in Commerce Award. The Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Meeting & Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday, September 21, at the MARK of the Quad Cities. For more information, call (309)757-5416.
Trinity Regional Health System will donate an automated external defibrillator, or AED, to the Hampton, Illinois, police department as part of its ongoing commitment to partner with area law-enforcement agencies to help address critical access issues during cardiac emergencies. Since 2002, Trinity has awarded 18 automatic external defibrillators to various agencies, including to the East Moline Police Department, Milan Police Department, Moline Police Department, Quad City International Airport, Rock Island Parks & Recreation Department, Rock Island Police Department, and the Rock Island County Sheriff's Department. In addition, Trinity has provided 80 hours of defibrillator training and certifications at no cost to 93 Illinois Quad Cities law-enforcement officers. Trinity has spent $59,000 on AEDs, supplies, and training materials for this law-enforcement partner initiative.
Pheasants
Forever is kicking off the inaugural Iowa Build a Wildlife Area
campaign at the Iowa State Fair. Pheasants Forever, the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa County Conservation
Boards, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service started this
campaign based upon its success in Minnesota. The Build a Wildlife
Area campaign is an effort to engage individual donors, corporations,
not-for-profits, and government organizations to create permanent
public wildlife areas. Iowa is the third state to start a Build a
Wildlife Area partnership, following Minnesota and Wisconsin. The
Iowa campaign will be featured at the National Pheasant Fest in
January 2007 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The Iowa State
Fair runs through August 20. The Pheasants Forever and Build a
Wildlife Area booth will be outside the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources building in the southwest corner of the fairgrounds.
Representatives from Pheasants Forever will be located behind the
building in the courtyard from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Davenport-based Quad City Executive Toastmasters Club has achieved a Presidential Distinguished Club Award, as well as a third-place award out of 37 Distinguished Clubs in Iowa for goals achieved. To become a Distinguished Club, the Quad City Executive Toastmasters had to meet goals established by Toastmasters International, including increased membership and the fulfillment of personal goals by many club members. Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality. Each meeting gives participants an opportunity to practice conducting meetings, giving speeches, and offering constructive evaluation, all at one's own pace. For more information on attending meetings or joining the Quad City Executive Toastmasters Club, contact Steve Couch at (563)499-1010 or (scouch@mancomm.com).
Genesis Health Group pediatrician Gregory Garvin has been appointed to a three-year term on the Iowa Board of Health by Governor Tom Vilsack. Garvin has been actively involved in public-health issues at the county, state, and national levels. The Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association recommended Garvin to the governor for appointment. The Iowa Board of Health is the policymaking body for the Iowa Department of Public Health. The board has the power and responsibility to adopt rules and regulations and makes public-health recommendations to the governor, legislature, and director of public health. Garvin has been a member of the Scott County Board of Health since 1993 and has served a number of state appointments, including membership on the Iowa Perinatal Advisory Committee, the Center for Inherited Disorders of the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the physicians advisory committee of the Hawk-I Program. Dr. Garvin has served as national president of the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians and was president of the Scott County Medical Society in 1995. Garvin has been practicing in Davenport since 1979.
