St. Ambrose has become the first credentialed physical-therapy residency program in Iowa - and one of only 12 orthopedic residency programs in the country. The status was conferred by the American Physical Therapy Association. Offered in collaboration with Rock Valley Physical Therapy, the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program is a post-professional experience providing employment and clinical mentoring, upper-level academic and continuing-education classes, and teaching opportunities in a defined area of specialty practice. The residency program is the latest addition to the SAU Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and promotes standards of quality and consistency in the teaching and practice of physical therapy. For more information, contact the physical-therapy department at (563) 333-6403 or go to (http://www.sau.edu/pt).
North High Wildcat Theatre Productions, under the direction of Helen Brennan, has been selected as one of approximately 40 schools out of more than 200 who were nominated from throughout the United States to participate in the American High School Theatre Festival at the Fringe held in Edinburgh, Scotland in August 2007. The Fringe Festival, a unique event whose purpose is to showcase creativity, is the largest performing-arts festival in the world, featuring more than 18,000 different performances of music, theatre, dance, and comedy. Davenport's North High, recognized for its innovative and entertaining productions, will have the opportunity to perform a play of its choice on an international stage. North High drama students, their parents, teachers, and administrators are heavily involved in fundraising activities to finance their two-week stay in Scotland and England. They are currently seeking donations to make the cost of the trip affordable to all North theatre students who want to participate. Donations may be sent to: Wildcat Theatre, Attention: Helen Brennan, North High School, 626 W. 53rd St., Davenport IA 52806.
The Riverboat Development Authority has announced that grant applications for fall grants must be in the organization's office by 5 p.m. on September 29. Applications submitted after that date will not be considered for funding. That office is located at 112 West Second Street in Davenport. Application forms are available online at (http://www.riverboatauthority.com).
The Figge Art Museum Education Department will offer an array of new art workshops and classes this fall. In addition to drawing, painting, and jewelry making, there are six new series of classes, including photography; fabrics; home décor; decorative painting; book arts and calligraphy; and art appreciation. A full list of classes is available on the museum's Web site (http://www.figgeartmuseum.org). Registration must be completed one week prior to the first day of the class.
The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) has announced lower interest rates for its first-time home-buyer assistance programs. The new rate for IFA's FirstHome program is 6.375 percent. FirstHome offers qualified first-time home-buyers affordable mortgage financing with a low, fixed interest rate and no points or origination fees. The new rate for IFA's FirstHome Plus program is 6.75 percent. FirstHome Plus provides qualified first-time home-buyers with incomes below $46,120 affordable mortgage financing plus cash assistance of up to 3 percent of the mortgage amount for down-payment and closing costs. IFA issues tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds to fund the FirstHome and FirstHome Plus programs. FirstHome and FirstHome Plus mortgages can be used to finance new and existing single-family homes. In the most recent fiscal year, IFA helped 2,830 borrowers purchase their first homes, providing more than $236 million in homeowner assistance. More information about FirstHome and FirstHome Plus, including income and purchase-price limits and a list of participating lenders, is available at (http://www.ifahome.com) or by calling (800) 432-7230.
The Congregation of the Humility of Mary has a new Web site: (http://chmiowa.org). Learn about the Sisters of Humility, their current ministries, various forms of association, and history. Click on Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat and find out about the many programs and services offered there. Volunteer opportunities, prayer requests, and online donations are also a part of the Web site.
Directors of Volunteers in Agencies (DOVIA) will hold an interactive workshop on Thursday, September 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. Devendra Shrikhande, director of Web communications at St. Ambrose University, will discuss ways the Internet can be used to recruit volunteers, develop volunteer opportunities, manage volunteers, and promote volunteer programs. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the workshop will be held at Keep Scott County Beautiful, 5640 Carey Avenue in Davenport. The cost is $7 for DOVIA members and $10 for non-members. Shrikhande will be prepared to answer questions ranging from the most basic to the more complex. For more information about this workshop, contact Dave Layton at (309) 793-4425 or (dlayton@wiaaa.org).
The Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy has received $493,614 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for Iowa's Drug Endangered Children (DEC) program. The DEC program is a statewide effort to create rapid-response teams to leverage the resources of the criminal-justice, human-services, juvenile-court, and public-health systems in identifying and caring for the children of substance-abusing caregivers, particularly meth-abusing caregivers. This funding specifically will provide for oversight of the DEC program throughout the state, provide training and technical assistance to local teams, and assist county attorneys who prosecute drug-endangered-children cases. It will also provide substance-abuse-treatment resources for adults involved in the DEC program and the tracking of local DEC team data.
