18
Jan
2005
• The Quad City International Airport has announced that 2004 set a new annual enplanement record of 442,737 passengers, an increase of 34,968 passengers over 2003. December 2004 was the 11th month in a row with a new monthly enplanement record. Further statistics, including individual airline performance for the month of December, were scheduled to be officially released at the airport's board meeting on January 18.
• Ballet Quad Cities has received a grant from the Riverboat Development Authority to bring Romeo & Juliet, 21st Century to life for high-school students. A special reduced-price school matinee performance of the original ballet will be held for high-school students to enhance their studies of this variation on the Shakespeare classic. Award-winning choreographer Johanne Jakhelln has created a contemporary ballet with jazzy choreography and modern-day costumes. Pre-performance visits to schools to discuss the differences between the Elizabethan text and the Ballet Quad Cities production are designed to stimulate critical and creative-thinking skills. Participating teachers will receive a curriculum guide developed for the project. The one-act ballet will be performed for students on February 18 at 10 a.m. at the Capitol Theatre in Davenport. For information or to register, call Julie at Ballet Quad Cities, (309)786-3779.
• The Quad Cities Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation announced its 2005 grant recipients for projects supporting breast-cancer education, screening, and treatment of the medically underserved. More than $287,000 was awarded through the yearly grant process to community groups and agencies in an eight-county service area. Funds for the grant program are generated from affiliate fundraisers, including the annual Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure, a five-kilometer race held each June. (The 2005 race is scheduled for Saturday, June 11.) Since its inception in 1990, the Quad Cities Komen affiliate has raised more than $3 million. One of its largest grant recipients has provided more than 1,500 mammogram vouchers yearly to medically underserved and underinsured women in the local Komen affiliate's eight-county service area. Individuals or organizations interested in applying for future grants may contact Becky Signer at (309)765-1903 or at (QCKomenGrants@mchsi.com).
• The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) invites anyone who is interested in helping children learn reading and other academic skills to the Butterworth Center, at 1105 Eighth Street in Moline, on Friday, January 21, at 2 p.m. for a presentation called "Tying It All Together" by Dr. Chuck Hyser, director of elementary education at Augustana College. Hyser will explain fundamentals that are common to a wide variety of programs that utilize tutors and mentors. This will also be an opportunity to learn more about RSVP's "Reading for Understanding" tutor program, which offers basic tutor training, ongoing support, and informative monthly meetings. Anyone is welcome to participate in this program, and individuals over the age of 55 are invited to join RSVP and receive insurance, reimbursement, and other benefits associated with membership. For more information or to register for the meeting, contact RSVP of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois at (309)793-4425 or (rsvp@wiaaa.org).
• Three students from Central High School in Davenport have been selected as finalists in the Iowa State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division "Know Your Constitution" project. Andrew Jones, Madelynn Eaton, and Anita Gribble are students of Dan Flaherty, who teaches social studies, history, and American government at Central. Chosen from more than 2,500 students across the state of Iowa, these finalists were honored at a luncheon in Des Moines on January 7. From the finalists, five students and their teachers will be chosen by random drawing to attend an all-expense-paid, six-day education session in Washington, D.C., in February. The work sessions are designed to develop a deeper understanding of government and the political process. The program is sponsored by the Iowa State Bar Association.
• Quad Cities author and illustrator Sean Leary has just published Exorcising Ghosts, a new graphic novel that he compares to The OC, Donnie Darko, and Catcher in the Rye. Ghosts tells the story of Colin Drewry, a teenager struggling with literal and metaphorical demons. Love triangles, alcoholism, family violence, and more are slammed into his world with maximum force. Exorcising Ghosts is Leary's first graphic novel and is available at bookstores or from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information, visit (http://www.seanleary.com).
• The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced a newly designed Web site at (http://www.visitquadcities.com), with many new features including: on-line reservations for hotel packages, hotel attraction reservations, on-line meeting planners, and on-line itinerary planners for bus groups. The home page features rotating pictures depicting life in the Quad Cities and separate entries into the Web site depending on your interest.
• Ballet Quad Cities has received a grant from the Riverboat Development Authority to bring Romeo & Juliet, 21st Century to life for high-school students. A special reduced-price school matinee performance of the original ballet will be held for high-school students to enhance their studies of this variation on the Shakespeare classic. Award-winning choreographer Johanne Jakhelln has created a contemporary ballet with jazzy choreography and modern-day costumes. Pre-performance visits to schools to discuss the differences between the Elizabethan text and the Ballet Quad Cities production are designed to stimulate critical and creative-thinking skills. Participating teachers will receive a curriculum guide developed for the project. The one-act ballet will be performed for students on February 18 at 10 a.m. at the Capitol Theatre in Davenport. For information or to register, call Julie at Ballet Quad Cities, (309)786-3779.
• The Quad Cities Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation announced its 2005 grant recipients for projects supporting breast-cancer education, screening, and treatment of the medically underserved. More than $287,000 was awarded through the yearly grant process to community groups and agencies in an eight-county service area. Funds for the grant program are generated from affiliate fundraisers, including the annual Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure, a five-kilometer race held each June. (The 2005 race is scheduled for Saturday, June 11.) Since its inception in 1990, the Quad Cities Komen affiliate has raised more than $3 million. One of its largest grant recipients has provided more than 1,500 mammogram vouchers yearly to medically underserved and underinsured women in the local Komen affiliate's eight-county service area. Individuals or organizations interested in applying for future grants may contact Becky Signer at (309)765-1903 or at (QCKomenGrants@mchsi.com).
• The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) invites anyone who is interested in helping children learn reading and other academic skills to the Butterworth Center, at 1105 Eighth Street in Moline, on Friday, January 21, at 2 p.m. for a presentation called "Tying It All Together" by Dr. Chuck Hyser, director of elementary education at Augustana College. Hyser will explain fundamentals that are common to a wide variety of programs that utilize tutors and mentors. This will also be an opportunity to learn more about RSVP's "Reading for Understanding" tutor program, which offers basic tutor training, ongoing support, and informative monthly meetings. Anyone is welcome to participate in this program, and individuals over the age of 55 are invited to join RSVP and receive insurance, reimbursement, and other benefits associated with membership. For more information or to register for the meeting, contact RSVP of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois at (309)793-4425 or (rsvp@wiaaa.org).
• Three students from Central High School in Davenport have been selected as finalists in the Iowa State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division "Know Your Constitution" project. Andrew Jones, Madelynn Eaton, and Anita Gribble are students of Dan Flaherty, who teaches social studies, history, and American government at Central. Chosen from more than 2,500 students across the state of Iowa, these finalists were honored at a luncheon in Des Moines on January 7. From the finalists, five students and their teachers will be chosen by random drawing to attend an all-expense-paid, six-day education session in Washington, D.C., in February. The work sessions are designed to develop a deeper understanding of government and the political process. The program is sponsored by the Iowa State Bar Association.
• Quad Cities author and illustrator Sean Leary has just published Exorcising Ghosts, a new graphic novel that he compares to The OC, Donnie Darko, and Catcher in the Rye. Ghosts tells the story of Colin Drewry, a teenager struggling with literal and metaphorical demons. Love triangles, alcoholism, family violence, and more are slammed into his world with maximum force. Exorcising Ghosts is Leary's first graphic novel and is available at bookstores or from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information, visit (http://www.seanleary.com).
• The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced a newly designed Web site at (http://www.visitquadcities.com), with many new features including: on-line reservations for hotel packages, hotel attraction reservations, on-line meeting planners, and on-line itinerary planners for bus groups. The home page features rotating pictures depicting life in the Quad Cities and separate entries into the Web site depending on your interest.
